North Carolina was able to bounce back from their first loss of the season to Michigan State on Thanksgiving, getting a huge win on the road at Kentucky. The Tar Heels were able to grind out that win, grabbing the lead late and holding on.
With a 7-1 record, the Tar Heels are off to a good start and now they are moving up in ESPN’s power rankings.
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Jeff Borzello has updated his power rankings for the 2025-26 season and he has UNC moving up from No. 16 to No. 11 in his rankings. Here is what Borzello had to say:
Hubert Davis might have found something late in the win over Kentucky: Freshman guard Derek Dixon hit the go-ahead 3 with just under a minute to go and then drove for the eventual game-winning layup with 16 seconds to go. Dixon played a season-high 24 minutes against the Wildcats, with starting point guard Kyan Evans playing a season-low 16. Dixon provides extra physicality and athleticism in the backcourt, and he clearly has the moxie to take — and make — big shots late in games. It’s a position battle to monitor.
The Tar Heels will now return home to face off against Georgetown on Sunday afternoon. The Hoyas are 6-2 on the year and will present a little challenge for the Tar Heels. After that, UNC has almost an entire week off with SC-Upstate coming to the Dean Dome on Saturday.
With just a few weeks until the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule begins, the Tar Heels have a few games left which include Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Tar Heels move up in ESPN power rankings
