Last Time North Carolina Won Ncaa Basketball Championship
North Carolina is a state with a rich basketball history. The state is home to some of the best college basketball programs in the country, including Duke, North Carolina State, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Of these schools, UNC Chapel Hill has the most storied basketball program, with six NCAA championships to its name.
The most recent championship came in 2017, when UNC Chapel Hill won a thrilling game against Gonzaga in the NCAA championship game. But when was the last time before that that North Carolina won a championship?
The 2009 Championship Team
The last time North Carolina won an NCAA basketball championship before 2017 was in 2009. That year, the Tar Heels were led by a talented group of players that included Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green.
The Tar Heels were dominant throughout the season, finishing with a record of 34-4. They won the ACC regular season title and the ACC tournament championship before advancing to the NCAA tournament as a #1 seed.
In the first round of the tournament, North Carolina defeated Radford by a score of 101-58. They then went on to win their next three games against LSU, Gonzaga, and Oklahoma, setting up a championship game matchup against Michigan State.
The championship game was held at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. North Carolina dominated the game from start to finish, winning by a score of 89-72. Ty Lawson led the way for the Tar Heels, scoring 21 points and dishing out 6 assists. Wayne Ellington added 19 points, while Tyler Hansbrough chipped in with 18 points and 7 rebounds.
The win secured the Tar Heels' fifth NCAA championship in school history, and their first since 2005. Head coach Roy Williams, who also coached the 2005 championship team, was thrilled with his team's performance.
Other UNC Championship Teams
While the 2009 and 2017 teams are the most recent NCAA championship teams for UNC Chapel Hill, they are far from the only ones. The Tar Heels have won a total of six NCAA championships, tied for the third-most all-time behind only UCLA and Kentucky.
Their first championship came in 1957, when they defeated the Wilt Chamberlain-led Kansas Jayhawks in triple overtime. The team was led by future Hall of Famers Lennie Rosenbluth and Frank McGuire.
UNC's other championships came in 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, and 2017. The 1982 team, featuring a young Michael Jordan, defeated Georgetown in the championship game on a last-second shot by freshman guard Jimmy Black.
The 1993 team was led by future NBA All-Star Eric Montross and defeated Michigan's "Fab Five" in the championship game. The 2005 team, led by future NBA champions Sean May and Raymond Felton, defeated Illinois in the championship game.
The Future of UNC Basketball
UNC Chapel Hill has a proud and storied basketball history, but they aren't resting on their laurels. The Tar Heels are consistently one of the top teams in the country, and they have a strong recruiting class coming in for the 2021-22 season.
One of the top recruits is 5-star guard Caleb Love, who is expected to slide right into the starting lineup and make an immediate impact. The Tar Heels also have several returning players who will be looking to improve on last season's disappointing 18-11 record.
While it remains to be seen when the next NCAA championship will come to Chapel Hill, one thing is certain: the Tar Heels will always be a force to be reckoned with in college basketball.
