UNC Basketball programs fall in post-Thanksgiving AP Polls

Following a busy Thanksgiving weekend of action, both UNC basketball programs slipped in the latest edition of the AP Polls.

After suffering at least one loss over Thanksgiving week, both UNC basketball programs took a dip in the latest AP Top 25 polls.

Let’s start with Hubert Davis’ squad, as the Tar Heels went 2-1 in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. North Carolina’s lone loss came at the hands of Villanova (who is now No. 18) in overtime, as they picked up victories over Northern Iowa and Arkansas (who was ranked No. 20 at the time).

With the 2-1 week in the Bahamas, the UNC basketball program fell three spots to No. 17 in the most recent poll.

Although they fell three spots, the next stretch of five games will be crucial for North Carolina if they want to climb back up the poll.

Four of the next five games for North Carolina are against current top-25 programs:

#10 Tennessee
Unranked Florida State (who received votes this week)
No. 4 UConn
#12 Kentucky
#25 Oklahoma

For the UNC women’s basketball program, it was a very disappointing weekend in Estero, Florida, as the Tar Heels dropped two of three games to finish fourth in the Gulf Coast Showcase.

North Carolina lost back-to-back contests, one at the hands of No. 16 Kansas State and the other in upset fashion to Florida Gulf Coast. With the two losses, the Tar Heels barely stayed in the top 25, as they dropped six spots to No. 24.

It doesn’t get any easy for Courtney Banghart and the UNC women’s basketball program, as they prepare to host No. 1 South Carolina in the ACC/SEC challenge on Thursday night in Chapel Hill.

What it comes down to is simple: take care of business on the court, and the rankings will sort themselves out.

For both UNC basketball programs, the next couple of weeks are going to feature some very important “must-win” type contests.

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