Players Are Punished by UNC Signee in Incredible Defensive Sequence
Drake Powell, a senior at Northwood (N.C.), is a stalwart defender for the UNC basketball programme. The 6-foot-6, 195-pound explosive wing played with constant energy throughout Friday night’s 75-51 victory over Chatham Central to secure a conference championship with a 16-0 record (24-3 overall). This was particularly true during a brief 12-second stretch in which he scored, stole, and blocked twice. In transition, Powell—one of two Tar Heel signees selected to participate in the McDonald’s All-American Game in Houston on April 2—chased down a helpless Chatham Central player for the first ultra-athletic swat from behind. Powell is ranked No. 10 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite.
With perfect defensive technique, he quickly recovered to leap straight up and deny another layup attempt with both hands. Powell, who has been a member of the Tar Heels since September 2022, then skidded past a third player and another defender to steal the ball and lay it in at the other end. Bryce Lanning of Elite Mixtapes described Powell’s outstanding performance as the “craziest defensive sequence” he has ever filmed in the post that follows:
The other McDonald’s All-American in the class for UNC basketball is Ian Jackson, a five-star guard from Our Saviour Lutheran (N.Y.). James Brown, a four-star centre from Link Academy (Mo.), is the third player in the Tar Heels group, which is ranked seventh in the nation. Related: Armando Bacot’s brother is now creating buzz for UNC recruitment For additional information on UNC basketball recruiting, keep checking All Tar Heels on SI.com. Copyright ABG-SI LLC. All rights reserved. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC.
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‘In the most recent AP college basketball rankings, Kentucky soars and Houston overtakes UConn at No. 1. Top 25
Following an action-packed week of upsets, several of the top college basketball teams in the country saw significant movement in the updated AP Top 25. Despite receiving all 62 first-place votes in last week’s rankings and holding the top spot for several weeks, UConn lost by 19 points to Creighton on Tuesday, which caused it to drop from its position. Despite defeating Villanova by 24 points on Saturday, the Huskies were unable to hold off a Houston team that was on the rise and Purdue to maintain their top ranking.
Arizona lost its first home game of the season on Thursday against Washington State, despite moving up to No. 4 in the rankings from the previous week. Since losing to Texas A&M on February 10, Tennessee has won four straight games, moving up to the No. 4 spot in this week’s poll, above the Wildcats. The Volunteers finish the season with four ranked games after defeating the Aggies 86-51 at home in retaliation.
The ACC moved on Saturday after Wake Forest defeated Duke at home. While they remain unranked, the Demon Deacons aim to strengthen their resume in order to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016–17. The Blue Devils fell two spots to No. 10 and are currently awaiting word on star big man Kyle Filipowski’s knee injury sustained during the Winston-Salem court-storming incident. After winning at Virginia for the first time in twelve years, North Carolina overtook its rival and is now ranked ninth in this week’s update.
As January continued into February, Kentucky lost four of its six games; however, it has since rebounded to win four straight and regained its place in the SEC standings. Following their commanding 117-95 victory over Alabama on Saturday, the Wildcats moved up to No. 16 in the rankings. The Crimson Tide dropped to No. 14 by one spot.
