UNC Basketball: What if these Tar Heels had stayed on campus?

1 of 5

Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams reacts during the second half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

While the current North Carolina Tar Heels team basks in the glory of a national title, it is hard not to think of what could have been.

It has been a little over two weeks since the Heels won their sixth NCAA title in program history, and this one was the sweetest of my lifetime.

I may be young, but I have been fortunate enough to experience a few Tar Heels titles in my years.

My mind goes back to 2005, when Sean May caught the rebound as time expired, and threw it in the air to celebrate a validation of sorts of coach Roy Williams.

I also think of Williams pulling out Tyler Hansbrough in the waning seconds of a dominant title game that was also a validation of Hansbrough’s college career.

Then there was 2017.

The redemption tour was capped off by a Kennedy Meeks block, and a Justin Jackson dunk.

But before all of those titles, it started by a few Tar Heels deciding to return to college.

In 2005, it was Sean May and Raymond Felton who led the team as juniors. In 2009, Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson decided to come back after a disappointing loss to Kansas. Then in 2017, Justin Jackson, Joel Berry, and Kennedy Meeks chose to redeem their loss to Villanova.

They all succeeded.

But many more Tar Heel teams come to mind when thinking about what could have been. Today, we are going to look at some of the best “could have been” Tar Heel teams of all-time.

Home/UNC Basketball