The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
By Thomas Gessner
A new number one spot and multiple in-state matchups shuffle up the power rankings as North Carolina’s 18 Division I basketball programs get closer to their respective conference tournaments.
1. UNC Chapel Hill (13-7, 7-5 ACC) The Tar Heels were unable to exceed expectations against Virginia on Saturday, falling 48-60. But they picked up a solid 20-point win in a quickly-scheduled Northeastern matchup on Wednesday in place of the originally planned Miami matchup which was canceled last week. The Tar Heels find themselves on the bubble of the NCAA tournament, a position they are not used to being in. However, a solid Northeastern win and a UNCG loss is enough to propel UNC up to No. 1 in the rankings. 2. UNC Greensboro (15-7, 10-4 SoCon) UNCG could not hold on Wednesday against fellow SoCon team VMI, a team that is about as impressive at home (11-1) as they are disastrous away (1-9). While the Keydets handed the Spartans an eleven point defeat, Greensboro had previously beaten the Virginia Military Institute by almost twenty, so UNCG fans shouldn’t worry too much. The Spartans fall in the rankings for the first time since the rankings were first published. 3. Davidson (10-5, 6-2 Atlantic 10) Davidson has become such a difficult team to rank, with yet another week without any games played, but hope is on the horizon if the Wildcats can play against Southern Virginia this week. 4. Appalachian State (12-7, 6-4 Sun Belt) App State went gameless this week, but their five remaining games allow the Mountaineers a chance to rise the ranks of the Sun Belt conference, currently third, with back-to-back games against South Alabama, the two seed. 5. Duke (9-8, 7-6 ACC) The Duke Blue Devils kept it in state and in conference, defeating NC State and Wake Forest in two big away victories, an area where Duke has struggled this season. With a tough schedule ahead to close out the already challenging year for the Blue Devils, a revenge victory against Chapel Hill on March 6 could give the team needed momentum going into the ACC tournament. 6. North Carolina State (9-9, 5-8 ACC) NC State suffered against a weak Duke squad, but rallied in a close win on Wednesday against Pitt, a team that was once thought to be quite competitive but has dipped drastically following an impressive start. The Wolfpack have not reached the level of play that they might have expected given their veteran backcourt and early winning streak. 7. UNC Asheville (10-9, 9-5 Big South) Asheville fans might want to wait until the tournament to cheer, because that might be the next time the Bulldogs play, with a season filled with postponements and cancellations. 8. Campbell (12-9, 8-6 Big South) Campbell finally participated in two games the past week, with back-to-back wins against a weak USC upstate, but important games nonetheless to remain competitive in the Big South, and keep the team ready for the tournament as the season concludes. 9. East Carolina (8-8, 2-8 AAC) East Carolina takes Campbells’s spot as a team with no games, since this turbulent year has made itself more than present in these teams’ seasons. 10. UNC Charlotte (9-11, 5-7 CUSA) The Niners collapsed against Old Dominion in their second matchup, and those two lapses have resulted in a deflation of the team, who now have four straight losses on the books. 11. North Carolina A&T (8-9, 4-0 MEAC) The Aggies jumped in the rankings as a result of Wake’s shortcomings, but yet another week without games keeps impressions of this team limited. 12. Wake Forest (6-10, 3-10 ACC) Last week I said Wake Forest always stayed competitive, and an overtime loss to Florida State, one of the best teams in the country, proved the Deacons’ grit, but that is not enough, and Wednesday’s blowout loss to Duke proves that. 13. Western Carolina (9-13, 2-11 SoCon) Western Carolina’s performance in their conference has been incredibly disappointing, and the Catamount’s place in these rankings has been dependent on their performance against other North Carolina teams, as well as teams that NC schools have faced. Losses to Chattanooga and Furman further cement their conference strruggles. 14. North Carolina Central (4-5, 2-2 MEAC) NC Central might accomplish something big for North Carolina teams, that being the team with the fewest games played. 15. High Point (8-11, 6-8 Big South) High Point continued to trade wins with back-to-back matchups, winning then losing to Charleston Southern, keeping the team at a point of equilibrium. 16. UNC Wilmington (7-8, 1-5 CAA) Wilmington remains gameless, but I don’t imagine their record would look much better even if they could play in their conference. 17. Gardner-Webb (9-14, 8-10 Big South) Gardner-Webb snapped a four game losing streak with a recent win over fellow Big South team, Radford, but two straight losses to Longwood kept the Bulldogs from rising in the Big South. 18. Elon (4-8, 1-7 CAA) Elon traded wins with Charleston in a back-to-back over the weekend, picking up their first conference win of the season. Further reading:See how this week's rankings differ from last week ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
By Lucas Thomae
The COVID-19 Dashboard: By now, that collection of charts and graphs has become a staple of every school’s pandemic response webpage.
NC College Beat has decided to consolidate the COVID-19 data from North Carolina’s many schools and put them here, where we will update the numbers each week throughout the semester. Below, we have cumulative cases, positive test rates, and more from all of the UNC System schools plus the five largest private schools in the state. Schools are ordered from largest to smallest, based on enrollment. Notes:
UNC System North Carolina State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 26 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 1,072 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 2 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 1 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown* Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.5%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 10 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 695 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 4 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.2%
East Carolina University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 16 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 7 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 508 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 6 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 3%
Appalachian State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 16 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 44 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 266 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 2.8%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 13 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 165 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 14 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 261 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.4%
North Carolina A&T University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 257 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 1 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 2.3%
Western Carolina University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 16 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 3 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 120 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.3%
University of North Carolina at Pembroke (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 5 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 46 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
North Carolina Central University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 95 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Fayetteville State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 4 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 59 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Winston-Salem State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 40 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
University of North Carolina at Asheville (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 9 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 45 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 3.8%
Elizabeth City State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 10 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 28 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 4 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 42 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.7%
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 13 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 7 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Private Schools Duke University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 14 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 24 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 3: 372 Clusters Reported since Jan. 3: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.1%
Wake Forest University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 15 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 788 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 7.5%
Elon University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 16 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 225 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.6%
Campbell University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 16 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 19 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
High Point University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 16 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 19 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Further Reading: Check out last week's COVID-19 updates and see how they compare ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
By Thomas Gessner
Chapel Hill’s victory over Duke has shaken up the power rankings, but will it be enough for the Tar Heels to hold the #1 spot in our rankings, and will Duke remain in the top 5?
1. UNC Greensboro (14-6, 9-3 SoCon) UNCG did not let a tough loss against Furman on Tuesday keep the team down, winning the second game in the series, and as a result, staying atop of the North Carolina power rankings. With their hardest competition behind them, the Spartans should start to look towards the SoCon tournament, where this team’s legacy for the season will be determined with a shot at the NCAA Tournament on the line. 2. UNC Chapel Hill (12-6, 7-4 ACC) The Tar Heels are dealing with scandal after a leaked video of UNC players partying maskless caused Miami to pull out of their game which was scheduled for Monday. Luckily for Chapel Hill, off-court behavior has no effect on the power rankings, and a big win against the rival Blue Devils on Saturday keps Chapel Hill in contention as one of the best team in the state. At this point in the season, for UNC to take the #1 spot, it will take another win over Duke, and a victory over some of the better ACC teams, specifically Virginia and Virginia Tech. 3. Davidson (10-5, 6-2 Atlantic 10) Davidson has had another week of no games, with four postponed games in a row, but what was written last week will be maintained: a win over the talented VCU will give the team credibility heading into the A10 tournament. 4. Appalachian State (12-7, 6-4 Sun Belt) App State had two games postponed and two canceled this week, but still have a fair amount of games remaining in their season, before heading into the Sun Belt tournament, with a chance to create a splash before March Madness. 5. Duke (7-8, 5-6 ACC) Duke might have been handed the toughest and most personal loss of their season against the Tar Heels, and then proceeded to lose to a Notre Dame team at home, the originally nationally ranked squad has failed to meet expectations, but despite the disappointment, The Blue Devils are still one of the better North Carolina teams. With upcoming games against NC State, Wake Forest, and an anticipated rematch against the Tar Heels, Duke has a chance to get back into winning form. 6. North Carolina State (8-8, 4-7 ACC) Another loss to the Syracuse Orange and a victory against Boston College (the worst ACC team) will keep NC State from making much of an impact in these rankings. There are no easy games left for The Wolfpack this season, but anything could happen against inconsistent Duke, Pitt, and Notre Dame teams. 7. UNC Asheville (10-9, 9-5 Big South) Asheville keeps an identical record, and is yet another team to suffer from a lack of games due to postponements/cancellations. To prevent anyone from forgetting, this is the team that cannot win two games in a row against the same team, and with three back-to-backs left, it is up to the Bulldogs to try to break that stigma with a notable upcoming series against Campbell. 8. Campbell (10-9, 6-6 Big South) Campbell is another team without any games this week, and continues the trend of COVID-affected teams without much to talk about. 9. East Carolina (8-8, 2-8 AAC) Following one of the biggest upsets of the season, East Carolina returns to planet Earth with losses to Memphis and SMU, not bad teams, but not nearly as impressive as Houston. The Pirate’s conference woes continue, and so does a tough schedule, with games against Wichita State, Temple, Tulsa, and a rematch with Houston. 10. UNC Charlotte (9-10, 5-6 CUSA) Charlotte struggled this past week, with three close losses against Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion, with the latter game going into overtime. These losses stain Charlotte’s previously positive record, and adds uncertainty for the team for the remainder of the season. 11. Wake Forest (6-8, 3-8 ACC) A win against a terrible Boston College team is not enough to cheer up Wake Forest fans, but Wake has been much more level the last few weeks, playing roughly .500 basketball. The rest of the Deacon’s schedule is undeniably tough, but expect some surprises from a Wake Forest team that has stayed competitive. 12. North Carolina A&T (8-9, 4-0 MEAC) The Aggies had no games in the last week, and the lack of games leaves a lack of words in a weekly power ranking, but look out for A&T in the MEAC tournament, especially if the team keeps that perfect record. 13. Western Carolina (9-11, 2-9 SoCon) Western Carolina’s tour of Southern military academies failed to increase their winning percentage, as the Catamounts lost to the Citadel, then proceeded to defeat a VMI team that defeated WCU by 26 points earlier in the season. The Catamounts have to close out the season on a tough schedule, with back-to-back UNCG games looking particularly challenging. 14. North Carolina Central (4-5, 2-2 MEAC) The Florida A&M Rattlers dismantled NC Central’s positive record and undefeated streak in the MEAC, and in doing so has added to the narrative that the Eagles cannot win away from home, with an 0-5 record outside of Durham. Will this persist when the Eagles face a winless South Carolina State team in Orangeburg on Saturday? 15. UNC Wilmington (7-8, 1-5 CAA) A lack of games this past week keeps Wilmington safe from any movement on their behalf, and the main hope for the team is that they will be able to play some more conference games, especially if the Seahawks can improve their record in the CAA. 16. High Point (7-10, 4-6 Big South) High Point traded wins with Hampton, the first game being a convincing 72-58 victory and the second being a close loss to a team that went hot while High Point went cold, shooting an abysmal 26.9% from three on 26 attempts. 17. Gardner-Webb (8-12, 7-8 Big South) Gardner-Webb attempted to regain some lost momentum after the two losses to High Point with two victories over Presbyterian, only to follow up with a loss to a lacking USC Upstate team with only four wins on the season. With Webb’s regular season drawing to a close, fans should look forward to the final games against Longwood, but do not expect any easy wins from the Bulldogs. 18. Elon (3-7, 0-6 CAA) Elon continues to be consistent, holding down the 18th spot on the power rankings with another loss to an underwhelming James Madison squad. The multiple postponements in Elon’s schedule has hurt the team, and is a factor that cannot be held against the team, but even the games they have had have been disappointing to say the least. Further Reading: See how this week's rankings differ from last week ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
By Lucas Thomae
The COVID-19 Dashboard: By now, that collection of charts and graphs has become a staple of every school’s pandemic response webpage.
NC College Beat has decided to consolidate the COVID-19 data from North Carolina’s many schools and put them here, where we will update the numbers each week throughout the semester. Below, we have cumulative cases, positive test rates, and more from all of the UNC System schools plus the five largest private schools in the state. Schools are ordered from largest to smallest, based on enrollment. Notes:
UNC System North Carolina State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 29 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 1,141 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 2 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.4%
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 12 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown* Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.9%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 34 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 648 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 4 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.4%
East Carolina University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 14 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 436 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 4 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 2%
Appalachian State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 9 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 37 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 214 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.1%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 17 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 142 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 7 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 13 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 204 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 4.3%
North Carolina A&T University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 7 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 240 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 1 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 4.4%
Western Carolina University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 7 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 101 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.7%
University of North Carolina at Pembroke (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 6 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 35 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
North Carolina Central University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 89 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Fayetteville State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 8 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 54 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Winston-Salem State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 27 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
University of North Carolina at Asheville (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 16 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 36 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 12%
Elizabeth City State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 3 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 27 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 1 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 38 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 5 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 3 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Private Schools Duke University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 7 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 40 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 3: 352 Clusters Reported since Jan. 3: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.2%
Wake Forest University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 8 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 45 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 508 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 19.1%
Elon University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 9 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 225 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.3%
Campbell University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 9 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 19 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
High Point University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 9 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 18 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Further Reading: Check out last week's COVID-19 updates and see how they compare ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
By Thomas Gessner
The Spartans stayed dominant, but numerous upsets created a lot of movement among the teams this week. Here are NC College Beat’s official power rankings of the Hoop State’s 18 Division I basketball programs:
1. UNC Greensboro (12-5, 7-2 SoCon) UNCG sits atop both the power rankings and the SoCon after their wins over VMI and the Citadel this past week. The Spartans have now won seven games in a row and look to keep rolling in conference play. 2. Davidson (10-5, 6-2 Atlantic 10) Despite not playing any games this week, Davidson has moved up a spot in the rankings. Looking forward, Davidson’s biggest obstacle left in the season is 13-4 VCU, who they must play twice in their final seven games. 3. UNC Chapel Hill (11-6, 6-4 ACC) What is there to be said that hasn’t already been stated by sports commentators and repeated by aggregators? The Tar Heels have been unable to stay consistent, losing on Tuesday to a Clemson squad that was blown out just a few days ago by Duke. A bad showing by freshman point guard Caleb Love and too many turnovers led to the team’s downfall. The question going into Saturday night for UNC will be a simple one: Does the team have what it takes to beat their biggest rivals and keep this season afloat? 4. UNC Asheville (10-9, 9-5 Big South) Asheville made a big splash last Friday with their win over previously undefeated Winthrop. The Bulldogs have had trouble beating the same team twice (Radford, Gardner-Webb, Winthrop, Hampton, Longwood), but they are still an effective basketball team with a very solid conference record. 5. Duke (7-6, 5-4 ACC) The Blue Devils cannot create space between their wins and losses, making for a very frustrating season. After Duke pulverized the credible Clemson Tigers last week, they squandered that win with a loss to a poor Miami team. Duke is still a top five team in the state, but Saturday’s game against UNC could very well change that. 6. Appalachian State (12-7, 6-4 Sun Belt) This past week, the Mountaineers were handed two tough losses from Troy, a team that is just tenth in the Sun Belt. The conference has been quite competitive though, and the Mountaineers have looked good overall. Their upcoming matchups with Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern will be very important if they want to keep their hopes of being conference champions alive. 7. UNC Charlotte (9-7, 5-3 CUSA) Charlotte boosted their conference record with two wins against a bad Florida International team this week, keeping themselves notable in Conference USA. 8. North Carolina State (7-7, 3-6 ACC) The Wolfpack kept things close against Virginia tonight, but a loss to the AP No. 17 team prevented NC State from making any big leaps in the rankings, especially considering their troubles in conference play. 9. East Carolina (8-6, 1-6 AAC) East Carolina was like a secret mailman, delivering one of the most surprising upsets of the season with a ten point victory against No. Houston on Wednesday. The victory marks the squad’s first ever win against a top five team. This win changes the whole perspective on the Pirates, who have been downright bad in conference play this season. 10. Campbell (10-9, 6-6 Big South) Campbell continues to be an alright team, recovering from two close losses to Radford with two victories over Charleston Southern this week. With four games left, the Fighting Camels hope to make a run with two back-to-back series against Hampton and USC Upstate. 11. Wake Forest (5-8, 2-8 ACC) Wake Forest has just not figured it out in the ACC Even though the team had a dominant outing against Miami, they followed it up with a blowout loss to a struggling Notre Dame team. Credit to the Demon Deacons though; they manage to stay competitive in most games, but just lack the talent to seal the deal most of the time. 12. North Carolina A&T (8-9, 4-0 MEAC) The Aggies remain dominant in a weak MEAC North, and two wins against Florida A&M this week continues their hot streak. However, A&T’s unceremonious start to the season still holds the team back from any substantial movement. 13. North Carolina Central (4-3, 2-0 MEAC) NC Central finally got some more wins on the board, albeit against Carver College and winless South Carolina State. They are a team that has not played enough basketball to garner a deep opinion, so for now, the main point to be made about the Eagles’ record is that the MEAC conference is truly downtrodden. 14. Western Carolina (8-10, 1-8 SoCon) Western Carolina’s troubles in the SoCon reflect their standing in the power rankings, especially with the loss to the Chattanooga Mocs on Wednesday. The Catamounts are limping their way to the end of the season now. 15. UNC Wilmington (7-8, 1-5 CAA) Wilmington has suffered in the CAA, and two losses to Hofstra have not helped the team in the standings, but Wilmington overall has been a competitive team against fellow North Carolina schools, and that is the difference maker keeping the Seahawks from falling big in the power rankings. 16. High Point (6-9, 4-6 Big South) High Point has generated some momentum with two valuable wins over a Gardner-Webb team that was thought to be relatively good at this point in the season. The question at hand for High Point, and Gardner-Webb for that matter, is the following: Was the win impressive for High Point, or revealing for Gardner-Webb? At this point, it is safe to say that both sentiments can be accurate. 17. Gardner-Webb (6-11, 5-7 Big South) Gardner-Webb fell big in the power rankings after losing to a disastrous High Point team twice. They had been consistent in the Big South and had a fine record against NC schools, but these losses put the team below almost every team, barring the pitiful Elon squad. 18. Elon (3-6, 0-5 CAA) Elon cannot catch a break. In fact, they don’t seem like they can catch a basketball. With zero wins against a single CAA team, and a schedule that includes some of the weakest competition in division 1 basketball. Further Reading: See how this week's rankings differ from last week ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
By Lucas Thomae
The COVID-19 Dashboard: By now, that collection of charts and graphs has become a staple of every school’s pandemic response webpage.
NC College Beat has decided to consolidate the COVID-19 data from North Carolina’s many schools and put them here, where we will update the numbers each week throughout the semester. Below, we have cumulative cases, positive test rates, and more from all of the UNC System schools plus the five largest private schools in the state. Schools are ordered from largest to smallest, based on enrollment. Notes:
UNC System North Carolina State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 28 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 48 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 814 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 2 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.4%
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 31 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 30 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown* Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.7%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 31 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 41 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 558 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 2 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.0%
East Carolina University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 1 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 19 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 376 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 3 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 4%
Appalachian State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 1 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 37 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 166 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 2.1%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 1 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 16 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 108 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 31 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 8 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 182 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 6.9%
North Carolina A&T University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 29 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 219 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 1 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 3.6%
Western Carolina University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 1 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 28 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 90 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 2.1%
University of North Carolina at Pembroke (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 1 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 2 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 23 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0
North Carolina Central University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 1 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 83 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Fayetteville State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 29 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 10 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 38 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Winston-Salem State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 31 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 21 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown Asymptomatic Testing: no Re-entry testing: yes University of North Carolina at Asheville (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 1 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 14 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 23 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 4.7%
Elizabeth City State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 1 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 15 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 15 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 1 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 6 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 29 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 30 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 1 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Private Schools Duke University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 31 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 54 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 3: 296 Clusters Reported since Jan. 3: Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.3%
Wake Forest University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 31 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 45 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 76 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 2.0%
Elon University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 2 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 175 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown* Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.4%
Campbell University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Jan. 29 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 2 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
High Point University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: Feb. 2 Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown* Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown
Further Reading: Here's how Schools Across the State Plan to Bring Students Back to Campus in the Spring ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Thomas Gessner
UNC Chapel Hill and UNCG stay put, Duke falls, and Appalachian State rises. Here are our weekly power rankings of the Hoop State’s 18 Division I basketball programs:
1. UNC Greensboro (11-5, 6-2 SoCon) UNCG has kept its momentum, winning three straight games since last week, all of them by eight points or more. The Spartans have proved themselves with quality wins over Chattanooga and Mercer, and excellent play from senior guard Isaiah Miller make them a true contender in the SoCon and a team to watch out for come March. 2. UNC Chapel Hill (11-5, 6-3 ACC) The Tar Heels have shaken off their poor start with a three-game winning streak in the ACC. On Saturday, they defeated NC State in convincing fashion then followed it up with Tuesday’s victory over Pitt, a top-five ACC team. With their recent success, the door is certainly still open to break back into the AP Top 25 this season. 3. Appalachian State (12-5, 6-2 Sun Belt) There’s nothing wrong with dominating your conference, a lesson Appalachian State has been teaching fellow Sun Belt teams. They currently sit atop the Sun Belt East and have the most victories of any other North Carolina team this season. 4. Davidson (10-5, 6-2 Atlantic 10) Davidson continues to play competitive, winning basketball. They’re riding a four-game winning streak right now, the longest current streak of any North Carolina team. The Atlantic 10 has yet to prove itself as a very competitive conference this season, but Davidson sits behind only St. Bonaventure. 5. UNC Asheville (9-8, 8-4 Big South) UNC Asheville 1-2 record this past week represents the inconsistency of the Bulldogs, a team that has had trouble beating teams twice, including Gardner-Webb, Radford, Hampton, and Longwood. Still, the team is in a great position in the Big South, with games against the undefeated Winthrop approaching shortly. 6. Duke (6-5, 4-3 ACC) Duke might have ended their three-game losing streak after Tuesday’s win over Georgia Tech, but their losses to Pitt and Louisville are still very uncharacteristic of the Blue Blood program. According to ESPN, Duke’s NCAA tournament chances dramatically fell from >99 percent chance in the preseason to just a 17 percent chance, putting Duke’s path to a bracket spot very much in doubt. 7. UNC Charlotte (7-7, 3-3 CUSA) The 49ers took revenge on Florida Atlantic after a devastating overtime loss, keeping the team at .500 in a conference with three .500 teams. That being said, Charlotte has not found much success outside of the conference, and has yet to look like a force in the league. 8. North Carolina State (6-5, 2-4 ACC) It was another disappointing week for NC State with their 86-76 to UNC, a squad that State dealt with earlier in the season. However, the Wolf Pack broke a four-game skid with a victory over Wake Forest on Wednesday. 9. Gardner-Webb (6-9, 5-5 Big South) Gardner-Webb improved their record mightily with three conference wins in a row, and now they look to make something of themselves in the Big South. 10. Campbell (8-9, 4-6 Big South) Campbell hasn’t played since last Wednesday, but they hope to bounce back from two consecutive losses when they play South Carolina Upstate this Friday. 11. East Carolina (7-6, 1-6 AAC) A loss to Central Florida on Wednesday night seemed like it could be the nail in the coffin as far as ECU’s conference hopes go. All of the Pirate’s losses have come from AAC teams. 12. Wake Forest (4-6, 1-6 ACC) Wake’s single ACC win over Pitt on Saturday seemed to indicate that the Deacs had some life left in them, but they followed that victory up with a loss against a struggling NC State team on Wednesday. The team still has some adjusting to do under new head coach Steve Forbes. 13. North Carolina A&T (6-9, 2-0 MEAC) The Aggies have not played in the last week, but a notable point to make would be that they have won and lost a game by 60 points this season, which is representative of the team’s sporadic inconsistency. 14. Western Carolina (7-8, 0-6 SoCon) A five game losing streak against fellow SoCon teams has deflated the tough nature of Western Carolina, remaining winless in a strong conference. At this point, fans of the Catamounts should look out for some scrappy games against The Citadel, Wofford, and UNCG. 15. UNC Wilmington (7-6, 1-3 CAA) After having three games postponed earlier in the month, UNCW has lost three of their last four games in their return to the court. 16. Elon (3-3, 0-2 CAA) The Elon Phoenix are another team that have been plagued by COVID-19 postponements and haven’t played a game since Jan. 3. They also haven’t won a game since Dec. 16. 17. High Point (4-9, 2-6 Big South) Tubby Smith’s coaching presence has yet to make an impact on the court, with High Point nursing a 2-6 conference record. 18. North Carolina Central (1-3, 0-0 MEAC) Will NC Central play another game this season? Who knows. Their last seven scheduled matches have been postponed or canceled, but they are slated to play Florida A&M on Feb. 6. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By NC College Beat Staff
With the upcoming spring semester, NC College Beat decided now would be a good time to take a look at how the college basketball season is going for schools across the Hoop State. Below, we’ve taken each of the 18 Division I basketball programs in North Carolina and ranked them based on how their teams are performing this season.
1. UNC Greensboro (9-5, 4-2 SoCon) UNCG started off the season slow with a 1-3 record, but have now won three conference games in a row and remain dangerous in a very competitive Southern Conference. 2. UNC Chapel Hill (8-5, 3-3 ACC) The Tar Heels are nowhere near meeting their expectations for this season after bringing in one of the top-ranked recruiting classes in the nation this year. The team seemed to be righting the ship after three hard-fought ACC wins in a row before a narrow loss to Florida State last Saturday. 3. Duke University (5-4, 3-2 ACC) Coach K’s squad that is typically thought of as being a perennial contender in the ACC has really struggled this season despite bringing in a highly ranked freshman class. The Blue Devils were blown out at home earlier by Illinois earlier in the season and now have lost two ACC games in a row. 4. Davidson College (8-5, 4-2 Atlantic 10) Davidson got attention earlier in the season after a gutsy performance in the Maui Invitational nearly brought down the Texas Longhorns, who would go on to win the tournament. Since then, Davidson has had some really impressive showings in Atlantic 10 matchups. 5. UNC Asheville (8-6, 7-2 Big South) The preseason runner-ups in the Big South have been consistently good in conference play and are currently on a four-game winning streak. 6. North Carolina State University (6-4, 2-3 ACC) The Wolfpack came out the gates out hot with a 6-1 record including a rivalry win over UNC. After that, they dropped three ACC matchups in a row before postponing their next two games because of COVID-19-related issues. 7. Appalachian State University (10-5, 4-2 Sun Belt) App State’s record may show the team to be a little better than they actually are, due to a very easy non-conference schedule, save for a blowout loss against Tennessee. The team has had some good conference wins as of late, however. 8. Western Carolina University (7-5, 0-3 SoCon) Western Carolina has shown its toughness this season by playing to overtime in four games this season and winning all of them. The Catamounts have lost their first three conference games but all in close losses. 9. Campbell University (8-8, 4-5 Big South) The Fighting Camels started out the season strong by going 4-0 and winning the Dolphin Classic, but since then they’ve been shaky in conference play. 10. East Carolina University (7-3, 1-3 AAC) The Pirates have some quality wins this season but won’t be much of a threat in an American Athletic Conference that is packed with good teams. 11. UNC Charlotte (6-6, 2-2 CUSA) The one word to describe Charlotte this season would be inconsistent. Case in point: In their latest back-to-back against Alabama Birmingham, the 49ers lost the first game by 24 points and won the second by 15. They have a good win against Davidson this season but also a very bad loss to Division II Belmont Abbey. 12. Wake Forest University (3-5, 0-5 ACC) The Demon Deacons have found themselves to be the punching back of the ACC so far this season, having even a worse conference record than 3-10 Boston College. 13. UNC Wilmington (6-5, 0-2 CAA) Wilmington started the season out fine but after postponements because of COVID-19 and two losses in a row, the Seahawks haven’t won a game since Dec. 23. 14. North Carolina A&T State University (5-9, 2-0 MEAC) The Aggies began the season with an abysmal 3-9 record, but won their first two conference games against South Carolina State. Unfortunately, their past four games have been postponed. 15. Elon University (3-3, 0-2 CAA) The Elon Phoenix are another team that have been plagued by COVID-19 postponements and haven’t played a game since Jan. 3. They also haven’t won a game since Dec. 16. 16. Gardner-Webb University (3-9, 2-5 Big South) Gardner Webb played a pretty tough non-conference schedule which piled onto their losses, but they also haven’t played well in conference matchups either. 17. High Point University (3-7, 1-4 Big South) High Point hasn’t had much to show at all this season despite being coached by former national champion Tubby Smith. 18. North Carolina Central University (1-3, 0-0 MEAC) NC Central hasn’t played a game since Dec. 16, where they narrowly lost to UNC by six points. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Lucas Thomae and Owen Sizemore
With the spring semester ready to get underway, NC College Beat is taking a look at how some of the major schools across the state are approaching students’ return to campus. Some institutions have completely overhauled their COVID-19 protocols with extensive testing programs, while others are maintaining the status quo.
Terms to Know Entry Testing/Prior-to-Arrival Testing: A policy that requires students to get tested for COVID-19, either on-campus or at another healthcare provider, prior to moving on campus. Surveillance Testing/Mitigation Testing: A testing strategy that involves selecting random samples of on-campus students and testing them for COVID-19, regardless of whether or not these students have any symptoms of the virus. Typically, if a positive result is found, more testing will take place among the residence hall where it was found. Wastewater Testing: A testing strategy that involves testing wastewater samples from residence halls to find traces of COVID-19. If COVID-19 is found, the students of the residence hall will undergo further testing, whether symptomatic or not. UNC Chapel Hill Move-in: Jan. 13 First Day of Classes: Jan. 19 First Day of In-Person Classes: Feb. 8 After students were forced off campus just 3 weeks after move-in last fall, UNC is strengthening its COVID-19 protocols for the spring. All students living on campus or in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival. Students living on campus will be regularly tested twice a week, while students living in off-campus housing will be tested once weekly. In addition, all residence halls will only have single-occupancy dorms. NC State University Move-in: Jan. 16-18 First Day of Classes (Including In-Person): Jan. 19 NC State also sent on-campus students back home after a spike of COVID-19 cases early into the fall semester. Similar to UNC Chapel Hill’s spring plans, NC State will require prior-to-arrival testing and dorms will be single-occupancy. All students living on campus will be subject to weekly surveillance testing. UNC Charlotte Move-in: Feb. 18-21 unless granted an exemption First Day of Classes: Jan. 20 First Day of In-Person Classes: Feb. 22 Following a conservative and relatively successful fall semester with limited in-person instruction and a delayed move-in, UNC Charlotte informed students of a modified spring schedule on Jan. 11. Charlotte will conduct random group mitigation testing on a weekly basis for two phases of students. The first, Phase 1, includes students with an early-move in exemption and students with a meal plan; their mitigation testing will begin in January. Phase 2 students, which includes all other students making a return to campus to live, take classes, or work, will begin their testing once in-person instruction resumes. The university is also continuing its policy of single-occupancy housing and wastewater testing across all of its residence halls. UNC Wilmington Move-in: Jan. 15, 16, 19 First Day of Classes (Including In-Person): Jan. 20 After cases started to rise last fall, UNC Wilmington moved to de-densify their campus by shifting to single occupancy rooms. This semester, dorms are not single-occupancy but prior-to-arrival testing is required. Once on campus, there will be weekly surveillance testing and wastewater testing. Students will wear wristbands as proof of their negative tests.
East Carolina
Move-in: Jan. 14 First Day of Classes (Including In-Person): Jan. 19 ECU had one of the highest COVID-19 case counts of any institution in the country last semester. To avoid another disaster, ECU is implementing new measures this spring, most notably tri-weekly wastewater testing In addition, the school is requiring prior-to-arrival testing and dorm rooms will be single occupancy. Appalachian State University Move-in: Jan. 28-31 First Day of Classes: Jan. 19 First Day of In-Person Classes: Feb. 1 Appalachian State’s approach to the spring 2021 semester is markedly different from that of the fall, with the university taking much more precaution than it did last term. Similar to UNC Charlotte, in-person living and instruction will take place several weeks after the first day of classes. Students living on campus are required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result before they move in, with periodic surveillance testing occurring throughout the semester. However, single-occupancy housing will not be implemented within the dorms. Western Carolina University Move-in: Feb. 6 First Day of Classes: Jan. 25 First Day of In-Person Classes: Feb. 18 WCU, like many other universities, is taking a much more proactive approach toward minimizing the risk of initial spikes and clusters on campus. They have elected to delay the start of on-campus living and instruction until Feb. 6 and 18, respectively. They will also require students to get tested for COVID-19 prior to move-in. NC A&T State University Move-in: Jan. 21 for new students, Jan. 22-24 for continuing students First Day of Classes (Including In-Person: Jan. 25) After a fall of relatively low case numbers, NC A&T is treating this semester relatively similar to the last. Dorm rooms will not be single occupancy, but each returning student was mailed a COVID-19 test to take and send back to the school before moving in. UNC Greensboro Move-in: Jan. 13-18 First Day of Classes (Including In-Person): Jan. 19 UNCG continues its moderate approach to COVID-19 following a quiet semester and overall low case numbers. Students were required to be tested prior to moving on campus, and surveillance testing will also be implemented throughout the semester. Duke University Move-in: Jan. 14-20 First Day of Classes (Including In-Person): Jan. 20 Duke was one of the few universities in North Carolina to engage in both entry and surveillance testing throughout their fall semester, and as such, their plans have not changed much. The only major difference between Duke’s fall and spring will be that Upperclassmen will also be living and learning on campus this semester, potentially presenting a new challenge for the university in terms of handling potential cases and clusters. Wake Forest University Move-in: Jan. 23-26 First Day of Classes (Including In-Person): Jan. 27 Wake Forest’s spring plan falls in the middle of the pack in many ways: though their move-in and class start dates have changed, the school will continue a mix of in-person, hybrid and online courses come Jan. 27. Wake Forest utilized surveillance testing throughout the fall semester and will continue to do so in the spring. However, there has been no mention of entry testing for students returning to campus. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Lucas Thomae and Owen Sizemore
With the Fall 2020 semester finally out of the way, and many universities soon to begin classes for Spring 2021, students and staff alike are holding their breath that this semester is less chaotic than the last. Though many institutions were eager to bring a large number of students back on campus to start the academic year in August, this goal proved to be difficult, and in some cases unattainable. In the spirit of college academics, we created a COVID-19 report card for the many schools of North Carolina, highlighting their methods of instruction, housing, and overall ability to minimize coronavirus case numbers and outbreaks.
Appalachian State University App State began their year on Aug. 17, 2020 with a mix of face-to-face, hybrid and online courses. Notably, they chose to keep students on campus for the full duration of the semester, despite an extremely large university population and mounting case numbers and clusters leading into early October. The Good: The university boasted a relatively low positivity rate of roughly 3.1 percent throughout the Fall. This metric is comparable to other, smaller UNC system institutions despite App State being one of the largest schools in the system. The Bad: Overall COVID-19 case numbers saw a dramatic rise from mid-August to the beginning of October. Oct. 3 saw the highest number of active cases of the semester with 225. Further, the university saw cumulative case numbers increase from 99 on Aug. 17 to 1,126 on Nov. 25 when residence halls closed. The Ugly: App State identified an extremely high number of COVID-19 clusters throughout the semester. Of the 24 total clusters, 15 were identified in residence halls, six in Greek Life organizations, and two in sports teams. Final Grade: C- Although their effort to keep students on campus was ambitious, App State’s total number of cases and clusters was too high to warrant a better grade. NC State University NC State opened its doors to students for the Fall notably early, beginning classes on Aug. 10, 2020. However, high case numbers resulted in a mandatory campus move-out at the end of August, forcing the majority of students back home for the remainder of the semester. The Good: NC State’s decision to shift to virtual learning following high COVID-19 spikes severely de-densified their campus, dramatically slowing the increase of new cases among the university community. The Bad: Despite a largely virtual semester, the university still managed to rack up a high number of cumulative COVID-19 cases, with 752 total positive cases and a roughly 2.8 percent positivity rate. Their highest number of daily positive cases occurred on Aug. 22, with 88 total cases. The Ugly: Cases skyrocketed following the Fall 2020 move-in, with total positive cases spiking from a meager 36 to a massive 428 between Aug. 19 and 26. This prompted university leaders to send all on-campus students back home unless granted an exemption. Final Grade: D- NC State’s choice to allow students on campus in August despite high state and national COVID-19 case numbers proved to be a recipe for disaster, saved from failure only by their quick transition to virtual learning. UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill was the first UNC System school to bring students back on campus starting Aug. 3. Unfortunately, they were also the first school to bring students back home, asking on-campus residents to cancel their housing contracts after clusters of COVID-19 began to pop up. The Good: Chapel Hill’s quick turn around in shifting to all virtual learning and, ultimately, moving most of the on-campus population off campus saved their case numbers from getting even worse. On Aug. 17 there were 4,765 students living on campus, but by Sep. 18 that number dropped to 1,020. They set the precedent for other schools like NC State and ECU, who were also dealing with rising case numbers, to make similar decisions. The Bad: Over the course of the Fall, UNC reported 12 clusters of COVID-19 linked to residence halls, Greek Life, and student apartments. Of those clusters, eight were in residence halls, three were associated with Greek Life, and one was connected to apartment housing. The Ugly: Chapel Hill prepared only 73 beds in their quarantine dorms, a number so small that it seems ludicrous in retrospect. After the school saw their positivity rate rise to 13.6 percent by Aug. 17, those beds began to fill and capacity in the quarantine dorms very nearly reached zero. Final Grade: D- UNC was brave to be one of the first schools in the nation to bring students back to campus, but sending those students back home just three weeks later was certainly a major disappointment.
UNC Charlotte
Charlotte employed a unique strategy to combat the risk of COVID-19, delaying the move-in of most undergraduate students until the end of September. The university also limited the implementation of in-person classes to first-year courses, engineering, visual arts, and other subjects with a higher need for in-person learning. The Good: UNC Charlotte leadership took careful note of the COVID-19 situation both in the greater Charlotte area and on other college campuses, electing to delay the start of in-person instruction until later in the Fall. The number of students living on UNC Charlotte’s campus as a whole was also significantly reduced. The Bad: Charlotte still recorded its fair share of COVID-19 cases throughout the semester, with a total of 486 positive cases from July 1 to Dec. 13, 2020 and a 2.4 percent positivity rate. This number, however, also includes students and community members who did not live on campus this Fall. The Ugly: Despite a small on-campus population, UNC Charlotte routinely detected COVID-19 through their wastewater detection system and tested residence halls frequently as a result, albeit with relatively low positivity rates. Additionally, on-campus sports teams were a frequent target for case clusters, with a cluster being identified on the baseball team, football team, and basketball team, respectively. Final Grade: B UNC Charlotte was very cautious toward starting off the semester with in-person living and instruction. However, cases and clusters within the Charlotte community were still common. Duke University Duke’s position as a private university allowed it to gain a unique edge against other schools when it came to testing and contact tracing. Their extremely high testing statistics, combined with strict on-campus living and learning policies, allowed for a large number of Freshman and Sophomore students to live safely in Durham. The Good: Duke had by far the most comprehensive testing strategy of any school in North Carolina. They completed over 150,000 tests throughout the Fall, which included entry testing for incoming students, testing for symptomatic students and contact tracing, and routine survey testing for students with no symptoms. The school’s overall positivity rate was less than 0.1%. The Bad: To achieve such a high volume of testing and low positivity rates, Duke only allowed Freshman and Sophomore students to live on campus, with Upperclassmen learning entirely online. Duke specified that there were 8,873 students, both undergraduate and graduate, living in the Durham area in the Fall. The Ugly: Not much to say here - Duke’s ability to keep roughly half of their student population while maintaining an incredibly low COVID-19 test positivity rate was very impressive. Final Grade: A- Though leaving out upperclassmen, Duke was successful in maintaining a very safe in-person learning environment for Freshman and Sophomores for the full duration of their semester. East Carolina University ECU boasted one of the highest numbers of student cases of any institution in the country. After an explosion of positive cases, the school shifted to virtual learning and asked students living on campus to move out by the end of August. The Good: Almost no part of ECU’s response was good, other than the fact that moving students off campus was undoubtedly the right decision. The Bad: ECU has had over 1,700 total positive case numbers since they first started reporting prior to the Fall semester. The week of Aug. 23 to Aug. 29 saw 570 new cases, compared to 276 new cases the previous week, and 31 the week before that. The positive test rate from Aug. 23-29 was a staggering 26.8 percent. The Ugly: ECU reported a whopping total of 26 clusters of COVID-19 over the course of the Fall semester, more than any other school in the state. Fifteen of those 26 clusters were associated with Greek Life organizations. Final Grade: F What else is there to say? ECU’s return was a colossal failure on all accounts. UNC Wilmington Wilmington began its semester early, with on-campus housing opening on Aug. 15 and the first day of classes on Aug. 19. Throughout the Fall, the university struggled to find a balance between keeping students on campus and lowering the risk of new clusters and cases. The Good: Wilmington was relatively quick to respond to rising case numbers on campus, announcing on September 8 that on-campus students must shift to single-occupancy living. They also put forth considerable effort to implement various types of surveillance testing throughout the semester. The Bad: Despite a small initial on-campus population of roughly 3,600 students, cases climbed fast at Wilmington, with a peak of 38 new daily cases on Sept. 3. Smaller spikes were also observed in late September and mid-October. The Ugly: By early September, UNCW was running the risk of reaching its maximum capacity of quarantine and isolation beds. On Sept. 8, 47 percent of the 150 beds were in use, dropping back down to roughly 8 percent use by Sept. 20. Final Grade: C Wilmington’s case numbers peaked early and created an uneasy living situation on campus, but their decision to switch to single-occupancy housing helped prevent further major outbreaks. Other Schools UNC Asheville: The Citizen Times reported that the university had recorded just 25 total positive cases from July 1 to Nov. 11, likely a result of the tiny on-campus population. UNC Greensboro: Though allowing students to return to campus for in-person instruction, the school’s large commuter population likely played a role in keeping cases low, recording 313 total positive student cases since July 1, 2020. NC A&T State University: It is reported that A&T’s cumulative case numbers sit at less than 600 since the start of the academic year. The school reported 6 clusters throughout the Fall. Western Carolina University: WCU saw significant rises in COVID-19 case numbers in late August and late October, with weekly positivity rates of 13.2 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively. Final Word Looking back at their strategies for the Fall semester, many universities are taking a more cautious approach in the Spring. For example, UNC Chapel Hill has delayed the start of in-person instruction by two weeks until February 8, and UNC Charlotte modified its Spring academic calendar to push back move-in until February 18. Single-occupancy housing and limited in-person instruction are two key staples of many schools’ Spring plans. With the national outlook on COVID-19 cases looking grimmer than ever, it will be a difficult feat for the UNC System schools to make the grade this semester. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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2/18/2021
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