Seven UNC Tar Heels Among ESPNs Top 75 Players in NCAA Tournament History
By Matt Hamm
ESPN assembled a panel of experts and named their top 75 players in NCAA Tournament History. Seven North Carolina Tar Heels were named with Tyler Hansbrough leading the way at #25.
Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
"25. Tyler Hansbrough, North CarolinaHansbrough was one of the hardest playing players in the history of college basketball. He never took a play off. He ran the floor consistently, pursued every rebound and played through contact. He had an insatiable desire to win and imposed his will on the game every night. He averaged 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in his NCAA tournament career, leading North Carolina to a national championship in 2009, as well as a Final Four (2008) and an Elite Eight (2007) appearance. –Seth Greenberg"
"35. James Worthy, North CarolinaFreshman Michael Jordan hit the famous shot that won Tar Heels coach Dean Smith his first national championship in 1982, but Worthy was the best player on the floor for UNC in its 63-62 win over Georgetown in the national championship game at the Louisiana Superdome. With the Hoyas leading 62-61 with 32 seconds left, Smith called a timeout to set up a play. The play was designed for the ball to be lobbed to Worthy in the paint. If he wasn’t open, the ball was to go to Jordan for a jumper. The Hoyas sagged on Worthy, and Jordan hit the winner with 17 seconds to play. Georgetown still had time for another shot, but Fred Brown famously threw the ball into Worthy’s hands. Worthy finished with 28 points on 13-for-17 shooting and was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. — Mark Schlabach"
"39. Lennie Rosenbluth, North CarolinaThe All-America forward led North Carolina to an undefeated 32-0 season in 1957, scoring 20 points in a three-overtime thriller in which the Tar Heels beat Wilt Chamberlain’s Kansas Jayhawks 54-53 to win UNC’s first national title. At 6-foot-5, Rosenbluth wouldn’t be considered a big man by today’s tall standards, but he sure played big, averaging 28 points over five tournament games that season. He still holds multiple Tar Heels records and can still be found today at UNC games, urging the current Tar Heel post players to use the backboard. — Robbi Pickeral"
"57. Michael Jordan, North CarolinaMichael Jordan won six NBA titles and five MVP awards, but the greatest player in basketball history often wonders what would have happened if he hadn’t have made that shot back in 1982. Jordan was only 19 then, a reserve guard for North Carolina who found himself with the ball in the waning seconds of the NCAA title game against Georgetown. With his team trailing by one point, Jordan rose up from the wing and swished a jumper with 17 ticks remaining. Neither team would score again in UNC’s 63-62 victory, meaning Jordan had propelled the Tar Heels to the NCAA title with one flick of the wrist. Jordan — who won the Wooden Award two years later — has said the shot was the taking-off point of a career that would be defined by clutch performances and championships. — Jason King"
"64. Ty Lawson, North CarolinaTeammate Wayne Ellington was named MOP of the 2009 Final Four, when the Tar Heels won coach Roy Williams a second national title. But UNC might never have made it there without the speedy point guard. After missing three straight games with a toe injury that had the Tar Heel fan base monitoring his every foot twitch, Lawson scored 21 second-half points in his round of 32 return against LSU. He went on to average a team-high 20.8 points with 34 assists, 16 steals and just seven turnovers during that tournament run. He was 12-2 in the NCAA tournament for his career. — Robbi Pickeral"
"68. Sean May, North CarolinaMay recorded 26 points on 10-for-11 shooting and 10 rebounds in the 2005 NCAA title game to wrap up MOP honors and earn coach Roy Williams his first national title. It was a bounce-back moment for a UNC program that hadn’t even made the tournament in in 2002 and 2003 under Matt Doherty, leading to the return of Williams. And it was a historic one for May — whose father, Scott, was a star forward on Indiana’s undefeated 1976 title team. Sean averaged 22.3 points in the NCAA tournament during his title season, leading to his early departure for the pros. — Robbi Pickeral"
"69. Sam Perkins, North CarolinaIn 1982, the smooth big man was a big piece of one of the most memorable college basketball teams ever assembled, joining James Worthy and Michael Jordan to earn Dean Smith his first national title. Perkins recorded 10 points and seven rebounds in the championship win over Georgetown — after notching 11 points and eight rebounds against Indiana in the NCAA title game loss the year before. He averaged 15.7 points in leading the Tar Heels to a regional final in 1983. — Robbi Pickeral"
No arguments from me in terms of the players included as all are well deserving in my view. It’s hard seeing MJ ranked 57th on any list. One could also argue that Hansbrough should be higher on the list as well but all in all I think ESPN did a fantastic job with the list.