Tar Heels Tumble in Rankings as Defensive Woes Continue to Mount
CHAPEL HILL - The Tar Heels are in a bit of a slide, and the latest AP Top 25 poll reflects it. North Carolina dropped from No. 14 to No. 22 after a rough West Coast swing that saw them lose back-to-back games - a 95-90 shootout against Stanford and an 84-78 stumble at Cal.
The common thread? Defense - or more accurately, the lack of it.
Since their January 3 loss to SMU, UNC has struggled mightily on that end of the floor. Over the last four games, opponents are torching the Tar Heels for an average of 90 points per game.
That’s not just high - that’s red-alert territory. Even more alarming is how efficiently teams are scoring: 53.9% shooting from the field and a blistering 50.7% from three.
And it’s not just one hot-shooting night - in that four-game span, three different teams have hit 14 threes, and one buried 16.
To be fair, Carolina’s offense hasn’t gone quiet. They’re putting up 84.5 points per game during that stretch.
But when you’re giving up even more on the other end, the math doesn’t work in your favor. The result?
A 1-3 record over those four games and a 14-4 mark overall, with a 2-3 record in ACC play.
In the bigger ACC picture, UNC now sits as the fourth-highest-ranked team from the conference in the national poll. Duke leads the pack at No. 5, followed by Virginia at No. 14 and Clemson at No. 18 - the Tigers climbed four spots after a strong week. Louisville, meanwhile, slid to No. 23 after a mixed bag of results: a tough loss to Virginia and a blowout win over Pitt.
Despite the recent struggles, UNC still has one of the most productive frontcourts in the country. Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar continue to be the engine of this team, combining for 36.9 points per game on an impressive 61% shooting.
They’re not just scoring - they’re owning the glass, too, pulling down nearly 20 rebounds per game between them. That kind of frontcourt production is elite, and it’s keeping Carolina in games even when the defense falters.
The road ahead doesn’t get any easier. The Tar Heels return home Wednesday to host Notre Dame at the Dean E.
Smith Center, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Then it's a quick turnaround for a big-time conference test on Saturday in Charlottesville, where they'll face No.
14 Virginia - a team that thrives on defense and will surely test UNC’s ability to tighten things up on that end.
If the Tar Heels want to stop the slide and stay relevant in both the ACC and national picture, it starts with getting stops. The offense is there.
The talent is there. But until the defense catches up, UNC will keep living on the edge.