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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.
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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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Appalachian State, 35 - Charlotte, 20 Appalachian State survived a scare against Charlotte in a non-conference in-state matchup. The 49ers took an early 7-0 lead and remained very competitive until the Mountaineers scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away. App. State’s running back core led the way for the Mountaineers, rushing for a total of 308 yards and 4 TDs. Senior WR Thomas Hennigan contributed 120 yards and a TD reception. UNCC senior RB Aaron McAllister logged 117 return yards, including a 97-yard return for a TD in the third quarter. #18 North Carolina, 31 - Syracuse, 6 The 18th ranked Tar Heels cruised past Syracuse after a shaky first half, outscoring the Orange 21-0 in the final quarter. UNC sophomore QB Sam Howell passed for 295 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT while junior RB Javonte Williams ran in 3 TD. Duke, 13 - #10 Notre Dame, 27 Duke fell to 10th ranked Notre Dame, a new addition to the ACC this season. The Blue Devils drew first blood, taking the lead off a first quarter field goal, but gave up a Notre Dame touchdown in the second and remained behind the rest of the game. Duke junior Chase Brice, a QB transfer from Clemson, passed for 259 yards and ran in a TD. Wake Forest, 13 - #1 Clemson, 37 Wake Forest was routed by top ranked Clemson, scoring all of their points in the final two quarters after trailing 0-27 at the half. The Demon Deacons are missing two of their key offensive pieces from last year’s 8-win team: star WR Sage Surratt, who opted out of the season to prepare for the NFL draft, and QB Jamie Newman, who transferred to Georgia after last season. The Deacs utilized three quarterbacks this game, after starter Sam Hartman was pulled in the fourth quarter. Campbell, 26 - Georgia Southern, 27 The Campbell Fighting Camels lost a nail biter to Georgia Southern, scoring a late-game touchdown to bring the Fighting Camels within one point of the tie, but missing the two-point conversion attempt to take the lead with 15 seconds left on the clock. Sophomore QB Hajj-Malik Williams passed 237 yards for 2 TDs and added 73 rush yards for another TD. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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2/3/2021
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