UNC basketball moves up in AP Poll setting up huge Michigan State showdown

If you keep winning games, you will continue to rise up the rankings.

That's exactly what the UNC basketball program continues to do, jumping two spots to No. 16 in the latest edition of the AP Top 25 Poll.

The UNC basketball program picked up two more victories this past week to improve to 5-0 on the early season. Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels hit the road for the Fort Myers Tip-Off, the first time North Carolina will play a game away from the Dean Smith Center.

North Carolina remains the third-highest ranked ACC program, trailing Duke (No. 4) and Louisville (No. 6). NC State is the fourth and final ACC squad to make this week's list, coming in at No. 23 overall.

Michigan State also takes a major leap

Ahead of the Thanksgiving clash between North Carolina and Michigan State, the Spartans saw the biggest rise of any team in this week's poll. The Tom Izzo-led Spartans jumped six spots to No. 11, a leap that was certainly helped by a dominant performance against now No. 19-ranked Kentucky early last week.

Now, the UNC basketball program has another opportunity to add a top-25 victory onto its resume, another win that would be a major boost toward the Tar Heels eventual NCAA Tournament hopes.

This week will help or hurt the Tar Heels cause

With two victories over St. Bonaventure and Michigan State, the UNC basketball program will likely rise up a few spots on the AP Top 25 Poll by this time next week. However, one (or two) losses in Fort Myers would likely signal a significant drop, one the Tar Heels aim to avoid.

Going .500 over this short road trip could go either way, but would likely end up with them either standing pat or dropping a few spots based on how they perform (and which team they beat out of the two games).