North Carolina had a rough last week losing two of three games in the Maui Invitational after beating Hawai’i earlier that weekend. Despite even the one win against Dayton, they still trailed by double-digits in the first half.
This Tar Heel team has plenty to figure out this season going forward with another huge game against No. 10 Alabama this Wednesday, which could be the big quad-one win on the team’s resume looking at March.
Nevertheless, as a result of the three games last week, the North Carolina men’s basketball has slid from the No. 12 overall spot in the Week 4 AP Poll to the No. 20 rank, down eight spots in the Week 5 AP Poll.
Only two teams fell more than the Tar Heels did this week. No. 2 UConn lost all three games of the Maui Invitational and now finds themselves as the No. 25 ranked team in the country, dropping 23 spots off a cliff.
Houston, who was previously ranked No. 6 in the Week 4 AP Poll is now the No. 17 ranked team after losses to Alabama and San Diego State in the Players Era Festival.
POLL ALERT: Kansas holds off Auburn for No. 1 in AP Top 25 as SEC grabs 3 of top 4 spots; 2-time defending champion UConn nearly out of poll.
Full poll: https://t.co/ZJG5mgWrsa pic.twitter.com/rENB6Z8P7s
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) December 2, 2024
North Carolina has an opportunity to start climbing back up the poll with a win on Wednesday against Alabama, one of the most highly anticipated games of the preseason since the Crimson Tide knocked the Tar Heels out of the NCAA Tournament last year.
Mark Sears and RJ Davis are two of the most prolific scorers in the country and will face off head-to-head. After that, North Carolina will start ACC play with a game against Georgia Tech on Saturday at the Dean E. Smith Center.
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