North Carolina Receives Bump in Latest Rankings

The North Carolina Tar Heels had a productive last week, going to 2-0 in that stretch, defeating Notre Dame and Virginia during that stretch. It was a simple and straightforward win against the Fighting Irish last Wednesday, as the Tar Heels coasted to a 91-69 landslide. On the other hand, Saturday was a completely different path taken by North Carolina, which had to overcome a 16-point deficit to edge Virginia 85-80.

Those two results led to the Tar Heels moving up in the latest college basketball AP Poll rankings, which were revealed on Monday. After sliding from No. 14 to No. 22 last week, North Carolina made up some ground, catapulting up to No. 16 this week.

Rankings are not everything, but the Tar Heels' moving up six spots indicates that this team is moving into the right direction heading into the final week of January.

Does North Carolina’s Latest Ranking Make Sense?

Taking down Notre Dame was expected, as the Fighting Irish are one of worst teams in the ACC, with an 11-10 record. Winning that game was not overly impressive, as the Tar Heels are leaps and bounds superior to Notre Dame, and that game took place at the Dean E. Smith Center.

Saturday's result on the road against Virginia is why North Carolina earned a significant bump in this week's rankings. That performance in the second half may have been the most impressive stretch of basketball the Tar Heels have put on film this entire season.

Jan 21, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) reacts in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

In addition, coming back from nearly 20 points down against a team that had not suffered a loss at home all season was staggering. North Carolina has gone through trial and error since the start of conference play, but beating Virginia in the fashion that it did could be a pivotal moment in its season.

The Cavaliers slipping back three spots to No. 17 also shows how impressive that win was for the Tar Heels, who, in most cases, may have lost that game by 20+ points after being dominated in the first half like that.

How the Tar Heels Can Continue to Climb

Jan 17, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis (right) talks with guard Seth Trimble (7) during the first half against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

North Carolina does not play until this weekend, which could make it difficult for them to earn a significant promotion in the rankings next week. However, the Tar Heels should take care of business against Georgia Tech, which is a bottom-six team in the ACC.

Additionally, there are a few teams ranked slightly above North Carolina that can drop a game this week. The Tar Heels won't be a top-10 team by next Monday, but they inch their way closer to that threshold. We will learn a lot about North Carolina when it takes on Duke on Feb. 7 at the Dean E. Smith Center. Until then, the Tar Heels should be able to defeat Georgia Tech and Syracuse.

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