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North Carolina slid five spots to No. 17 in this week’s AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll, released Monday afternoon.
The Tar Heels (13-2, 1-1 ACC) opened conference play on Tuesday at the Smith Center with a 79–66 win over Florida State, powered by a dominant performance from standout freshman Caleb Wilson, who finished with 22 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.
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However, UNC was demolished by an SMU team on the rise, 97-83, at Moody Coliseum in Dallas. Not only did the Tar Heels give up the most points they have allowed all year, but the Mustangs shot 60% from the field, including 51.9% from 3-point range, and posted a staggering 1.426 points per possession. They were even more efficient after halftime, pouring in 58 points while shooting 71.4% from the floor and 60% from beyond the arc.
UNC remains the ACC’s second-highest-ranked team, behind only No. 6 Duke. Louisville slipped four spots to No. 20 after losing to Stanford, while Virginia (No. 23) and SMU (No. 24) round out the conference’s ranked programs.
Wilson — despite having an underwhelming game due to the physical play from SMU’s frontcourt — leads the Tar Heels in points (19.3), rebounds (10.9), steals (1.4) and blocks (1.5).
Guard Seth Trimble and center Henri Veesaar complete UNC’s primary scoring trio alongside Wilson. Trimble is averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists and is coming off back-to-back 20-point games, while Veesaar is averaging 16.3 points and 9.2 rebounds.
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UNC plays just once this week, hosting Wake Forest on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on ACC Network. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: North Carolina falls to No. 17 in AP Top 25
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