Tar Heels entrenched at top spot

North Carolina’s weekend win over Duke kept the Tar Heels on top of The Associated Press’ college basketball poll Monday.

The top five teams held their spots from last week in the next-to-last poll of the season.

The Tar Heels (29-2), who beat Duke 76-68 to win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title, received 52 first-place votes and 1,776 points from the 72-member national media panel. It was North Carolina’s second week in its second stint as No. 1. The Tar Heels were on top of the preseason Top 25 and the first 10 polls of the regular season.

Kansas and Texas, co-champions of the Big 12, were fifth and sixth. The Jayhawks stayed fifth after wins over Texas Tech and Texas A&M, while the Longhorns moved up three places after victories over Nebraska and Oklahoma State.