By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina moved up one spot to No. 3 in the latest Top 25 men’s basketball poll, the Tar Heels’ highest January rank since the 2016 Final Four team was No. 2 in the last two polls that month.
This is the 36th season that Carolina has been ranked No. 3 or higher, with the Tar Heels winning their first seven ACC games for the first time since that 2015–16 team won its first eight. UNC has won six consecutive ACC games by double digits for the first time since the 1993 national championship team won 10 in a row.
The Tar Heels (15–3, 7–0 ACC) lead the league by two games over N.C. State (13–5), Wake Forest (13–5) and Florida State (11–7), who are each 5–2 in the league.
UNC, which got no first-place votes after getting one last week, hosts the Deacons at 7 p.m. Monday (ESPN).
Carolina is one of only four schools (and the only ACC school) ranked in both the men’s and women’s poll, with the second-best average rank (No. 3 men and No. 20 women) of 11.5, behind only UConn (No. 1 men and No. 9 women) at No. 5. Baylor (No. 15 men and No. 13 women) averages at No. 14 and Creighton (No. 17 men, No. 21 women) averages at 19.
UNC — 7th in KenPom, 8th in Team Rankings and 9th in Bart Torvik’s rankings — moved up after Kansas (15–3) lost 91–85 at West Virginia and fell four spots to No. 7.
Eight voters ranked the Tar Heels No. 2, including JB RIcks of Spectrum News and Rodd Boxley of the Fayetteville Observer, the latter in his second week as an AP voter, taking the place of Luke DeCock of The News & Observer. David Jablonski of the Dayton Daily News had UNC the lowest at No. 7. Kate Rogerson of WTVD voted UNC No. 3. Forty voters had the Tar Heels No. 3.
Duke (13–4, 4–2), the only other ranked ACC team, fell five spots to No. 12 after losing 80–76 at home to Pittsburgh (11–7, 2–5) on Saturday.
Carolina has played half of the top-six teams, losing to No. 1 UConn (17–2) and No. 6 Kentucky (14–3; up two spots) and beating No. 5 Tennessee (14–4; up one spot). The Tar Heels also have a win over No. 11 Oklahoma (15–3; up four spots).
Two other teams fell out of the top 10 after losing twice:
— Baylor (14–4) dropped from No. 9 to No. 15 after losing in overtime 68–64 to Kansas State and falling 75–73 against Texas.
— Memphis (15–4) slipped from No. 10 to No. 19 after losing to South Florida 74–73 and Tulane 81–79.
AP Top 25
| Ranking | Team (1st-place votes_ | Record | Poll points | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn (44) | 17–2 | 1,508 | 1 |
| 2 | Purdue (17) | 17–2 | 1,472 | 2 |
| 3 | North Carolina | 15–3 | 1,391 | 4 |
| 4 | Houston | 16–2 | 1,309 | 5 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 14–4 | 1,237 | 6 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 14–3 | 1,205 | 8 |
| 7 | Kansas | 15–3 | 1,157 | 3 |
| 8 | Auburn | 16–2 | 1,094 | 13 |
| 9 | Arizona | 14–4 | 1,060 | 12 |
| 10 | Illinois | 14–4 | 862 | 14 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 15–3 | 849 | 15 |
| 12 | Duke | 13–4 | 832 | 7 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 14–4 | 801 | 11 |
| 14 | Marquette | 13–5 | 747 | 17 |
| 15 | Baylor | 14–4 | 645 | 9 |
| 16 | Dayton | 15–2 | 546 | 21 |
| 17 | Creighton | 14–5 | 505 | 18 |
| 18 | Utah State | 17–2 | 381 | 16 |
| 19 | Memphis | 15–4 | 329 | 10 |
| 20 | Texas Tech | 15–3 | 304 | 25 |
| 21 | BYU | 14–4 | 294 | 20 |
| 22 | Florida Atlantic | 15–4 | 290 | 23 |
| 23 | Iowa State | 14–4 | 253 | 24 |
| 24 | Colorado State | 15–3 | 214 | NR |
| 25 | New Mexico | 16–3 | 177 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Seton Hall 84, San Diego State 64, Kansas State 39, Alabama 30, TCU 27, Ole Miss 25, Princeton 21, Utah 20, Texas 16, Boise State 9, Florida 6, Gonzaga 6, Grand Canyon 5, Michigan State 3, Saint Mary’s (CA) 2, N.C. State 1, San Francisco 1, Indiana State 1, Samford 1, McNeese State 1, Colorado 1.
UNC season statistics
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 10–0 | 21–1 | 3 |
| No. 20 Clemson | 9–1 | 19–4 | 31 |
| No. 18 Virginia | 8–2 | 19–3 | 17 |
| N.C. State | 8–2 | 17–6 | 25 |
| No. 14 North Carolina | 6–3 | 18–4 | 26 |
| Miami | 6–3 | 17–5 | 39 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 6–4 | 16–6 | 18 |
| California | 5–5 | 17–6 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–5 | 16–7 | 56 |
| SMU | 4–5 | 15–7 | 34 |
| Syracuse | 4–6 | 13–10 | 72 |
| Florida State | 3–6 | 10–12 | 100 |
| Stanford | 3–7 | 14–9 | 77 |
| Wake Forest | 2–7 | 11–11 | 72 |
| Boston College | 2–7 | 9–13 | 148 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–7 | 9–13 | 113 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–8 | 11–12 | 143 |
| Notre Dame | 2–8 | 11–12 | 85 |
* — Through Tuesday games
Monday’s result
No. 14 North Carolina 87, Syracuse 77
Tuesday’s results
No. 4 Duke 67, Boston College 49
No. 18 Virginia 67, Pittsburgh 47
N.C. State 84, SMU 83
Wednesday’s results
No. 24 Louisville 76, Notre Dame 65
California 90, Georgia Tech 85
No. 20 Clemson 66, Stanford 64
Saturday’s games
Virginia Tech at N.C. State, noon, The CW
Syracuse at No. 18 Virginia, noon, ESPN
No. 24 Louisville at Wake Forest, noon, ACC Network
Miami at Boston College, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Pittsburgh, 2 p.m., The CW
Florida State at Notre Dame, 4 p.m., The CW
No. 4 Duke at No. 14 North Carolina, 6:30, ESPN
No. 20 Clemson at California, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Georgia Tech at Stanford, 8 p.m., ESPNU
Monday’s game
N.C. State at No. 24 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
No. 14 North Carolina at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 18 Virginia at Florida State, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Notre Dame at SMU, 7 p.m., ACC Network
No. 4 Duke at Pittsburgh, 9 p.m., ESPN
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 16 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 11 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 10 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 18 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 24 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
tarheeltribune.com 