Keeping It Heel
Fansided

NCAA Tournament: Top UNC Sweet 16 teams without a championship

By Bryson Gordon

Mar 4, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels player Michael Jordan congratulates forward Theo Pinson (1) after the game. The Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 90-83 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels player Michael Jordan congratulates forward Theo Pinson (1) after the game. The Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 90-83 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Vince Carter; Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Vince Carter (15) reacts during the first half against the Phoenix Suns at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

1997-1998 North Carolina Tar Heels

34-4; ACC Tournament Champions; Final Four

This team was loaded with pros and good college players.

Vince Carter, who is incredibly still doing it on a high level in the NBA, Antwan Jamison, who was a great college player, and still had a solid pro career, and Brendan Haywood, who won an NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks.

The two-star college players on this team were Ed Cota and Shammond Williams.

Cota did not light up the scoring column, but he did average 7.4 assists during his sophomore campaign. Williams became known as a three points marksman. In his senior season, Williams shot 40% from three, averaged 16.8 points and averaged two three-pointers every game.

The team did not win the ACC regular season crown, they finished second behind a good Duke team. However, they did win the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, by beating Duke in the tournament finals.

In the NCAA Tournament, the team rattled off four wins early on to go to the Final Four. They met up with a Utah team, who won 30 games.

Utah had too much for those Tar Heels. The most recognizable player on that team was guard Andre Miller. Miller went on to have a really long NBA career with several teams.

This was a let down just based off of the talent on this team. With Carter, Jamison, Cota and Williams, this team was surely capable of cutting down the nets.

Also, this was the first year in the Bill Guthridge era. Coach Smith retired at the beginning of the season, leaving Guthridge in charge of the program.

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