Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: The Biggest NCAA Tournament Moments under Roy Williams

By Chris Ward

CHAPEL HILL, NC - JANUARY 20: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during their game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Dean Smith Center on January 20, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - JANUARY 20: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during their game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Dean Smith Center on January 20, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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GREENSBORO, NC – MARCH 18: Kendall Marshall
GREENSBORO, NC – MARCH 18: Kendall Marshall /

The Tar Heels had a talented team in 2011 highlighted by Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, John Henson and Tyler Zeller.

Their run was stopped short against Kentucky but it was the following year that heartbreak happened.

UNC entered 2012 as the No. 1 team in the nation and a showdown with Kentucky was looming in the title game. Until an injury happened.

2011, 2012

The young Tar Heels beat up Marquette in 2011

After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2010, UNC was named a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance with a junior, two sophomores and two freshmen in their starting lineup.

Although the Heels had a successful season it was not without controversy. After freshman Kendall Marshall was put in the lineup over Larry Drew II, Drew left the team, leaving a large hole at the backup PG position (which will come back to bite UNC later, but we’ll get to that).

The Heels were certainly better because of it, and Marshall ran with the starting role. Fast forward to the Sweet Sixteen, UNC was facing a No. 11 seed Marquette team who had upset the No. 6 seed Xavier and No. 3 seed Syracuse to face the Heels.

They had become the darling of the tournament (everyone loves a double-digit seed) and many college basketball pundits had picked them to get to the Final Four. UNC had other plans. After trading buckets for a few minutes, UNC dismantled Marquette and took a 40-15 lead to halftime.

The game finished 81-63. Although this team lost in the Elite Eight to Kentucky, it seemed they were destined to make another run in 2012

Kendall Marshall breaks his wrist against Creighton

Not all big moments are happy, but to ignore this one of the biggest moments in UNC tournament history would be unfair.

Preseason No. 1, a No. 1 seed in the tournament, and a rematch of a one-point loss at Kentucky in the championship seemed to be where the season was headed.

This was until Kendall Marshall went up for a lay-up vs Creighton in the second round of the tournament and was knocked out for the rest of the year.

With Marshall’s injury and Drew’s transfer to UCLA, the Tar Heels were left with walk-on Stilman White to run the offense.

They ended up beating Creighton and No. 13 seed Ohio University, but eventually lost to Kansas in the Elite Eight 80-67. Would UNC have beat Kansas and gone to the Final Four with a healthy Kendall Marshall? Who knows, but we will always be left wondering.

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