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We are down to 32 in our quest to find the greatest ever UNC men’s basketball team.
Today, we kick off round two. Three of the six NCAA Tournament champions will feature in this round after handily winning in the first round. Meanwhile, several other really good teams that came up just short will also feature as the virtual left half of our bracket gets us started.
Read about and vote in eight more matchups below!
Second Round
Dean Smith Region
#1. 1956-67 vs. #9. 1974-75
Record: 32-0 (14-0 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: National Champions
Best Win: 3/23/57 - 54-53 (3OT) vs. #2 Kansas
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #1
Not shockingly, our number one overall seed and the UNC team with the best winning percentage ever beat the team with the worst as ‘56-57 cruised past ‘01-02. Although, I have some questions for the 3% that voted otherwise.
Record: 23-8 (8-4 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Sweet 16
Best Win: 3/8/75 - 70-66 vs. #8 NC State
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #6
The lower seeded ‘74-75 team scored a minor upset beating the #8 seed ‘88-89 team. Although they did so handily, winning 63% of the vote.
Poll
Who was better?
#5. 1994-95 vs. #4. 1990-91
Record: 28-6 (12-4 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Final Four
Best Win: 3/25/95 - 74-61 vs. #2 Kentucky
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #1
The Jerry Stackhouse/Rasheed Wallace led team won their first round game pretty handily, beating the very next year’s team, which had neither of those two.
Record: 29-6 (10-4 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Final Four
Best Win: 3/10/91 - 96-74 vs. #6. Duke
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #4
This team may have lost to Roy Williams’ Kansas team in real life, but they had no troubles winning against a Roy Williams’ UNC team in this tournament, taking 90% of the vote against ‘03-04.
Poll
Who was better?
#6. 1987-88 vs. #3. 1976-77
Record: 27-7 (11-3 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Elite Eight
Best Win: 11/21/81 - 96-93 vs. #1 Syracuse
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #1
This Dean Smith-coached team cruised past a Matt Doherty coached one, ‘00-01, picking up 82% of the vote.
Record: 28-5 (9-3 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: National Runners-Up
Best Win: 3/26/77 - 84-84 vs. #4 UNLV
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #3
The team that Phil Ford led to the national title game won handily over the ‘09-10 team that also made it to the title game....of the NIT.
Poll
Who was better?
#7. 2010-11 vs. #2. 1967-68
Record: 29-8 (14-2 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Elite Eight
Best Win: 3/5/11 - 81-67 vs. #4 Duke
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #6
The better NCAA Tournament finish probably allowed the ‘10-11 team to beat a ‘78-79 one that arguably had a better regular season, but lost in the Round of 32.
Record: 28-4 (12-2 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: National Runners-Up
Best Win: 3/15/68 - 91-72 vs. #3 St. Bonaventure
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #3
Dean Smith’s first national title game team cruised past a team that didn’t even made the NCAAT.
Poll
Who was better?
Norman Shepard Region
#1. 1992-93 vs. #8. 1983-84
Record: 34-4 (14-2 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: National Champions
Best Win: 4/5/93 - 77-71 vs. #3 Michigan
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #1
Smith’s second national champion cruised in one of the biggest blowouts we’ll see in this tournament, picking up 99% of the vote in round one.
Record: 28-3 (14-0 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Sweet 16
Best Win: 1/12/84 - 74-64 at #5 Maryland
AP Poll Ranking Peak: #1
Their “reward” for their big win is one of the best ever UNC teams to not win the national title. This Michael Jordan led team also dominated their first round despite the real life early NCAAT exit.
Poll
Who was better?
#5. 1999-00 vs. #4. 1997-98
Record: 22-14 (9-7 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Final Four
Best Win: 3/19/00 - 60-53 vs. #3 Stanford
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #2
This may have been one of the more random deep NCAAT runs in Tar Heel history, but the voters had no issue picking this Bill Guthridge team over 2013-14, winning 63% to 37%.
Record: 34-4 (13-3 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Final Four
Best Win: 3/8/98 - 83-68 vs. #1 Duke
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #1
Their opponent will be none other than Guthridge’s other Final Four team, who cruised past 1973-74.
Poll
Who was better?
#6. 1986-87 vs. #3. 2007-08
Record: 32-4 (14-0 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Elite Eight
Best Win: 12/29/86 - 94-81 vs. #2 Purdue
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #1
Kenny Smith’s senior year cruised past ‘79-80, just they did in the perfect ACC regular season.
Record: 36-3 (14-2 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Final Four
Best Win: 3/8/08 - 76-68 at #6 Duke
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #1
Turns out this bracket is loaded with good teams that didn’t win the title. The ‘07-08 team dominated in the first round, just as they did against a lot of teams in real life.
Poll
Who was better?
#10. 1975-76 vs. #2. 2004-05
Record: 25-4 (11-1 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: Round of 32
Best Win: 2/11/76 - 95-93 @ #2 Maryland
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #3
The ‘75-76 team scored the lone upset in the first round of this region, knocking off the ‘40-41 team that was UNC’s first ever NCAAT appearance.
Record: 33-4 (14-2 ACC)
NCAA Tournament Finish: National Champions
Best Win: 4/4/05 - 75-70 vs. #1 Illinois
AP Poll Peak Ranking: #2
Roy Williams’ first national championship team put up a dominant win in round one, getting 99% of the vote.