Fansided

North Carolina basketball: 5 best seasons in UNC Tar Heels history, ranked

By Cody Williams

9 FEB 1993: AN ANIMATED NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH DEAN SMITH COMPLAINS FROM THE SIDELINE DURING THE TARHEELS ACC GAME AGAINST THE MARYLAND TERRAPINS AT COLLEG PARK, MARYLAND. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger/ALLSPORT
9 FEB 1993: AN ANIMATED NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH DEAN SMITH COMPLAINS FROM THE SIDELINE DURING THE TARHEELS ACC GAME AGAINST THE MARYLAND TERRAPINS AT COLLEG PARK, MARYLAND. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger/ALLSPORT /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Best North Carolina basketball seasons
North Carolina basketball (Photo by Brian A. Westerholt/Getty Images) /

3. 2004-05 North Carolina basketball season

Final Record: 33-4 | Result: National Champions (def. Illinois, 75-70)

Honestly, it feels dirty putting the 2004-05 Tar Heels at No. 3 on any list — that’s how good this North Carolina team was. Not only were they a great story but they were littered with top-tier talent in the sport. Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Sean May and sixth-man freshman Marvin Williams all starred for this team and led them to the Promised Land.

Related Story. UNC Tar Heels all-time starting 5. light

Entering the season as the No. 4 ranked team in the country, UNC actually lost their season-opener as they faced off with Santa Clara in Oakland. After that, however, this team looked the part of a true title contender. The Heels only lost two other regular-season tilts that year, falling to only Chris Paul and Wake Forest and J.J. Redick’s Duke team in the season.

Unfortunately, a great season for the Heels wasn’t a perfect one. They actually lost in the ACC Tournament, falling to unranked Georgia Tech. Even still, they entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed and were a two-way dominant force on the court, rolling past Oakland and Iowa State. They then narrowly got by Villanova and Wisconsin but dominated Michigan State in the Final Four game.

Let’s also not forget the team that the 2004-05 North Carolina basketball team beat to win the title, the Illinois Fighting Illini. That group sent four players to the NBA, which means that UNC wasn’t just going up against a team they outclassed — they had to claw for their 75-70 win. However, without an ACC title and with the way they won, it’s hard to put them above the top two teams on this list.