4. North Carolina Tar Heels (7-2)
Last rank: 4th (↔)
The North Carolina Tar Heels lost big to the Michigan Wolverines 84-67 on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and their next two games will be similar in terms of environment.
North Carolina is 7-2 but their next two contest will really test their resolve as they’ll face the Gonzaga Bulldogs this Saturday and the Kentucky Wildcats on Dec. 22.
The Tar Heels have been in good shape thanks to Coby White, Luke Maye, Nassir Little and Cameron Johnson. White is averaging 15.3 points, 3.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. Maye is putting up 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Little is averaging 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds off the bench. Johnson leads the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game.
They host the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday, a team coming off a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers this past Saturday. The Bulldogs will test the Tar Heels’ resolve especially from a defensive standpoint but Johnson and White are both shooting over 40 percent from behind the arc this season, something the Bulldogs struggled to guard down the stretch against the Volunteers. It will be interesting to see how things go this weekend, if they go well, look for some movement in the rankings.