UNC Basketball: Tar Heels still on outside looking in for new AP poll

The UNC basketball program has won four-straight games since dropping their two Hall of Fame Tipoff contests in November and dropped out of the poll for the first time this season. But even with that win streak that included a win over then-ranked Michigan, the Tar Heels still find themselves on the outside looking in.

Monday’s updated Associated Press Top 25 poll saw UNC receive 85 votes, the second-most for a team that didn’t make the poll behind only Wisconsin. It’s the third-straight week the  Tar Heels missed out on being ranked but are right there on the verge of entering back in.

And this weekend provides them with another big opportunity.

UNC is set to take on No. 4 UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon as the Bruins stayed put in the updated version of the poll.

Baylor climbed to the top spot after Purdue dropped a road game at Rutgers last week to end their brief stay at No. 1. They are followed by Duke, who moved up one spot to No. 2 despite not playing last week. Purdue is No. 3 followed by No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Gonzaga, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Kansas, No. 8 Arizona, No. 9 Villanova, and No. 10 USC.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has just one team ranked, Duke, and has just one team receiving votes in UNC. That’s it. The conference is in a down year right now and the latest rankings update shows.

The Tar Heels will take on Furman Tuesday night before heading to Sin City for that matchup with UCLA. A 2-0 week will certainly get them back into the polls and help build some more momentum as they move forward into conference play.

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