UNC Basketball: 10 best moments in NCAA Tournament history

Al Wood ties UNC record with 39 points in 1981 national semifinal game

When people talk about the greatest basketball players for the North Carolina Tar Heels, Al Wood is not mentioned in some of those conversations. Wood’s name should be in any conversation pertaining to the best Tar Heels in UNC basketball history.

He played shooting guard and small forward positions under Dean Smith at UNC, showing off his versatility.

Wood played on the 1980 USA Olympic Basketball Team and in 1981 he was a first team All-American.

In the 1981 NCAA national semifinal game, Wood’s heroics led North Carolina to the championship game against Indiana. Wood scored 39 points against UNC’s longtime ACC rival, the Virginia Cavaliers.

Wood was the Tar Heels’ offense in this game. Although James Worthy and Sam Perkins played in this game for UNC, they were had modest games.

Perkins scored 11 points (4-of-7 from the field; 3-of-5 from the free throw line) and grabbed nine rebounds. Worthy finished the game with eight points (2-of-8 from the field; 4-of-7 from the free throw line) and three rebounds.

Worthy and Perkins had to battle Virginia’s 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson in the low post. Sampson was the ACC Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons (1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83). He was the most dominant big man in the ACC and arguably in the nation during this time. Wood’s outside shooting offset Sampson’s dominance in the paint.

North Carolina defeated Virginia 78-65. Wood was unstoppable in this game. Wood’s performance tied Lennie Rosenbluth’s record for most points in a NCAA Tournament game. Without Wood’s performance, UNC would not have had a chance to play in the 1981 title game.