Where is Louisville basketball in the latest top-25 polls entering Monday's 7 p.m. tipoff at North Carolina?
Pat Kelsey's Cardinals (20-7, 9-5 ACC) went from 21st to 20th in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after going 1-1 last week — losing at SMU and bouncing back against Georgia Tech at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Tar Heels were 19th in the Coaches Poll. They also went 1-1 last week: an 82-58 loss at N.C. State, then a 77-64 win at Syracuse. Their standing in the NET (27th, 14 spots behind UofL) makes today's game a Quad 1A opportunity for Kelsey's team, which is 0-6 in those matchups to this point of the season — 0-4 on the road — with a 15.2-point average margin of defeat.
After Monday's game, Louisville won't play again until a 2 p.m. tipoff Saturday at Clemson, which dropped out of the Coaches Poll this week. The Tigers ranked 38th in the NET as of Monday — making that matchup another Quad 1A opportunity — and have seven days to prepare for the Cards after their losing streak hit four in a row with a Feb. 21 loss to Florida State.
"It's a big week," Kelsey said after beating Georgia Tech. "... It's a great challenge. It's a great opportunity for our team."
UNC will be without one of the top freshmen in the ACC on Monday. Forward Caleb Wilson, who leads the team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks per game, has been ruled out of the game due to a fracture in his left hand he suffered during a Feb. 10 loss at Miami, according to an initial injury report released Sunday night.
But coach Hubert Davis will likely have his No. 2 scorer available in 7-foot junior forward Henri Veesaar. The Arizona transfer, who returned from a lower body injury to drop 19 points in 25 minutes during the Tar Heels' win at Syracuse, was listed as probable on Sunday's injury report.
UofL hasn't won at the Dean E. Smith Center since Jan. 12, 2019. If Kelsey & Co. can get it done Monday, it'll mark the first time the program has won back-to-back games against North Carolina, which owns a 20-8 lead in the all-time series.
This story will be updated following the release of the AP Top 25.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball ranking in new AP Top 25, updated Coaches Poll