#2 1995 vs #7 1999
Starters and Bench
| 1995 | Pos | 1999 |
| Jeff McInnis |
PG | Ed Cota |
| Dante Calabria | SG | Jason Capel |
| Donald Williams |
SF | Ademola Okulaja |
| Jerry Stackhouse |
PF | Kris Lang |
| Rasheed Wallace |
C | Brendan Haywood |
| Bench | ||
| Pearce Landry |
G | Max Owens |
| Pat Sullivan |
G | Ronald Curry |
| Serge Zwikker |
F | Brian Bersticker |
This match-up is pretty cut and dry and a testimony(lest we forgot) how good the 1995 team was despite not winning the ACC Tournament and bowing out in the Final Four. Consider this, since the three point shot was introduced in college basketball, only four UNC teams have shot 40% or better from beyond the arc.
| Team | 3P% | 3PA/FGA |
| 1987 |
43.6% | 21.1% |
| 1988 | 43.0% | 20.7% |
| 1995 |
41.0% | 31.5% |
| 2005 |
40.3% | 30.4% |
While 1987 and 1988 shot better from three, they also had fewer attempts and the perimeter shooting not as much of a factor in the offense. 1995 was different in this regard with a greater reliance on the three and the ability to make those shots with regularity. The 1995 team had five players shooting 39% or better from three. Pearce Landry and Jerry Stackhouse who attempted 58 and 90 threes respectively were at 41% and 39%. Donald Williams hit 40% of his threes on a team high 218 attempts while Jeff McInnis also hovered at the 40% mark on 112 attempts. Danta Calabria was the real sharpshooter hitting almost 50% of his 133 attempted threes.
That and 1995's five players in double figures led by Stackhouse's 19 ppg should be more than a match for the 1999 team that was comprised of role players left over from the 1997 and 1998 Final Four runs. As good as Ed Cota and Ademola Okulaja were they needed a couple of elite players beside them which would allow them to flourish as complimentary instead of primary options.
In short, this match-up probably plays out like a #2 vs #7 game should.