Top 25: Week of 11/28

Nov 29, 2022 - 6:00 PM

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It was not the most fun week in North Carolina Tar Heels sports over Thanksgiving weekend. Football lost a double overtime game to NC State, while men’s basketball struggled at the Phil Knight Invitational, taking their first two losses of the season. One very bright spot came from women’s basketball, who won their Phil Knight Invitational bracket, rallying from down big to beat Iowa State in the final.

Now that the dust has settled on a very eventful weekend for all three teams, let’s see where they stand in their respective AP Top 25 polls.

Football

AP Top 25

1. Georgia (58 first place votes)
2. Michigan (5)
3. TCU
4. USC
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Tennessee
8. Penn State
9. Washington
10. Clemson
11. LSU
12. Utah
13. Kansas State
14. Florida State
15. Oregon
16. Oregon State
17. UCLA
18. Tulane
19. Notre Dame
20. South Carolina
21. Texas
22. UCF
23. UTSA
24. North Carolina
25. Mississippi State

Where is UNC?

Sigh. A second-straight loss and the third off the season led to the Tar Heels dropping six spots to #24. They’re still decently clear of Troy, who was the first team out, in terms of votes, but it’s been a pretty big fall over the last two weeks.

Biggest Winners

There are three new teams in the poll this week, with two SEC teams claiming the biggest jumps in the newest set of rankings. Fresh off their second-straight week knocking out a potential playoff contender, South Carolina moved up seven spots to #20. They were topped by Mississippi State, who went from three rankings points to #25, an increase of eight spots, after a wild Egg Bowl win.

Biggest Losers

Well the Heels had one of the bigger drops of the week, but not the biggest. Ole Miss dropped 11 spots after being on the other end of the Egg Bowl craziness. However, the biggest fall belongs to poor Coastal Carolina, who dropped 11 spots after taking a loss to James Madison.

Conference Breakdown

• Pac-12: 6
• SEC: 6
• ACC: 3
• Big 12: 3
• Big Ten: 3
• AAC: 2
• Conference USA: 1
• Independent: 1

Marquee Matchups This Week

• Pac-12 Championship Game: #12 Utah (9-3) vs. #4 USC (11-1) - Friday at 8:00 PM ET on FOX
• Big 12 Championship Game: #13 Kansas State (9-3) vs. #3 TCU (12-0) - Saturday at 12:00 PM ET on ABC
• SEC Championship Game: #11 LSU (9-3) vs. #1 Georgia (12-0) - Saturday at 4:00 PM ET on CBS

Men’s Basketball

AP Top 25

1. Houston (45 first place votes)
2. Texas (8)
3. Virginia (2)
4. Arizona
5. Purdue (8)
6. Baylor
7. Creighton
8. UConn
9. Kansas
10. Indiana
11. Alabama (tied for #11)
12. Arkansas (tied for #11)
13. Tennessee
14. Gonzaga
15. Auburn
16. Illinois
17. Duke
18. North Carolina
19. Kentucky
20. Michigan State
21. UCLA
22. Maryland
23. Iowa State
24. San Diego State
25. Ohio State

Where is UNC?

Uh, well...a lot lower than last week. The Tar Heels’ 17 spot fall from #1 to #18 was by far the biggest of the week.

Marquee Matchups This Week

• #25 Ohio State (5-1) at #17 Duke (6-2) - Wednesday at 7:15 PM ET on ESPN
• #7 Creighton (6-1) at #2 Texas (5-0) - Thursday at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN
• #6 Baylor (5-1) vs. #14 Gonzaga (5-2) in Sioux Falls, SD - Friday at 8:00 PM ET on Peacock

Women’s Basketball

AP Top 25

1. South Carolina (29 first place votes)
2. Stanford
3. UConn
4. Ohio State
5. Indiana
6. North Carolina
7. Notre Dame
8. Iowa State
9. Virginia Tech
10. Iowa
11. LSU
12. NC State
13. Creighton
14. Arizona
15. UCLA
16. Utah
17. Michigan
18. Louisville
19. Oregon
20. Maryland
21. Baylor
22. Texas
23. Gonzaga
24. Marquette
25. Villanova

Where is UNC?

Finally, a Carolina team that went in the right direction this week. After winning their bracket in Oregon, beating then #18 Oregon and then #5 Iowa State, the Tar Heels moved up two spots and now sit at #6.

Marquee Matchups This Week

• #15 UCLA (7-0) at #1 South Carolina (6-0) - Tonight at 7:00 PM ET on SEC Network
• #4 Ohio State (6-0) at #18 Louisville (5-2) - Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET on ACC Network
• #3 UConn (5-0) at #7 Notre Dame (6-0) - Sunday at 3:00 PM ET on ABC