The latest edition of the Associated Press Top 25 polls for college basketball saw the UNC programs head in opposite directions following the Phil Knight Invitational.

The UNC women’s basketball team rose from No. 8 to No. 6 in the Week 4 poll, after going 2-0 at the Portland-based showcase against two ranked teams. The Tar Heels knocked off both No. 18 Oregon and No. 5 Iowa State with comeback wins — erasing a 17-point deficit to the Cyclones during the PKI title game on Sunday night. The ranking is the highest for Carolina during the Courtney Banghart era, and the program’s best since its 2014-15 season.

For her outstanding play during the showcase, UNC star junior Deja Kelly was named the Most Valuable Player of the Phil Knight Invitational. Across the two wins, Kelly averaged 23 points, six rebounds and 5.5 assists — including a scorching 22 points in the second half against Iowa State to help the Tar Heels come back and win.

Kelly also earned the ACC Player of the Week honor on Monday for her play during the two Carolina wins. The award marks the second time Kelly has earned the conference recognition — the guard won it in February 2022 for her play in an upset win over No. 3 Louisville and a road victory against Florida State.

Meanwhile, the men’s basketball team saw itself fall from the top spot in the country. A drop in the rankings was expected after a tight loss to Iowa State on Friday, but a second consecutive loss on Sunday in four overtimes to Alabama sunk the Tar Heels further. Hubert Davis’ program skidded to No. 18, which ESPN Stats and Info said was the biggest-single week drop for a No. 1 team in the history of the AP Poll.

Carolina’s loss on Sunday marked the second time in program history the Tar Heels lost consecutive games as the No. 1 team in the country. The prior time was in 1986, when Dean Smith’s team lost to Maryland and N.C. State on the road. For now, UNC is the third-highest ranked team with two losses — Gonzaga (14) and Duke (17) are the programs above them.

Both UNC basketball programs will follow up their Phil Knight Invitational appearances with high-profile matchups against the same school, which is part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The men’s team will travel to No. 10 Indiana on Wednesday night and the women’s program will try to beat No. 5 Indiana in Bloomington on Thursday evening.

For the full Week 4 Associated Press polls, visit the men’s basketball and women’s basketball pages.

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