North Carolina is on a roll here in January, winning six straight games and climbing into the top 5 of both polls. The latest win over Syracuse kept the Tar Heels unbeaten in ACC play as well as they sit atop the conference.
The Tar Heels have been able to get it done on both ends of the court, but there has been a big increase in defense under Hubert Davis. That’s a big improvement from last year when it felt like the Tar Heels just couldn’t stop anyone at times.
After the win over Syracuse, UNC saw their KenPom ranking go into the top 5. They check in with 25.85 adjusted efficiency rating overall behind only No. 1 Houston, No. 2 Arizona, No. 3 Purdue, and No. 4 Auburn.
On the defensive end, UNC is ranked No. 5 overall with a rating of 92.1 in the rankings. That’s expected with how UNC has played this season on that side of the ball. Offensively, UNC ranks No. 16 in the rankings at 117.9 coming off another game in which they scored over 100 points again.
It’s still early in conference play, but things are looking up for the Tar Heels as it stands right now.
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