Fansided

Ranking the top 30 UNC basketball players in program history

By Cooper Watson

CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 7: Michael Jordan kisses former coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels during a halftime ceremony honoring the 1993 national championship team during a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Dean Smith Center on March 7, 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 7: Michael Jordan kisses former coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels during a halftime ceremony honoring the 1993 national championship team during a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Dean Smith Center on March 7, 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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4. Michael Jordan (1981-84)

You might have heard the tired cliche that Michael Jordan was not as good in college as he was in the pros. While that might technically be true, it’s incredibly misleading in covering up MJ’s dominance during his time in Chapel Hill.

Jordan averaged 17.7 PPG for his career, but 19.8 PPG over his junior and senior years. Over those two seasons, he was a two-time first-team All-American and 1984’s consensus National Player of the Year—the first in UNC history.

While Jordan was arguably the third-best player on UNC’s 1982 National Championship team behind James Worthy and Sam Perkins, he was still an incredibly valuable player on both ends of the court on a team that was loaded with talent. He also ended up being the savior, proving his clutch ability from the get-go with the game-winning shot in the National Championship game against Patrick Ewing and Georgetown.

UNC went 88-13 (38-4 in the ACC) with Jordan, winning the ACC regular-season title all three seasons.