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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels climb into top 5 of ESPN Power Rankings

By Blake Cockrum

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on from the sideline against the Lipscomb Bisons during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on from the sideline against the Lipscomb Bisons during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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UNC basketball program jumps into top 5 of ESPN Power Rankings

The Kentucky Wildcats began last week at the top of ESPN’s weekly Power Rankings, but after a shocking home loss to Evansville last Tuesday, a new team has taken over the No. 1 spot. Meanwhile, with three early double-digit victories, the North Carolina Tar Heels have ascended to a top-5 position this week.

The Michigan State Spartans took over the top spot in this week’s rankings after a big win at No. 12 Seton Hall last week. The Spartans haven’t been quite as dynamic as some thought they would be to start the 2019-20 campaign, but preseason first team All-American Cassius Winston is pacing Michigan State, and Tom Izzo’s team should be even better by the time March rolls around.

The Duke Blue Devils picked up a pair of wins last week, including a 51-point blowout of Central Arkansas, and moved to 4-0 on the young season. They moved up a spot to No. 2 this week, while fellow ACC program Louisville moved up to No. 3. The Oregon Ducks jumped one spot to fourth after beating Memphis and UT Arlington last week.

The Tar Heels moved up from sixth to fifth after improving to 3-0 with a 16-point victory over Gardner-Webb last week. The Tar Heels looked far from perfect in their lone game of the week, but had just enough size and talent to pull away from the Bulldogs in the second half. With Brandon Robinson and Sterling Manley still sidelined with injuries, as well as freshmen Anthony Harris and Jeremiah Francis still hampered with injuries they sustained in high school, the Tar Heels’ bench is extremely short. They’ll need to get healthy before talks of a deep postseason run get too serious.

Kansas, Gonzaga and Ohio State are ranked sixth through eighth, and Kentucky dropped all the way to ninth. The undefeated Maryland Terrapins round out this week’s top 10.

The Tar Heels have just one game this week — a Wednesday night showdown with Elon at the Dean Smith Center. The following week, the Tar Heels begin a tough stretch of games that includes a pair of top-25 opponents in Ohio State and Virginia.

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