UNC Basketball leaps back into the top 20 of the latest AP Top 25 Poll

Following a two-win week, one that included a victory over previously-ranked No. 14 Virginia, it was all but expected that North Carolina would rise in the latest edition of the AP Top 25 Poll.

Not only did the Tar Heels rise, but they took a massive leap in the process.

North Carolina moves up to No. 16 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, a six-spot jump from last week's position. The Tar Heels are one of five ACC teams in this week's rankings, joining Duke (No. 4), Virginia (No. 17), Louisville (No. 20) and Clemson (No. 22).

While Duke is the only ACC team currently ranked in the top 15, the conference is closing ground on rising up the rankings. Along with the five teams who made this week's cut, SMU and NC State are also knocking on the door toward being included in future rankings, earning votes for this week's poll.

After defeating Virginia, who was previously ranked No. 14, this past weekend, it was expected that North Carolina would be rewarded for its recent efforts. Of course, it's not always the case that head-to-head gets taken into account (look at Kansas being ranked two spots ahead of North Carolina), but there really wasn't an avenue for the voters to have Virginia still ahead of the Tar Heels after their recent head-to-head battle in Charlottesville.

The good thing is, ACC basketball appears to be back, as the conference continues to prove that last year's weakness was mearly a fluke.

For North Carolina, the main objective is to keep stacking up wins. With some already notable victories on their resume, the Tar Heels have some prime opportunities ahead that would only help strength its case.

It's pretty simple: if you keep winning games, there's nowhere to go but up. If you lose games (like we saw on the West Coast trip), you're going to plummet down the rankings.

North Carolina would much rather continue to move up the rankings as the regular season rolls along.