UNC Basketball: Top-10 matchup set by new rankings
When the Duke and UNC basketball teams play each other in Chapel Hill on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN), they will both be ranked in the top 10 regardless of how the teams perform this week.
Riding a 10-game winning run, UNC (17-3, 9-0 ACC) maintained its No. 3 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for this week, which was released on Monday afternoon. Additionally, Duke (15-4, 6-2 ACC) moved up five spots to No. 7 in preparation for its Monday night matchup with Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, where the Blue Devils hope to win three straight.
The archrivals are the only rated ACC team for the third week in a row.
Purdue and UConn, the reigning national champions, are still ranked first and second, respectively.
The highly anticipated match on Saturday at the Smith Center will be the 49th meeting between the Tar Heels, who started the season at No. 19, and Duke, who is ranked second in the preseason, when both teams are ranked in the top 10. The score is tied at 24 all in between those two encounters.
There are four top-10 games scheduled for this weekend, including the UNC-Duke battle, which is their first of two meetings during the regular season. No. 5 Tennessee plays at No. 10 Kentucky on Saturday, while No. 4 Houston plays at No. 8 Kansas. Then, Purdue takes on No. 6 Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon.
NEXT UNC BASKETBALL GAME: at unranked Georgia Tech, 7 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN)
