Tag: Power 36 rankings

UNC occupies a Top 3 spot in latest Power 36 rankings

UConn and Purdue are the country’s two best college hoops teams, according to Andy Katz. But the Tar Heels? They’re right behind at third.

It’s basketball heaven in Chapel Hill right now.

The UNC men’s basketball team is playing like a true Final Four contender, leading the ACC with a 15-3 (7-0) record. Star shooting guard RJ Davis looks like a top player in the country by averaging just over 20 points, Armando Bacot is starting to find his groove as we get deeper into conference play, head coach Hubert Davis is utilizing his bench effectively and the Tar Heels are beating most opponents with relative ease.

Carolina is also sitting pretty at third in the latest AP Poll, but that’s not the only list they’re ranked highly on.

UNC also slots in at third for the latest Power 36 rankings, a grouping in which college basketball correspondent Andy Katz lists his Top 36 teams.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2aKTTbOFQc/?img_index=1

The Tar Heels have earned their Top-3 ranking by not just how they’ve won games, but who they’ve beaten – particularly in non-conference play.

UNC took down a pair of ranked teams in Tennessee and Oklahoma, which included dealing the latter its first loss.

There aren’t many teams playing better basketball than Carolina right now, with the possible exception of UConn and Purdue. Zach Edey is hoping to help the Boilermakers avoid an opening-round upset this NCAA Tournament, while the Huskies are hoping to become the first repeat champions since Florida.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Competitive loss against Kentucky keeps UNC pat in latest Power 36 rankings

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

The UNC men’s basketball team picked up its first signature win of its season back in late November, building a large lead against Tennessee before the Volunteers charged back late.

The Tar Heels came close to nabbing a second over the weekend, taking on Kentucky in the State Farm classic, but timely mistakes and a horrible game on the offensive glass doomed them.

UNC’s won the games it’s needed to, with comfortable results against Radford, Lehigh, UC-Riverside and Northern Iowa. Carolina survived a scare against Florida State, but previously took down solid SEC opponents in Arkansas and Tennessee.

In college basketball correspondent Andy Katz’ latest Power 36 rankings, which rank his personal best 36 teams in the sport, Carolina remained at 10th.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0_6gsju7PF/?img_index=1

Even with three losses, UNC remains higher on this list because those opponents are/were ranked (Villanova, UConn, Kentucky), plus UNC led at some point in each game.

The Tar Heels could find themselves a bit higher in the next set of rankings – as long as they beat undefeated Oklahoma on Wednesday, Dec. 20 in the Jumpman Invitational. A loss to the Sooners, however, could drop Carolina further down next week’s Power 36.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Tar Heels find themselves with a high ranking on another list

A 7-2 start has shown the college basketball world that UNC should be a much better team this year. The Tar Heels are ranked as a result.

If there’s a college basketball rankings list, chances are the UNC men’s basketball team is on it.

With last season being a rare exception, Carolina has proven to be a model of consistency. The Tar Heels have made 52 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 11 of the past 12, with six National Championships to show.

If UNC’s early-season results are any indication of the season it’ll have, signs are pointing in the right direction. Carolina is a perfect 5-0 at home, has wins against SEC powers Tennessee and Arkansas, plus has remained competitive in losses to college hoops blue bloods Villanova and UConn.

In college basketball correspondent Andy Katz’ Power 36 rankings, which are his personal best 36 teams in the game, Katz has the Tar Heels sitting at tenth.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0t4eBlOBfq/?img_index=1

Beating the 12th-ranked team on this list certainly helps. Losing to Villanova hurts, in terms of these rankings alone, but playing close with UConn for most of last Tuesday’s game certainly helps.

A win on Saturday evening against Kentucky, the 18th-ranked squad on Katz’ Power 36, would certainly benefit UNC when it comes time for the Big Dance. If Carolina endures another late-season slip-up and finds itself on the bubble, the selection committee could look back on this Saturday and say “Hey, UNC beat a quality Kentucky team. Put the Tar Heels in.”

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Michigan State at No. 12 in first 2020-21 Power 36 NCAA.com Basketball rankings

Michigan State is listed at No. 12 in the first Power 36 rankings of the 2020-21 season by Andy Katz of NCAA.com.

[jwplayer PPs4Ox8k]

College basketball rosters for 2020-21 aren’t even set yet, but it’s never too early for a good preseason ranking. Andy Katz of NCAA.com released his first Power 36 rankings for next season on Wednesday and Michigan State came in at No. 12 overall.

This ranking comes before we know the future of Xavier Tillman at Michigan State. With the graduation of Cassius Winston, Tillman would be the defacto top player on the roster, but with mock drafts already listing him as a first-round pick, it is currently unclear what this team will look like. There is also still a possibility that Aaron Henry could decide to head to the NBA, although it looks like Katz made his ranking with the assumption that Henry would return.

Here is what Katz said about the Spartans:

“No Cassius Winston. No Xavier Tillman for now (still a chance he could come back). But the Spartans have a slew of wings/forwards that will rival any roster with Rocket Watts, Gabe Brown, Aaron Henry, Malik Hall, Marcus Bingham Jr., and Marquette transfer Joey Hauser.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]