The Tar Heels fell to fifth in this weeks’ Associated Press Poll after their second ACC loss in a row.
The coaches weren’t as generous as Carolina dropped to sixth overall in the ESPN/USA Today Poll.
Elsewhere in the ACC, Wake Forest jumped Duke to second in the AP Poll and rose to third in the coaches poll while Clemson sneaked the top 10.
It’s becoming even more eerie how similar this season is to the 2004-2005 season in which Duke, Wake and UNC fought in a competitive ACC race.
Wake Forest rose to the number three spot after the 2005 victory with Duke ranked fourth in both polls. Carolina dropped to sixth overall.
Clemson wasn’t in the picture then, instead Boston College — who had not yet joined the ACC — jumped into the top 10 and was ranked ninth in both polls.
If history is any lesson, which it most certainly is, the ACC is in for a competitive and interesting season as the conference title in 2004-2005 came down to the last regular season game in Chapel Hill when Carolina beat Duke after the Heels trailed by nine with only three minutes to play.
Remember Marvin Williams’ tip in?
Carolina won the ACC regular season with only two conference losses — one at Wake and one at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Wake Forest finished second with three conference losses, and Duke finished third with five conference losses.
Duke and UNC grabbed number one seeds in the NCAA tournament, and Wake Forest managed a two seed despite a better record than Duke — a slight that didn’t translate to much as Wake Forest was upset by West Virginia in the NCAA tournament.
