The men's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team of the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

is referred to as the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

, and they play in Division I of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) in the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

(ACC). The Tar Heels have played their 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 ...

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

since 1986. As of the 2009–10 season, North Carolina had the second most wins and the second highest winning percentage of any NCAA Division I men's team with a record of 2,004 wins and 720 losses over 100 seasons. The Tar Heels also have the most consecutive 20-win seasons, with 31 seasons from the 1970–71 season through 2000–01 season. The Tar Heels have won the

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...

six times, have appeared in the tournament finals eleven times, a record 21 NCAA Final Fours, have made it into the NCAA tournament 47 times (tied for second-most all-time), and hold the record for all-time NCAA tournament victories (102). Additionally, the team has been the number one seed in the NCAA tournament 13 times, which is the most #1 seeds of all-time, and has been ranked in the top 25 AP Poll 703 times (1st all-time), has beaten #1 teams a record 12 times, has the most consecutive 20-win seasons, with 31, North Carolina has also won the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...

, appeared in two NIT Semifinals, and has made five appearances in the NIT Tournament. North Carolina has had a top twenty-five final ranking among Division I schools 42 times as ranked by the Associated Press and 44 times as ranked by the Coaches Poll. In five instances the Tar Heels have ended the season with a number one ranking in the Associated Press, and the Tar Heels have also been ranked number one five times at the end of the season by the Coaches' Poll. The Tar Heels played their first basketball game against

Virginia Christian Virginia Christian (August 15, 1895 – August 16, 1912) was an African American teenager Capital punishment, executed by the state of Virginia. Convicted of first degree murder for killing her white employer Ida Belote, Christian became the onl ...

, on January 27, 1910, a 42–21 win for North Carolina.North Carolina Tar Heels Media Guide
/ref> In 1921 North Carolina joined the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

.Southern Conference Fan Guide
/ref> In the Southern Conference, the Tar Heels quickly found success. The 1923–24 Tar Heels squad went 26-0 and was retroactively awarded the national championship by the

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his owner ...

in 1936.The Helms Foundation named its own national college basketball champion for each year from 1936 through 1982. The foundation also retroactively awarded championships from 1901 through 1935. While the 1924 team was undefeated, they did not play a single opponent from north of the

Mason–Dixon line The Mason–Dixon line, sometimes referred to as Mason and Dixon's Line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia. It was Surveying, surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason ...

; indeed, intersectional play would not start on a regular basis for another decade. However, the 1924 Tar Heels did beat the Kentucky Wildcats that season in a battle of what most considered the two best teams in the nation. Overall, the Tar Heels played 32 seasons in the Southern Conference from 1921 to 1953. During that period they won 304 games and lost 111 for a winning percentage of 73.3%. The Tar Heels were winners of the regular season for nine times and won the Southern Conference championships 8 times. In 1953, North Carolina split off from the Southern Conference and became a founding member of the

.Official ACC Web Site
Again, the Tar Heels quickly found success in their new conference. The Tar Heels won their first NCAA Championship under coach

Frank McGuire Frank Joseph McGuire (November 8, 1913 – October 11, 1994) was an American basketball coach. At the collegiate level, he was head coach for three major programs: St. John's, North Carolina, and South Carolina, winning over a hundred games at ...

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

, which was led by

Lennie Rosenbluth Leonard Robert Rosenbluth (January 22, 1933 – June 18, 2022) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), but he is remembered, first and foremost, for his college basketball player days. He play ...

and several other transplants from the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

area. McGuire was forced to resign in 1961 after an NCAA violation regarding "improper recruiting entertainment" and was replaced by one of his assistants,

Dean Smith Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball Coach (basketball), head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North C ...

. Smith coached the Tar Heels from 1961 to 1997 and brought an unprecedented level of success to the team. When Smith retired in 1997, he had the most wins ever of any NCAA Division I men's basketball coach with 879 wins, and the 9th highest winning percentage with 77.6% wins. During Smith's time as head coach, North Carolina won the ACC regular season championship 17 times, won the ACC tournament 13 times, won the NIT in 1971, went to the NCAA tournament 27 times, appeared in 11 final fours, and won two NCAA national tournament titles, in 1982 and 1993. The 1982 National Championship team was led by

James Worthy James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wor ...

Sam Perkins Samuel Bruce Perkins (born June 14, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Perkins was a three-time college All-American, was a member of the 1982 national champion North Carolina Tar Heels, and won a gold med ...

, and a young

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

. The 1993 National Championship team starred Donald Williams, George Lynch and

Eric Montross Eric Scott Montross (September 23, 1971 – December 17, 2023) was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight seasons with the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, P ...

. While at North Carolina, Smith helped promote

desegregation Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws ...

by recruiting the university's first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

scholarship basketball player

Charlie Scott Charles or Charlie Scott may refer to: Politicians * Charles Scott (governor) (1739–1813), American Revolutionary War soldier and fourth governor of Kentucky * Charles L. Scott (1827–1899), U.S. Representative from California * Charles Frederic ...

. Smith retired in 1997 and the head coaching position went to his assistant

Bill Guthridge William Wallace Guthridge (July 27, 1937 – May 12, 2015) was an American college basketball coach. Guthridge initially gained recognition after serving for thirty years as Dean Smith's assistant at the University of North Carolina and summin ...

. In his three seasons as head coach Guthridge led the Tar Heels to the NCAA final Four twice, in the 1998 tournament and again in the 2000 tournament. Guthridge retired in 2000 and North Carolina turned to the 38-year-old Matt Doherty to lead the Tar Heels. Doherty had mixed success while at Carolina. In his first season, the Heels shot to the #1 ranking in the polls in the middle of the

schedule and finished with an impressive 26–7 record. But Doherty's second season was the worst in recent history as the Tar Heels finished the season with a record of 8-20, missing postseason play entirely for the first time since the 1965–66 season (including a record 26 straight NCAA Tournament appearances) and finishing with a losing record for the first time since 1962 (Dean Smith's first year as coach). They also finished 4–12 in the ACC—only the program's second losing ACC record ever. The 12 losses were six more than the Tar Heels had ever suffered in a single season of ACC play, and placed them in a tie for 7th place—the program's first finish below fourth place ever. The season also saw the end of UNC's run of 31 straight 20-win seasons and 35 straight seasons of finishing third or higher in the ACC. After bringing in one of the top 5 incoming classes for the 2002–03 season, the Tar Heels started the season by knocking off a top 5 Kansas team and going on to win the Preseason NIT and returning to the AP top 25. Carolina went on to finish the season with a 17–15 record, barely missing the NCAA tournament. Matt Doherty led the Tar Heels to the third round of the NIT where they ended their season with a loss to Georgetown. Despite the turnaround from the year before and the late season playoff run, at the end of the season Matt Doherty was replaced as head coach by Roy Williams. Roy Williams' first season was a moderate success with North Carolina finished 19-11 and the team was knocked out in the second round of the NCAA tournament by

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Williams was able to gain more success in his second season and coached North Carolina to a

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 ...

in 2005. After winning the championship, Williams had to deal with the departure of the team's top seven scorers. Most thought that 2005–06 would be a down season for Williams, but the Tar Heels proved to be surprisingly successful in part due to the help of the freshman

Tyler Hansbrough Andrew Tyler Hansbrough (born November 3, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for seven seasons, as well as internationally. In college, Hansbrough was a star with t ...

. Williams was named Coach of the Year for his ability to turn around such a new team to such a high level of success. Since 2005 the Tar Heels have once again become a leader in the ACC, winning both the regular season and the conference tournament in 2006–07 and 2007–08. In the 2008–09 season, North Carolina was chosen as consensus pre-season #1 and managed to fulfill the predictions of a national championship by beating Michigan State in the 2009 National Championship. However, the 2009-10 season ended up being a down season for the Tar Heels. The loss of players such as Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough, along with numerous injuries to key players, proved too much to overcome and resulted in the Tar Heels missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2002–03 season. The Tar Heels returned to the NCAA tournament in the ensuing years losing to Kentucky and Kansas in the Elite 8 during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons respectively. In the 2015-16 season, Williams returned the Tar Heels to the NCAA Championship game where he sought his third national championship against Villanova. Marcus Paige hit an off-balance three-point shot to tie the game with 4.7 seconds left. However, Villanova's Kris Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating three pointer to defeat the Tar Heels 77–74. The Tar Heels returned to the 2017 National Championship game the following year where they defeated Gonzaga 71–65 to win their sixth NCAA title in program history.

Season results

Postseason playoff results

The NCAA tournament started in 1939 and the number of teams invited to participate has expanded a number of times over the years. Between 1939 and 1950 the tournament had only eight teams, and then between 1951 and 1974 the tournament varied between 16 teams and 25 teams. The tournament has continued to expand over the years, and there are now 68 teams that make it into the tournament. From 1941 to 1981, a third-place game was played as part of the Final Four. The National Invitation Tournament, meanwhile, began in 1938 with only 6 teams. In 1941 the tournament was expanded to include 8 teams, in 1949 the tournament was again expanded to 12 teams, then 14 teams in 1965, 16 teams in 1968, 24 teams in 1979, 32 teams in 1980, and 40 teams from 2002 through 2006. The tournament reverted to 32 teams for 2007.History of NIT
/ref> Over Tournament Record: NCAA: 134-51 .724 NIT: 12-5 .705 NCAA Tournament Record by Seed: #1 (18 times): 65-13 .833 5 National Championships - 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017 #2 (9 times): 23-9 .718 #3 (4 times): 3-4 .428 #4 (2 times): 4-2 .666 #6 (3 times): 3-3 .500 #8 (5 times): 12-5 .705 #11 (1 time): 1-1 .500 NCAA Tournament Record by Region: East (27 times): 75-27 .735 (includes Final Four consolation games) 3 National Championships - 1957, 1982, 1993 West (8 times): 14-8 .636 South (7 times): 19-5 .791 2 National Championships - 2009, 2017 Southeast (4 times): 11-4 .733 Midwest (4 times): 7-4 .636 Syracuse (1 time): 6-0 1.000 1 National Championship - 2005 Atlanta (1 time): 1-1 .500 Washington D.C. (1 time): 1-1 .500 Mideast (1 time): 0-1 .000

References

;General

;Specific

External links

* {{Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball team seasons

North Carolina Tar Heels basketball seasons