By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina slipped five spots to No. 17 in the latest AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll after Saturday’s 97–83 loss at SMU, the Tar Heels’ first setback against an unranked team.
The Mustangs (12–2, 1–0 ACC) debuted in the poll, though, at No. 24.
UNC (13–2, 1–1), one of eight teams in the previous poll on Dec. 22 to lose, doesn’t have a mid-week game ahead of Saturday’s 6 p.m. home game against Wake Forest (10–5, 1–1).
Six of the teams in the previous poll to lose were ranked lower than the Tar Heels:
— Louisville (11–3, 1–1) fell four spots to No. 20 after splitting its two-game California trip, losing to Stanford 80–76 and beating California 90–70.
— Kansas (10–4) dropped five spots to No. 22 after an 81–75 loss to UCF.
— Tennessee (10–4) fell two spots to No. 21 after an 86–75 loss to Arkansas (11–3), which moved up three spots to No. 15.
— Virginia (12–2, 1–1) slipped two spots to No. 23 after beating N.C. State 76–71 but losing at Virginia Tech 95–85 in triple overtime
— Florida (9–5) dropped out of the poll after a 76–74 loss to Missouri
— USC (12–2) fell from No. 24 to out of the poll after a 96–66 loss to Michigan.
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Michigan State (12–2) was the only other team in the previous poll to lose. The Spartans fell three spots to No. 12 after a 58–56 loss to Nebraska, which jumped three spots to No. 10.
Duke (13–1, 2–0) remained at No. 6.
Elliot Cadeau’s 13–0 Wolverines remained at No. 2 and Vanderbilt, with Tyler Nickel and Jalen Washington remained at No. 11.
Ranking UNC the highest at No. 11 is Sam Rothman of WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tenn. Two voters, Victor Flores of the Billings Gazette in Montana and Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle, left the Tar Heels off their ballots.
Chris Lea of WRAL and John Johnson of WXII voted UNC No. 15, Kate Rogerson of WTVD has the Heels No. 16.
Fifteen voters have UNC No. 17.
AP Top 25
| Rank | School (1st-place votes) | Record | Poll points | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona (32) | 14–0 | 1,494 | 1 |
| 2 | Michigan (29) | 13–0 | 1,493 | 2 |
| 3 | Iowa State | 14–0 | 1,390 | 3 |
| 4 | UConn | 14–1 | 1,343 | 4 |
| 5 | Purdue | 13–1 | 1,254 | 5 |
| 6 | Duke | 13–1 | 1,206 | 6 |
| 7 | Houston | 13–1 | 1,113 | 8 |
| 8 | Gonzaga | 16–1 | 1,101 | 7 |
| 9 | BYU | 13–1 | 1,039 | 10 |
| 10 | Nebraska | 14–0 | 998 | 13 |
| 11 | Vanderbilt | 14–0 | 936 | 11 |
| 12 | Michigan State | 12–2 | 834 | 9 |
| 13 | Alabama | 11–3 | 782 | 14 |
| 14 | Texas Tech | 11–3 | 676 | 15 |
| 15 | Arkansas | 11–3 | 659 | 18 |
| 16 | Illinois | 11–3 | 602 | 20 |
| 17 | North Carolina | 13–2 | 557 | 12 |
| 18 | Georgia | 13–1 | 378 | 23 |
| 19 | Iowa | 12–2 | 340 | 25 |
| 20 | Louisville | 11–3 | 336 | 16 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 10–4 | 277 | 19 |
| 22 | Kansas | 10–4 | 208 | 17 |
| 23 | Virginia | 12–2 | 183 | 21 |
| 24 | SMU | 12–2 | 142 | NR |
| 25 | UCF | 12–1 | 132 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Villanova 127, Seton Hall 31, Southern Cal 28, Utah St. 27, Miami (Ohio) 22, Clemson 21, Saint Louis 14, LSU 14, Texas 12, Florida 11, Saint Mary’s 10, Kentucky 9, California 8, Miami 5, Indiana 4, Auburn 3, TCU 2, UCLA 2, Virginia Tech 2.
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
Non-conference schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| January | ||
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
ACC opponents
Home and away: Duke and Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Don’t play: Clemson
Photo via smumustangs.com
