North Carolina’s best college basketball team ever? Vote in state bracket challenge
Which college basketball team from North Carolina is the best ever?
It’s been debated forever. Now it’s time to decide.
We’ve put together a 16-team bracket to help crown the best of all time between select Wake Forest, N.C. State, UNC, Duke, Charlotte and Davidson teams.
Was it the Tim Duncan- and Randolph Childress-led Wake Forest squads of the mid-1990s? How about David Thompson and the N.C. State team that went through powerhouse UCLA en route to the school’s first title?
Or perhaps it’s one of the great UNC and Duke teams that never cut down the nets.
Duke won 37 games in 1998-1999, but didn’t win it all. The 2011-12 Tar Heels were a Kendall Marshall injury away from a national championship.
Vote now for which two teams in each bracket you think were the best. The top two schools from the four regions below will advance to the Elite Eight next week.
You can vote as often as you’d like.
Dave Odom Region
1961-1962 Wake Forest. Wake’s lone Final Four team fell to Ohio State in the semifinal before defeating UCLA in the consolation game. Won the ACC regular season and ACC Tournament titles.
1998-1999 Duke. Arguably the best Duke team to never win it all. Led by Elton Brand, the Blue Devils won 37 games (tied a school record) but fell short to UConn in the title game.
2008-2009 UNC. This UNC team, loaded with talent, won Roy Williams his second title and dominated opponents during its NCAA tournament run.
1973-1974 NC State. Led by David Thompson, the 1974 Pack slayed the UCLA giant in the semifinal and won the school’s first national title in basketball.
Mike Krzyzewski Region
2009-2010 Duke. The next Duke coach, Jon Scheyer, was the starting point guard as the Blue Devils defeated Butler in the title game. That team, which included current assistant coach Nolan Smith was 17-0 at home and 13-0 on neutral courts.
2003-2004 Wake Forest. Led by sophomore Chris Paul, the Demon Deacons finished second in the ACC and finished No. 5 in the AP polls.
1976-77 Charlotte. The 49ers made the school’s only Final Four appearance that season, led by senior Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell and freshman Chad Kinch. Charlotte lost to Marquette, which then beat UNC in the national championship game.
2011-2012 UNC. Was this the best UNC team to never win it all? Led by Harrison Barnes, many feel like this squad was a Kendall Marshall wrist injury away from cutting down the nets.
Jim Valvano Region
1994-1995 Wake Forest. Led by Tim Duncan and Randolph Childress, Wake Forest won the first of two straight ACC tournament title and finished the season No. 3 in the AP polls.
2004-2005 UNC. The first title for Roy Williams featured four future first-round NBA Draft picks.
1982-1983 NC State. The Cardiac Pack made a historic run through not only the ACC tournament, but the Big Dance as well.
1991-1992 Duke. The second of two straight Duke title teams, the Blue Devils were led by senior Christian Laettner, who was cementing his legacy as one the best college basketball players ever.
Dean Smith Region
1995-1996 Wake Forest. Tim Duncan led the Demon Deacons to another ACC tournament crown and a No. 9 ranking in the final AP poll. Won 26 games, falling to eventual champion Kentucky.
1968-69 Davidson. Coached by Lefty Driesell, the Wildcats went 27-3 that season and finished ranked fifth in the final AP poll and climbed as high as No. 2.
1981-1982 UNC. Dean Smith’s first title. Featured a slew of future NBA players, including a freshman from Wilmington named Michael Jordan.
2000-2001 Duke. Senior forward Shane Battier finally got the title that eluded him as a sophomore. Battier was the tournament MOP, but the Blue Devils were driven by sophomores Jay Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 10:52 AM.
