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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 /
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Best North Carolina basketball seasons
North Carolina basketball (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

1. 1981-82 North Carolina basketball season

Final Record: 32-2 | Result: National Champions (def. Georgetown, 63-62)

I mean, like there was going to be another team coming in at No. 1 on this list. Not only did this team capture the first National Championship of Dean Smith’s tenure with the Tar Heels but it also featured the greatest collection of talent in the history of the program. This team was headlined by James Worthy, Sam Perkins and some guy named Michael Jordan — maybe you’ve heard of him.

The Tar Heels entered the year as the top-ranked team in college basketball and held that spot for most of the season and never dropped below the No. 2 spot in the polls. They fell only to ACC opponents in Wake Forest and No. 3 ranked Virginia. However, UNC was able to vindicate that loss to the Cavaliers in the ACC Tournament when they captured the crown by beating UVA.

For as great as this team was, North Carolina was not exceptionally dominant when it came to the NCAA Tournament. They only beat James Madison by two points in the Round of 32 and only won one of their games — an Elite Eight victory over Villanova — by double digits. They knocked off a high-flying Houston team in the Final Four to set up a date with Georgetown for the title.

By now, everyone knows the story of that game. The legend of Michael Jordan was born with his baseline shot to essentially clinch the win in the 63-62 outing. It was the only title that Jordan won while in Chapel Hill for three years but, with the presence of the GOAT and two other eventual NBA stars, it’s hard not to call this the greatest North Carolina basketball team ever.

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