UNC Basketball: Ranking the 10 greatest big men in Tar Heels history

ST. LOUIS - APRIL 04: Sean May #42 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 75-70 to win the NCAA Men's National Championship game at the Edward Jones Dome on April 4, 2005 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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A close-up of Sam Perkins. (Photo Credit: Jon Ferrey /Allsport) /

No. 5: Sam Perkins

UNC Basketball Career Stats: 15.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 57.6 FG%

When he put together a freshman season that earned him the ACC Rookie of the Year Award, those around the UNC basketball program knew that they had something very special in Sam Perkins.

A three-time consensus All-American and All-ACC selection, Perkins tends to get overshadowed a bit by some of the players that played alongside him during his tenure in Chapel Hill (most notably Michael Jordan). However, Perkins was one of the best players in the country throughout his college career, which is evident by his career numbers.

Perkins played a major role on the 1981-1982 national title team, but his best two seasons at North Carolina came after the championship season. He averaged just short of a double-double in both seasons, as he finished his Tar Heel career with 2,145 points and 1,167 rebounds over 135 games played.

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