The 2015–16 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
during the
2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
was
Roy Williams, who was in his 13th season as UNC's men's basketball head coach. The Tar Heels played their home games at the
Dean Smith Center
The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center (commonly known as the Dean Smith Center, Smith Center, or the Dean Dome) is a multi-purpose arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, used primarily as the home for the University of North Carolina at Ch ...
and were members of the
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
. North Carolina finished the season with a 33–7 record, 14–4 to win the
ACC regular season championship. The Tar Heels defeated
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
to win the
ACC tournament. They received an automatic bid to the
NCAA tournament as a #1 seed. There, they defeated
Florida Gulf Coast,
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, and
Notre Dame to earn a trip to the Final Four, the school's 19th trip to the Final Four. In a matchup against fellow ACC foe,
Syracuse, the Tar Heels won easily to advance to the
National Championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
against
Villanova. North Carolina, despite a circus shot by
Marcus Paige
Marcus Taylor Paige ( sr-Cyrl, Маркус Тејлор Пејџ; born September 11, 1993) is an American-Serbian professional basketball player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the University of North Caro ...
to tie the game at 74 with less than five seconds remaining, lost on a last second three pointer by
Kris Jenkins
Kristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins (born August 3, 1979) is a former American football defensive tackle who played for the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of ...
.
Previous season
The
Tar Heels
Tar Heel is a nickname applied to the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is also the nickname of the University of North Carolina athletic teams, students, alumni, and fans.
The origins of the Tar Heel nickname trace back to North Carolina's promi ...
finished the
2014–15 season 26–12, 11–7 in
ACC play to finish in fifth place. They advanced to the championship game of the
ACC tournament where they lost to
Notre Dame. They received an at-large bid to the
NCAA tournament where they defeated
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
and
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
before losing in the Sweet Sixteen to eventual National Runner-Up
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
.
Departures
Class of 2015 signees
Roster
Schedule and results
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!colspan=12 style="background:#56A0D3; color:#FFFFFF;", Non-conference regular season
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!colspan=12 style="background:#56A0D3; color:#FFFFFF;", ACC Regular Season
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!colspan=12 style="background:#56A0D3; color:#FFFFFF;",
ACC Tournament
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!colspan=12 style="background:#56A0D3; color:#FFFFFF;",
NCAA tournament
Rankings
Players drafted into the NBA
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2015-16 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball seasons
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons
Tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...
Tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...