Tar Heels Back in the Top 10
North Carolina is back in the top 10, as the Tar Heels come in at No. 9 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 that was released Christmas Day.
The Tar Heels edged out Marquette for the ninth spot, and are just behind Kentucky, which beat them nine days ago in Atlanta.
UNC won its only game of the week, defeating then-unbeaten and seventh-ranked Oklahoma, 81-69, at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte. RJ Davis led the Tar Heels with 23 points, Armando Bacot added 14, Cormac Ryan 13, and Harrison Ingram had 11.
It was Carolina’s second victory over a top-10 team this season, as it defeated Tennessee at home in late November, and it was also its second Quad 1 victory. The other is also over the Volunteers.
In the win, Davis’ amazing scoring streak continued.
The senior guard from New York is the first player to lead UNC in scoring for seven consecutive games since Tyler Hansbrough led the Tar Heels in eight straight in the 2008-09 season. He is the first Tar Heel to score 20 or more points in seven straight games since Garrison Brooks scored 20 or more points in seven straight in 2019-20.
And Davis has scored points in the past seven games, the most by a Tar Heel since Hansbrough scored 191 points in seven consecutive games during the 2007-08 season.
The Tar Heels are 8-3 overall and 1-0 in the ACC. They host Charleston Southern on Friday night, and then play just ACC games until the postseason. UNC has a home with over Florida State, but it starts the new year with three straight road league games at Pittsburgh, Clemson, and NC State. Each contest would be in the Quad 1 category if played today.