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Projected college basketball rankings: Will North Carolina fall after loss to Kentucky?

ByChris Stone|
Dec 17, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Justin Jackson (44) looks to pass during a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Justin Jackson (44) looks to pass during a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s what Monday’s top 10 might look like after a hectic Saturday

Kentucky and North Carolina delivered an early season thriller on Saturday evening with the Wildcats sneaking away with a 103-100 win. The Tar Heels entered the game ranked seventh in the AP poll. Will the loss cause them to slip?

Here’s what we could see come Monday.

  1. Villanova Wildcats – The returning national champions are playing the best basketball of anyone in the country. Guard Josh Hart looks like the early favorite to win National Player of the Year while averaging 20.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
  2. UCLA Bruins – The Bruins eked out a six-point win over Ohio State on Saturday and still have what looks like the nation’s most dangerous offense. Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf have both delivered productive freshmen seasons.
  3. Kansas Jayhawks – The Jayhawks still look like the favorite to win the Big 12, but there are questions that remain in the frontcourt. Luckily, power forward Carlton Bragg rejoined the team this week after having a battery charge dismissed.
  4. Baylor Bears – It’s probably time to retire all of those “Scott Drew can’t coach narratives.” Drew doesn’t have any five-star recruits on his roster, but the Bears already own wins over Xavier, Louisville and Oregon.
  5. Kentucky Wildcats – Pick up a big win and move up one spot in the rankings. The Wildcats got 47 points from freshman Malik Monk in their win over North Carolina. The 6-foot-3 guard is already one of the country’s best scorers.
  6. Duke Blue Devils – This may be the best team in college basketball and they don’t even have the nation’s top recruit on the court yet. Don’t be surprised if Duke climbs the rankings once they get more chances to pick up big wins in ACC play.
  7. Gonzaga Bulldogs – This might be head coach Mark Few’s best team since he’s been at Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have an excellent balance of guard play and frontcourt talent.
  8. North Carolina Tar Heels – It’s hard to drop the Tar Heels too far after their loss to Kentucky, but every defeat comes with a price. In this case, it’s a one spot fall in the rankings.
  9. Creighton Bluejays – The Blue Jays have one of the nation’s top backcourts and own an undefeated record 10 games into the season.
  10. Louisville Cardinals – The Cardinals have the nation’s best defense in terms of adjusted deficiency. Their hybrid zone defense continues to trouble opponents and its helped the team to a 10-1 start.

Other than North Carolina’s slight drop, we’ve also taken Indiana out of the top 10 after the Hoosiers stumbled against Butler on Saturday. Keep an eye out tomorrow for our projections for the entire top 25.