North Carolina lost four of its top five scorers from last season's team that won the NCAA Tournament, didn't add a single five-star recruit and hasn't had its most impactful transfer available because of an injury. Regardless, the Tar Heels are 10-1 with victories over Tennessee, Arkansas and Michigan; the lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Michigan State. And this really is turning into one of the best stories in college basketball -- the fact that the reigning national champions are good again (despite the departures) and being led by a former walk-on named Luke Maye.

Credit Roy Williams.

I didn't expect to spend the middle of December thinking the Hall of Fame coach would have a reasonable chance to make a third straight Final Four and maybe win his fourth national title, but here we are. The Tar Heels have a top-10 offense, a top-15 defense and are, as usual, punishing opponents on the offensive glass. They remain No. 4 in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one) thanks to Sunday's 78-73 victory at Tennessee that featured UNC closing on an 11-3 run in the final minute. And they'll have a chance to add a fourth top-50 KenPom win Saturday when they play Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic.

Monday's updated Top 25 (and one)

Biggest Movers
Rk
Teams
 
Chg
Rcrd
1 Villanova The Wildcats own wins over Gonzaga, Tennessee and Temple. Eight of their 11 wins have come by double-digits. -- 8-5
2 Arizona St. The Sun Devils' perfect record features four top-50 KenPom wins -- among them victories over Kansas and Xavier. ASU will open Pac-12 play Dec. 30 at Arizona. -- 9-2
3 Michigan St. The Spartans have won nine straight games since losing to Duke. KenPom doesn't project them to be an underdog again this regular season. -- 10-2
4 N. Carolina The Tar Heels have won five straight since losing to Michigan State. They own wins over Tennessee, Arkansas and Michigan. -- 7-5
5 Kentucky The Wildcats have won seven straight since losing to Kansas. UK's remaining non-league games are against UCLA, Louisville and West Virginia. -- 10-2
6 Miami The Hurricanes' perfect record features just one top-50 KenPom win. They won't play another top-50 team until they host Florida State on Jan. 7. -- 4-8
7 Texas A&M The Aggies' lone loss is a single-digit loss to Arizona. They have four top-55 KenPom victories - among them a 23-point win over West Virginia. -- 10-2
8 West Virginia The Mountaineers have won 10 straight games since their season-opening loss to Texas A&M. They own victories over Virginia, Missouri and UCF. -- 9-2
9 Virginia The Cavaliers' lone loss is a single-digit loss at West Virginia. They have the nation's best defensive-efficiency rating. -- 7-5
10 Duke The Blue Devils are the only school in the top 15 of the Top 25 (and one) with a loss to a sub-75 KenPom team. On the flip side, Duke has three top-35 KenPom wins. -- 10-2
11 TCU The Horned Frogs have won 15 straight games dating back to last season. Kenrich Williams is averaging 14.2 points and 10.1 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game. -- 7-4
12 Xavier The Musketeers have won five straight games since losing to Arizona State. They'll play at Northern Iowa on Friday. -- 8-5
13 Oklahoma The Sooners have beaten Wichita State, USC and Oregon. Trae Young is averaging 28.8 points and 8.9 assists in 32.7 minutes per game. -- 12-0
14 Wichita St. The Shockers' two losses are to Oklahoma and Notre Dame. They own wins over Baylor, Oklahoma State and Marquette. -- 9-3
15 Gonzaga The Zags' two losses are to Villanova and Florida. They've beaten Creighton, Texas and Ohio State. -- 9-3
16 Tennessee The Vols' two losses are single-digit losses to Villanova and North Carolina. Their best win is an OT victory over Purdue. -- 12-0
17 Purdue The Boilermakers have won seven straight games since losing to Western Kentucky. The have six top-60 KenPom victories. -- 8-4
18 Kansas The Jayhawks snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday night at Nebraska. Their resume features wins over Kentucky and Syracuse. -- 9-2
19 Arizona The Wildcats have won five straight since going 0-3 at the Battle 4 Atlantis. They own wins over Texas A&M, Alabama and UNLV. -- 6-5
20 Florida St. The Seminoles took their first loss Saturday in a semi-home game against Oklahoma State. They open ACC play Dec. 30 at Duke. -- 9-4
21 Baylor The Bears have beaten Creighton and Wisconsin. Their two losses are to teams (Xavier, Wichita State) ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 (and one). -- 7-3
22 Creighton The Bluejays' two losses are to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 (and one) -- specifically Gonzaga and Baylor. Creighton owns wins over Northwestern and UCLA. -- 8-5
23 Texas Tech The Red Raiders' only loss is a loss to Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden. They've beaten Nevada and Northwestern. -- 9-2
24 Cincinnati The Bearcats recorded their first top-60 KenPom win Saturday at UCLA. Their two losses are to Xavier and Florida. -- 10-1
25 Arkansas The Razorbacks own wins over Oklahoma and Minnesota. They've won three straight games since losing at Houston. -- 10-2
26 Seton Hall The Pirates' five-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Rutgers. Their resume features wins over Texas Tech and at Louisville. -- 5-8