By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina fell to a season-low No. 18 in the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll after Sunday’s 76–66 overtime home loss to Louisville.
The previous low for the Tar Heels (9–3, 0–1 ACC), who were No. 11 for three weeks and No. 12 last week, was No. 14 on Nov. 17 after their 78–60 loss to UCLA.
It’s UNC’s lowest rank since the Tar Heels were No. 19 on Jan. 6 last season.
The Cardinals (10–3, 2–0) jumped sis spots to No. 16 after also rolling to a 93–62 home win over Ball State, and are the highest-ranked ACC team for the first time this season. Notre Dame (8–2) fell one spot to No. 20 after beating Morehead State 97–68 and James Madison 78–65.
UNC was the only team in last week’s poll to lose to a team that was ranked lower. Others losing were:
— Iowa (10–1), which stayed at No. 11 after a 74–49 loss to Iowa State (12–0), which stayed at No. 10.
— Baylor (10–2), which fell two spots to No. 15 after an 89–54 loss to No. 2 Texas.
— Southern Cal (7–3), which dropped three spots to No. 19 after a 79–51 setback against No. 1 UConn.
— Oklahoma State (10–2), which was No. 23, fell out of the poll after a 92–70 loss to Oklahoma (11–1), which moved up one spot to No. 8.
AP Top 25
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma St. 35, Texas Tech 26, Alabama 13, Georgia 12, N.C. State 8, Arizona St. 1, Illinois 1
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7 Louisville | 10–0 | 20–3 | 9 |
| No. 20 Duke | 11–0 | 16–6 | 14 |
| N.C. State | 8–2 | 15–6 | 28 |
| Syracuse | 7–3 | 17–4 | 40 |
| Virginia Tech | 7–3 | 16–4 | 43 |
| Virginia | 7–3 | 15–6 | 37 |
| North Carolina | 6–3 | 17–5 | 21 |
| Clemson | 6–4 | 15–7 | 39 |
| Notre Dame | 5–5 | 13–8 | 32 |
| Stanford | 4–5 | 15–7 | 36 |
| California | 4–5 | 13–9 | 54 |
| Miami | 4–6 | 12–9 | 48 |
| Georgia Tech | 4–6 | 9–13 | 93 |
| Florida State | 2–7 | 7–14 | 108 |
| Wake Forest | 2–9 | 12–11 | 120 |
| SMU | 1–9 | 8–14 | 182 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–9 | 8–15 | 260 |
| Boston College | 0–10 | 4–19 | 250 |
* — Through Thursday games
Sunday’s games
No. 20 Duke 80, Wake Forest 44
No 7 Louisville at California, 1 p.m.
Virginia at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Syracuse at Miami, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Boston College at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Notre Dame at Stanford, 4 p.m.
Florida State at Clemson, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Monday’s game
North Carolina at N.C. State, 6 p.m., ESPN2
Thursday’s games
Syracuse at Boston College, 6 p.m.
Stanford at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Clemson at North Carolina, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 20 Duke at No. 7 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
Virginia Tech at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Miami at Virginia, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
California at Georgia Tech, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Wake Forest at SMU, 7:30, ACCN Extra
Florida State at N.C. State, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Sunday, Feb. 8, games
No. 7 Louisville at Syracuse, noon, ACCN Extra
N.C. State at Virginia Tech, noon, ACC Network
California at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m. ACCN Extra
SMU at No. 20 Duke, 2 p.m. The CW
Notre Dame at Virginia, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
North Carolina at Wake Forest, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Miami at Florida State, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Stanford at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Boston College at Clemson, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 3 South Carolina in Atlanta | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 90–42 | vs. N.C. Central | 1–0 |
| 6 | Thursday | W, 71–37 | vs. Elon | 2–0 |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | L, 78–60 | vs. No. 2 UCLA | 2–1 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 82–68 | vs. Fairfield | 3–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | W, 85–50 | at N.C. A&T | 4–1 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 94–48 | vs. UNCG | 5–1 |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | W, 83–48 | vs. South Dakota St. | 6–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 85–73 | vs. Kansas State | 7–1 |
| 29 | Saturday | W, 80–63 | vs. Columbia | 8–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 79–64 | at No. 4 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 78 Louisville | 9–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 84–34 | vs. UNCW | 10–3 |
| 21 | Sunday | W, 93–74 | vs. Charleston Southern | 11–3 |
| 29 | Monday | W, 90–38 | at Boston College | 12–3, 1–1 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | W, 71–55 | vs. California | 13–3, 2–1 |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 77–71, OT | vs. Stanford | 13–4, 2–2 |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 73–50 | at Notre Dame | 13–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | Thursday | W, 73–62 | vs. Miami | 14–5, 3–3 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 82–55 | at Florida State | 15–5, 4–3 |
| 22 | Thursday | W, 54–46 | at Georgia Tech | 16–5, 5–3 |
| 25 | Sunday | W, 77–71, OT | vs. Syracuse | 17–5, 6–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 6 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 5 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ACCN |
| 8 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 12 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 20 Duke | ABC |
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 22 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 26 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia | ACCN Extra |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | Noon | vs. No. 20 Duke | ESPN |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 4–8 | Wed.-Sun | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | ||
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 20–24 | Fri.-Mon. | First, second rounds | ||
| 27–30 | Fri.-Mon. | Regionals Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, Calif. | ||
| April | ||||
| 3, 5 | Fri., Sun | Final Four Phoenix |
Photo by Joshua Lawton
tarheeltribune.com 