UNC Basketball Sees Significant Stock Drop Following Lackluster Week

UNC basketball now ranks only two notches above archrival Duke in the AP Top 25.

Photo credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Following a home victory over then-No. 7 Duke, UNC basketball finished 1-1 against middle-of-the-pack ACC squads last week, falling at home to Clemson before escaping with a win at Miami. So, it's no surprise the Tar Heels (19-5, 11-2 ACC) fell four spots to No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll released on Monday afternoon.

RELATED: No Excuses for Puzzling Drop in Tar Heel Enthusiasm

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils (18-5, 9-3 ACC), No. 2 in the preseason edition, stayed put at No. 9 this week. And Virginia (19-5, 9-3 ACC), enjoying an eight-game winning streak, snapped the conference's four-week streak with only two ranked teams by reappearing at a season-high No. 21.

Clemson (16-7, 6-6) is the only member of the ACC among the nation's 20 unranked programs receiving votes. The Tigers sit No. 6 among that bunch, effectively placing them at No. 31 in the country and knocking on the door.

POLL ALERT: UConn, Purdue remain 1-2 in AP Top 25 as major shuffle sees Kansas, North Carolina drop, Iowa State crash top 10; Indiana State ranked for the first time since the days of Larry Bird.

Full poll: https://t.co/ZJG5mgWrsa pic.twitter.com/UYthsmMKmi

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) February 12, 2024

As for the Tar Heels, under the command of third-year head coach Hubert Davis and looking to return to the NCAA Tournament after failing to earn a bid last go-round, they began the season at No. 19 in the AP Poll.

They dropped to No. 20 the second week of the season. But they have been inside the top 20 ever since and in the top 10 across the past eight weeks.

NEXT UNC BASKETBALL GAME: at unranked Syracuse (15-9, 6-7 ACC), 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN)

STREAM: fuboTV (start your free trial)

Armando Bacot Breaks All-Time Tar Heel Record

Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball news.