NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga falls, UNC rises in latest AP Top 25

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 05: Cameron Johnson #13 of the North Carolina Tar Heels directs his team against the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks during the second half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 05, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 97-69. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

2. UNC should be one spot higher

Asking to elevate or drop a team one spot in the rankings may seem like nitpicking, but it argues an important point in the case of the North Carolina Tar Heels.

After beating Gonzaga in a Saturday primetime showcase, the Tar Heels moved up to No. 9 in the AP Top 25 – one spot behind the very team they just defeated.

Plenty of people argue that the rankings are pointless and arbitrary in the first place. While that argument seems far-fetched, forgoing the importance of head-to-head wins near the top add fuel to that fire.

It’s not even that UNC topped Gonzaga on a last second buzzer-beater when the Bulldogs were outplaying them all night; the Tar Heels rolled to a 13-point victory where their offense looked unstoppable. They clearly appeared to be the better team.

The Bulldogs now have two losses this season (in consecutive games, no less) to Tennessee and North Carolina, both top ten teams.

Meanwhile, UNC’s losses are to Texas and Michigan, the latter being a complete beatdown.

Gonzaga’s losses certainly seem better than UNC’s losses. And yet….

It’s the job of the selection committee to evaluate the teams’ complete resumes at the end of the season. It’s the job of the AP voters to evaluate the teams’ complete resumes week-by-week, but with a special emphasis on the preceding week of games.

North Carolina should be ahead of Gonzaga by virtue of the head-to-head win.