Clemson basketball moves into top 20, ahead of UNC, Kentucky

Clemson basketball is off to its best start in ACC play since 2006-07 and is being rewarded for it in the AP Poll.

The Tigers (14-1, 3-0) are ranked No. 19 in the latest AP Poll, which was released on Monday. Clemson is ahead of perennial powers No. 20 North Carolina and No. 21 Kentucky.

Clemson was ranked No. 25 in last week’s poll, which marked the first time the Tigers had appeared in the top 25 since the 2009-10 season.

Villanova is ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, followed by West Virginia, Virginia and Michigan State. Wichita State and Purdue are tied for No. 5.

The rest of the top 10 includes No. 7 Duke, No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 10 Xavier.

Clemson went 2-0 last week with a 74-70 win at Boston College and a 74-69 overtime win over Louisville.

The Tigers will face N.C. State on the road on Thursday before hosting No. 18 Miami on Saturday.

This story was originally published January 8, 2018 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Clemson basketball moves into top 20, ahead of UNC, Kentucky."