Every week, I feel like I have more difficulty understanding how the AP Top 25 Poll is sorted out.
While winning games, the UNC women's basketball program didn't move up over a two-week span. They finally earned some respect last week, moving up two spots to No. 14.
Now, the Tar Heels lose to Georgia Tech, an unbeaten team who was ranked No. 25 at the time, and drop HOW many spots?!
POLL ALERT: South Carolina up to No. 2 behind top-ranked UCLA in women's AP Top 25; Notre Dame, UConn, LSU round out top five.
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) December 16, 2024
Full poll: https://t.co/ZpzgqczgyX pic.twitter.com/82i7Kzojz6
Yes, the UNC women's basketball program saw the biggest drop among top 25 teams, sliding five spots to No. 19.
A few things can be true here:
Georgia Tech deserves to be moved up significantly. They were the better team on Sunday and are off to an incredible start this season.
North Carolina wasn't at its best on Sunday, but they still found a way to fight back into the game, only losing by six. That's no consolation prize, but at least it wasn't a double-digit blowout.
Sure, it was expected that the UNC women's basketball program would move down following the loss. To drop five spots- that's a bit excessive.
Notice how other teams who lost this week only dropped one or two spots. The same can't be said for North Carolina, as they are once again disrespected in the latest rankings.
While the rankings are simply what they are, it's frustrating to see how the UNC women's basketball program seems to be judged on a different scale.