University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Games Of The Decade
December 28, 2009 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Dec. 28, 2009
By Adam Lucas
Y2K concerns weren't the only problems Carolina basketball fans had when the 1990s ended ten years ago. In addition to serious anxiety about whether all our computers would stop working, plunging us into another dark age--does anyone else remember breathing a sigh of relief at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2000, when the world didn't explode into a huge Y2K bug fireball?--there was also some apprehension about the state of the Tar Heel basketball program.
Bill Guthridge was in his third season as Carolina's head coach on Dec. 31, 1999. He'd already piloted the 1998 team to a Final Four, and the 1999 squad had been shot out of the NCAA Tournament by Weber State and Harold Arceneaux. The 2000 team stood at 8-4 as the calendar flipped, riding a two-game losing streak to Indiana and Louisville. There was a promising young freshman named Joseph Forte, but speculation had already begun about who might replace Guthridge as UNC's next head coach.
Now, as we prepare to enter the 2010s, those worries seem as ancient as Y2K readiness kits. The 2000s may have seen more change than any other decade in Tar Heel basketball history. As a quick tour through the decade, I tried to select the ten best games of the ten-year stretch. Here are the objective guidelines I used to make the picks: absolutely none. It was an entirely subjective process.
It's not a "most important games" list. It's not a "best finishes of games" list. It's my list. If a memory of a game made me smile, or the YouTube clip gave me chills, it went on the list. I don't expect you to agree with all of these, and I want to hear your opinions. We'll publish the best responses in next week's Tar Heel Basketball Mailbag--yes, it's coming back. The first edition for the 2009-10 season will be next Tuesday, Jan. 5. Send us your thoughts on the games of the decade, plus your questions for the Mailbag.
Now, on to the games:
1. April 4, 2005: Carolina 75, Illinois 70. Yes, kids, in the old days we had to wait a dozen years between NCAA championships. Two overlooked facts about this win: first, Illinois was really good. Second, it was almost as much of a road game as the '09 win over Michigan State. The first title for Roy Williams, the first UNC title since 1993, and the crowning moment for a senior class that had been through more tumult than any group since the 1960s. YouTube link
2. April 6, 2009: Carolina 89, Michigan State 72. The 2009 team made its case as the best Tar Heel team of all-time, playing one of the best halves in UNC basketball history in the first half against the Spartans. I still remember running into Wayne Ellington the next morning in the hotel elevator. He was still wearing his jersey. "Good morning, national champion," I said. His grin might not have solved the economic problems of Detroit, but it was still priceless. YouTube link
3. March 6, 2005: Carolina 75, Duke 73. I could make the case--and I will make the case in the 100 years of basketball book that will be released this fall--that this is the most significant game of the Williams era. Without Marvin Williams's follow shot, I don't know that the next five years turn out the same way. When that shot banked through, it was so loud in the Smith Center that I never heard the whistle. YouTube link
4. March 4, 2006: Carolina 83, Duke 76. At the time, just winning one game in Cameron Indoor Stadium seemed pretty impressive. We had no idea the Tar Heels planned to win the next three, too. Winning on another team's senior night is one of the more underrated challenges in college basketball. Winning on J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams's senior night was even more impressive. YouTube link
5. Jan. 6, 2008: Carolina 90, Clemson 88 (OT). Someday, Wayne Ellington's three-pointer may stop being thrilling. But Bobby Frasor's post-shot tumble will never stop being funny. Carolina had absolutely no business winning this game...but somehow, they did. A perfect snapshot of this class's road dominance. YouTube link
6. Feb. 1, 2001: Carolina 85, Duke 83. One of the best-ever games by a Tar Heel guard, as Forte scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Coming into the game, Carolina hadn't won at Cameron since 1996. At the time, this victory--on the backs of young talent like Forte, Ronald Curry and Julius Peppers, plus the invigorating coaching of Matt Doherty--felt like it started a new era in the rivalry. Couldn't find a YouTube link, anyone got one?
7. March 19, 2000: Carolina 60, Stanford 53. In an emotional win, the Tar Heels downed top-seeded Stanford to advance to the regional semifinals on the way to the Final Four. Bill Guthridge tried to thank his team for their effort, but broke down--and his team was soon in tears as well. Even better: James Worthy was doing commentary for CBS and would soon burst into the locker room. Couldn't find a YouTube link, anyone got one?
8. Jan. 17, 2004: Carolina 86, Connecticut 83. Rashad McCants made a pair of three-pointers in the final 90 seconds, including the game-winner with 6.2 seconds remaining. The win over the top-ranked Huskies sparked a Smith Center court-storming celebration. It was the first win over a top-five team in the Williams era. Couldn't find a YouTube link, anyone got one?
9. Dec. 3, 2005: Carolina 83, Kentucky 79. From the moment David Noel slammed home a one-handed dunk on the baseline--one of the best dunks of the decade--to the moment the team encountered Ashley Judd in the Lexington airport after the game, this was a perfect day. YouTube link
10. March 8, 2009: Carolina 79, Duke 71. It wasn't a particularly artistic game. But for what it meant--the thought of that senior class losing their final home game to the Blue Devils was absolutely chilling--it makes the list. The swing of emotions from standing in the tunnel before the game wondering if Ty Lawson would play to watching the seniors address the crowd afterward was breathtaking. YouTube link
The next 10 (in chronological order)
11/27/02: UNC 67, Kansas 56 (With the freshman class, this felt like a new beginning)
1/18/03: UNC 68, UConn 65 (Doherty had to answer questions about his relationship with Raymond Felton afterward)
12/20/03: Wake 119, UNC 114 (3OT) (One of the best games in Smith Center history)
11/24/04: UNC 106, Iowa 92 (The first time it became obvious the '05 team was national championship quality)
11/29/05: Illinois 68, UNC 64 (The night we fell in love with the Hansbrough/Frasor/Green/Ginyard class)
11/29/06: UNC 98, OSU 89 (Gets overlooked, but it was one of the loudest games ever in the Smith Center)
3/4/07: UNC 86, Duke 72 (Hansbrough/Gerald Henderson incident created the most intense rage I've ever felt in a home crowd in what was--until then--a somewhat dull win)
3/29/08: UNC 83, Louisville 73 (The Hansbrough class redeems Georgetown loss and makes it to the Final Four)
1/28/09: UNC 80, FSU 77 (In post-title interviews, several players cited this as a turning point)
3/21/09: UNC 84, LSU 70 (A great NCAA Tournament game, Carolina's closest of the '09 title run)
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of five books on Carolina basketball, including the just-released book on the 2009 national title, One Fantastic Ride. Get real-time UNC sports updates from the THM staff on Twitter.
