Ranking All UNC’s Tournament Runs Under Roy Williams
By John Bauman
Feb 20, 2014; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels basketball recruit Theo Pinson with fans before the game at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
#5: 2011
The 2011 Tar Heel team was an important one for the health of the Tar Heel program. This team earned a two seed in the NCAA Tournament a year after the debacle of 2010, when Carolina missed the NCAA Tournament. The 2011 team was led by freshman Harrison Barnes and the two big men in the middle, John Henson and Tyler Zeller.
UNC easily beat Long Island in Round 1 but barely avoided an upset against Washington in the Round of 32, winning 86 to 83. In the Sweet 16, 11th seeded Marquette proved to be no match for the Tar Heels, and Kentucky was waiting in the Elite 8 with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Carolina ended up falling to the Wildcats by a final score of 76-69.
I put this run above the run in 2007 because I feel like the 2007 team, as a one seed, was expected to make the Final Four, while the 2011 team exceeded expectations by making the Elite 8 and nearly knocking off Kentucky. I see both sides of the argument here though.
Next: 2012