Top 25: Week of 1/3

We are now in 2022. Conference seasons are about to get into full swing, and we are now just over two months away from the madness of March. At least we hope...

COVID has thrown some wrenches into things and we’ve seen plenty of postponements and cancellations over recent weeks. UNC even got affected with the men’s game against Virginia Tech not going on as scheduled.

However, there was still plenty of basketball last week, so let’s check in on where things stand in the AP Top 25 rankings.

Men’s Basketball

AP Top 25

1. Baylor (61 first place votes)
2. Duke Blue Devils
3. Purdue Boilermakers
4. Gonzaga Bulldogs
5. UCLA Bruins
6. Kansas Jayhawks
7. USC Trojans
8. Arizona Wilcats
9. Auburn Tigers
10. Michigan State Spartans
11. Iowa State Cyclones
12. Houston Cougars
13. Ohio State Buckeyes
14. Texas Longhorns
15. Alabama Crimson Tide
16. Providence Friars
17. Kentucky Wildcats (tied with Providence)
18. Tennessee Volunteers
19. Villanova Wilcats
20. Colorado State Rams
21. LSU Tigers
22. Xavier Musketeers
23. Wisconsin Badgers
24. Seton Hall Pirates
25. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Where is UNC?

Thanks to postponements, the Tar Heels only ended up getting one game in last week. While it went pretty well as they blew out Boston College, it wasn’t enough to get Carolina any votes, never mind get back into the rankings.

Biggest Winners

There weren’t any moves at the top of the rankings, with the top seven staying exactly the same as it was last week. The biggest move up of the week belongs to Providence. The Friars moved up five spots after extending their win streak to eight games, which included a win over Seton Hall last week.

Biggest Losers

On the other end of that game was Seton Hall, and as a result, the Pirates fell a week high nine spots, dropping to #24.

Conference Breakdown

• Big 12: 5
• SEC: 5
• Big East: 4
• Big Ten: 4
• Pac-12: 3
• AAC: 1
• ACC: 1
• Mountain West: 1
• WCC: 1

Marquee Matchups This Week

• #16 Kentucky (11-2, 1-0 SEC) at #21 LSU (12-1, 0-1 SEC) - Tonight at 7 PM ET on ESPN
• #6 Kansas (11-1) at #25 Texas Tech (10-2) - Saturday at 4 PM ET on ESPN2
• Miami (11-3, 3-0 ACC) at #2 Duke (11-1, 1-0 ACC) -Saturday at 8 PM ET on ACC Network

Women’s Basketball

AP Top 25

1. South Carolina Gamecocks (22 first place votes)
2. Stanford Cardinal
3. Louisville Cardinals (5)
4. Arizona Wildcats (3)
5. NC State Wolfpack
6. Indiana Hoosiers
7. Tennessee Lady Volunteers
8. Michigan Wolverines
9. Texas Longhorns
10. Maryland Terrapins
11. UConn Huskies
12. Iowa State Cyclones
13. LSU Tigers
14. Baylor Bears
15. Georgia Lady Bulldogs
16. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
17. Duke Blue Devils
18. BYU Cougars
19. North Carolina Tar Heels
20. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
21. Kentucky Wildcats
22. Iowa Hawkeyes
23. Oklahoma Sooners
24. South Florida Bulls
25. Texas A&M Aggies

Where is UNC?

The continuing unbeaten start, which now includes wins over Syracuse and Clemson, now has the Tar Heels up to #19 in the country. There are some big tests coming up (including a very big one this week), but it’s been a very good start to the season for Courtney Banghart and the squad.

Biggest Winners

UNC’s move up was five spots, which was bettered by only one team. LSU jumped six spots to two ranked wins over Georgia and Texas A&M.

Biggest Losers

Ohio State was hanging on at #25 last week, but a blowout loss to Michigan has now taken them out of the rankings. Their five spot drop to the unofficial #30 was the biggest of any team this week.

Conference Breakdown

• ACC: 6
• SEC: 6
• Big 12: 4
• Big Ten: 4
• Pac-12: 2
• AAC: 1
• Big East: 1
• WCC: 1

Marquee Matchups This Week

• #19 North Carolina (13-0, 3-0 ACC) at #5 NC State (12-2, 3-0 ACC) - Thursday at 8 PM ET on ACC Network
• #21 Kentucky (7-3, 0-0 SEC) at #1 South Carolina (13-1, 1-1 SEC) - Sunday at 1 PM ET on ESPN
• #9 Texas (10-1, 1-0 Big 12) at #14 Baylor (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) - Sunday at 3 PM ET on ESPN