I've been high on North Carolina since the preseason. So far, it hasn't worked out so well.
The Tar Heels have played 10 games and lost four of them, which is not what I expected when I ranked them fourth in the CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 And 1. Even I can admit, at this point, it's pretty clear that fourth in the preseason was too high. Replacing Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram has proven to be more difficult than I anticipated. That said, it's not like North Carolina has lost to a bunch of, or any, bad teams. All four of UNC's losses qualify as Quadrant 1 losses to teams ranked in the top 14 at KPI, in the top 17 of the Top 25 And 1 and at KenPom.com, in the top 19 at BartTorvik.com, in the top 20 of the AP poll and at EvanMiya.com, and in the top 21 of the NET. And, to the positive, the Tar Heels have a Q1 win over a Dayton team that's 8-2 with victories over Marquette and UConn.
So if you're among the folks who have been asking why I'm still ranking a 6-4 North Carolina team, that's why. Because all four of UNC's losses are to schools I have ahead of the Tar Heels in the Top 25 And 1, and because North Carolina also has a Q1 victory over a team (Dayton) I also have ranked.
Still, I get the skeptics.
Which is why it's important for the Tar Heels to perform Tuesday night when they play Florida in the Jumpman Invitational, because, if they don't they'll drop to 1-5 in the first two quadrants heading into Saturday's game with UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. Yeah, that would still be 1-5 in the first two quadrants with all five losses coming in Q1 and to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1. But, at some point, doing little more than beating bad teams while losing to most of the good ones you play only grows the number of non-believers questioning your ability.
Florida is No. 8 in Tuesday morning's updated Top 25 And 1. North Carolina is No. 18. They'll tip Tuesday night in Charlotte at 6 ET.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | 11-0 | |
Jordan Gainey finished with 23 points and two assists in Saturday's 66-64 win at Illinois. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Western Carolina.
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| 2 | -- | 10-1 | |
Johni Broome finished with 21 points and 20 rebounds in Saturday's 91-53 win over Ohio State. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday against Georgia State.
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| 3 | -- | 9-1 | |
Keshon Gilbert finished with 16 points and four assists in Sunday's 83-51 win over Omaha. The Cyclones' next game is Sunday against Morgan State.
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| 4 | -- | 10-1 | |
Lamont Butler finished with 33 points and six assists in Saturday's 93-85 win over Louisville. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Ohio State.
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| 5 | -- | 9-2 | |
Khaman Maluach finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 72-46 win over Incarnate Word. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against George Mason.
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| 6 | -- | 8-2 | |
Mark Sears finished with 27 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 83-75 win over Creighton. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday at North Dakota.
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| 7 | -- | 8-2 | |
Hunter Dickinson finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's 75-60 win over NC State. The Jayhawks' next game is Dec. 22 against Brown.
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| 8 | -- | 11-0 | |
Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 25 points and three steals in Saturday's 83-66 win over Arizona State. The Gators' next game is Tuesday against North Carolina.
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| 9 | -- | 9-2 | |
Stevie Mitchell was 2 of 9 from the field in Saturday's 71-63 loss at Dayton. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday against Butler.
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| 10 | -- | 9-2 | |
Jaden Akins finished with 18 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 89-52 win over Nebraska. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Oakland.
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| 11 | -- | 10-1 | |
Sean Pedulla finished with 18 points and four assists in Saturday's 77-46 win over Southern Miss. The Rebels' next game is Tuesday against Southern.
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| 12 | -- | 10-1 | |
Tyler Bilodeau finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 57-54 win over Arizona. The Bruins' next game is Tuesday against Prairie View A&M.
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| 13 | -- | 10-1 | |
Brandon Angel finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 79-61 win over Stephen F. Austin. The Ducks' next game is Saturday against Stanford.
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| 14 | -- | 9-2 | |
Zhuric Phelps finished with 16 points and four assists in Saturday's 70-66 win over Purdue. The Aggies' next game is Friday against Houston Christian.
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| 15 | -- | 8-3 | |
Braden Smith had six turnovers in Saturday's 70-66 loss to Texas A&M. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Auburn.
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| 16 | -- | 9-2 | |
Rodney Rice finished with three turnovers and handed out one assist in Sunday's 83-78 loss at Purdue. The Terrapins' next game is Tuesday against Saint Francis.
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| 17 | -- | 10-1 | |
RJ Melendez finished with 18 points and two steals in Saturday's 66-63 win over McNeese State. The Bulldogs' next game is Tuesday against Central Michigan.
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| 18 | -- | 6-5 | |
Cade Tyson finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 93-67 win over La Salle. The Tar Heels' next game is Tuesday against Florida.
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| 19 | -- | 10-2 | |
Zed Key finished with 15 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 71-63 win over Marquette. The Flyers' next game is Tuesday against UNLV.
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| 20 | -- | 7-3 | |
Kasparas Jakucionis was 5 of 15 from the field in Saturday's 66-64 loss to Tennessee. The Illini's next game is Dec. 22 against Missouri.
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| 21 | -- | 8-2 | |
Tyrese Hunter finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 87-82 overtime win at Clemson. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Virginia.
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| 22 | -- | 8-3 | |
Liam McNeeley finished with 26 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 77-71 win over Gonzaga. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Xavier.
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| 23 | -- | 7-3 | |
Dusty Stromer was 1 of 5 from the field in Saturday's 77-71 loss to UConn. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against Nicholls.
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| 24 | -- | 7-2 | |
Miles Byrd finished with 19 points and two assists in Wednesday's 81-75 win over Cal Baptist. The Aztecs' next game is Dec. 21 against Cal.
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| 25 | -- | 6-3 | |
L.J. Cryer finished with 22 points and two steals in Tuesday's 62-42 win over Troy. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Toledo.
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| 26 | -- | 10-0 | |
Sam Goodwin finished with 20 points and had 14 rebounds in Saturday's 80-65 win over Oklahoma State. The Sooners' next game is Wednesday against Michigan.
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