By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina has ridden a seven-game win streak into the program’s latest top-10 ranking in the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll in 16 seasons.
The Tar Heels (25–4, 13–3 ACC) moved up one spot to a season-high No. 8 in the latest poll after winning 79–75 Sunday at Louisville, which was unranked but now No. 15.
This is the latest in the season that UNC has been ranked in the top 10 since it was No. 9 just over 16 years ago on Feb. 23, 2009. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 2 that season for nine consecutive weeks from Nov. 24 to Jan. 19 and finished 28–7.
It’s the Tar Heels’ highest ranking since they were No. 6 on Dec. 19, 2022, the last time they were in the top 10 in consecutive weeks. That season, UNC was ranked in the top 10 for five consecutive weeks, peaking at No. 6 on Nov. 28.
In the Friday NCAA tournament projections, ESPN’s Charlie Creme has UNC as the No. 3 seed in a Spokane regional, Her Hoops Stats has the Heels as the No. 3 seed in a Birmingham region and CBS Sports also has UNC as a No. 3 seed.
Inexplicably, UNC fell one spot to 15th in the NET rankings after Sunday’s victory. UNC is
Inexplicably, UNC fell one spot to 15th in the NET rankings after Sunday’s victory. UNC is 5–3 in Quad 1 games, 6–1 in Quad 2 games and 14–0 in all other games.
With Sunday’s win, UNC is alone in third place in the ACC, all but clinching an ACC tournament double-bye, and is the only women’s team in the country unbeaten on the road (9–0).
UNC has that latter distinction because ACC leader Notre Dame (24–3, 15–1) suffered a 104–95 double-overtime loss at N.C. State (22–5, 14–2) on Sunday for its first road defeat. That dropped the previously No. 1 Irish to No. 3 and jumped the Wolfpack four spots to No. 9.
Duke (21–7, 12–4), which hosts UNC at 7 p.m. Thursday, fell five spots to No. 16 after losing to the Irish 64–49 and Louisville 70–62 before rebounding Sunday to beat Syracuse 80–49.
Georgia Tech (21–7, 9–7) fell outof the poll after losing 83–68 to N.C. State and 73–70 to Florida State (22–6, 12–4), which returned to the poll at No. 24.
Ohio State (23–4) was the only other team ahead of UNC in last week’s poll to lose. The Buckeyes beat Iowa 86–78 in overtime and Purdue 98–46 but lost to unranked Indiana 71–61 and fell four spots to No. 12.
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Notre Dame | 15–1 | 24–4 | 4 |
| No. 9 N.C. State | 14–2 | 22–5 | 17 |
| No. 8 North Carolina | 13–3 | 25–4 | 15 |
| No. 22 Florida State | 12–4 | 22–6 | 24 |
| No. 25 Louisville | 12–4 | 19–8 | 37 |
| No. 11 Duke | 12–4 | 21–7 | 8 |
| Florida State | 12–4 | 22–6 | 26 |
| California | 10–6 | 22–7 | 40 |
| Georgia Tech | 9–7 | 21–7 | 28 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–8 | 17–10 | 46 |
| Virginia | 6–10 | 14–14 | 76 |
| Stanford | 6–10 | 14–13 | 51 |
| Clemson | 6–10 | 13–14 | 60 |
| Boston College | 5–11 | 14–15 | 72 |
| Syracuse | 4–12 | 10–17 | 91 |
| Miami | 4–12 | 14–13 | 79 |
| Pittsburgh | 4–12 | 11–17 | 135 |
| SMU | 2–14 | 10–18 | 118 |
| Wake Forest | 2–14 | 9–18 | 99 |
Sunday’s results
No. 8 North Carolina 79, No. 25 Louisville 75
No. 9 N.C. State 104, No. 31 Notre Dame 95
Miami 62, Wake Forest 60
Pittsburgh 72, Clemson 59
No. 11 Duke 80, Syracuse 49
Boston College 87, SMU 78
Virginia Tech 87, California 84
No. 22 Florida State 73, Georgia Tech 70
Virginia 89, Stanford 69
Thursday’s games
Clemson at No. 25 Louisville, ACCN
No. 8 North Carolina at No. 11 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
Wake Forest at No. 8 N.C. State, ACCN Extra
Pittsburgh at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Virginia Tech at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
No. 22 Florida State at No. 3 Notre Dame, 8 p.m., ACCN
Virginia at SMU, 8 p.m., ACCN Extra
Georgia Tech at California, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Miami at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
| Date | Day/month | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current rank) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | ||||
| 4 | Monday | W, 83–53 | vs. Charleston Southern | 1–0 |
| 7 | Thursday | W, 77–50 | vs. UNCW | 2–0 |
| 12 | Tuesday | W, 66–47 | at N.C. A&T | 3–0 |
| 15 | Friday | L, 69–58 | vs. No. 5 UConn in Greensboro | 3–1 |
| Battle 4 Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas | ||||
| 23 | Saturday | W, 63–52 | Ball State | 4–1 |
| 24 | Sunday | W, 53–36 | Villanova | 5–1 |
| 25 | Monday | W, 69–39 | Indiana | 6–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 29 | Friday | W, 119–43 | vs. N.C. Central | 7–1 |
| December | ||||
| ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | ||||
| 5 | Thursday | W, 72–53 | vs. No. 15 Kentucky | 8–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 8 | Sunday | W, 72–46 | vs. Coppin State | 9–1 |
| 11 | Wednesday | W, 80–56 | vs. UNCG | 10–1 |
| 15 | Sunday | L, 82–76 | vs. Georgia Tech | 10–2, 0–1 ACC |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 18 | Wednesday | W, 77–57 | vs. Florida | 11–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 21 | Saturday | W, 90–47 | vs. Norfolk State | 12–2 |
| ACC season | ||||
| 29 | Sunday | W, 69–60 | at Miami | 13–2, 1–1 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 5 | Sunday | L, 76–66 | vs. No. 3 Notre Dame | 13–3, 1–2 |
| 9 | Thursday | W, 53–46, OT | vs. No. 16 Duke | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 80–67 | vs. Boston College | 15–3, 3–2 |
| 16 | Thursday | W, 64–33 | at SMU | 16–3, 4–2 |
| 19 | Sunday | W, 75–58 | at Pitt | 17–3, 5–2 |
| 23 | Thursday | W, 76–51 | vs. Wake Forest | 18–3, 6–2 |
| 26 | Sunday | L, 86–84 | vs. No. 24 Florida State | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 30 | Thursday | W, 65–52 | at California | 19–4, 7–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Sunday | W, 69–67 | at Stanford | 20–4, 8–3 |
| 9 | Sunday | W, 53–51 | at Clemson | 21–4, 9–3 |
| 13 | Thursday | W, 67–62 | vs. Virginia Tech | 22–4, 10–3 |
| 16 | Sunday | W, 66–65 | vs. No. 9 N.C. State | 23–4, 11–3 |
| 20 | Thursday | W, 68–58 | at Syracuse | 24–4, 12–3 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 79–75 | at Louisville | 25–4, 13–3 |
| 27 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at No. 16 Duke | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 2 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Virginia | The CW |
| 5–9 | Wed.–Sun. | ACC tournament Greensboro |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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