2011–12 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

2011–12 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
ACC Regular Season Champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 4
Record32–6 (14–2 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDean E. Smith Center
Seasons
2011–12 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 6 North Carolina 14 – 2   .875 32 – 6   .842
No. 14 Duke 13 – 3   .813 27 – 7   .794
No. 15 Florida State† 12 – 4   .750 25 – 10   .714
Virginia 9 – 7   .563 22 – 10   .688
No. 20 NC State 9 – 7   .563 24 – 13   .649
Miami (FL) 9 – 7   .563 20 – 13   .606
Clemson 8 – 8   .500 16 – 15   .516
Maryland 6 – 10   .375 17 – 15   .531
Virginia Tech 4 – 12   .250 16 – 17   .485
Wake Forest 4 – 12   .250 13 – 18   .419
Georgia Tech 4 – 12   .250 11 – 20   .355
Boston College 4 – 12   .250 9 – 22   .290
† 2012 ACC tournament winner
As of April 3, 2012
Rankings from Coaches Poll

The 2011–12 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 2011–2012 college basketball season. The team's head coach was Roy Williams, who was in his 9th season as UNC's head men's basketball coach. The 2011–12 North Carolina team finished the regular season with a final record of 32–6, and with a 14–2 record in ACC regular season play, winning the conference regular season championship outright. They were invited to the 2012 ACC men's basketball tournament, where they beat Maryland and North Carolina State before falling to Florida State in the championship game. They were also invited to the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament reaching the Elite Eight where they were defeated by Kansas. This was the second time UNC lost to Kansas in the NCAA Tournament with Roy Williams as UNC head coach. Roy Williams previously coached Kansas from 1988–2003. Kansas later fell to Kentucky 59-67 in the National Championship Game. The Tar Heels won their previous three games in the NCAA Tournament by an average of 13.7 points. In the second-round game versus Creighton, starting UNC point guard Kendall Marshall broke his right wrist with 10:56 remaining in the second half. Kendall Marshall did not play in UNC's two following games in the NCAA Tournament, a 73-65 overtime win over Ohio in the Sweet 16 and a 67-80 loss to Kansas in the Elite Eight. The loss to Kansas was UNC's second straight loss in the Elite Eight, after losing to Kentucky the year before.

Pre-season

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Justin Knox 25 F 6'9" 240 Senior Tuscaloosa, Alabama Graduated
Daniel Bolick 3 G 5'10" 175 Senior Carrboro, North Carolina Graduated
Van Hatchell 13 G 6'4" 185 Senior Chapel Hill, North Carolina Graduated

Class of 2011 Signees

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
James Michael McAdoo
F 		Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk Christian High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 216 lb (98 kg) Nov 10, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 98
P. J. Hairston
G 		Greensboro, North Carolina Hargrave Military Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Nov 10, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 97
Desmond Hubert
C 		Cream Ridge, New Jersey New Egypt High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 207 lb (94 kg) Apr 14, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Jackson Simmons
F 		Sylva, North Carolina Smoky Mountain High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Aug 17, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Stilman White
G 		Wilmington, North Carolina John T. Hoggard High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Apr 14, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:1/5 stars   ESPN grade: 78
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 9   Rivals: 6  ESPN: 5
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "North Carolina 2011 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  • "2011 North Carolina Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2011.

Roster

2011–12 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Dexter Strickland Injured (C) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr St. Patrick H.S. Rahway, NJ
G 2 Leslie McDonald Injured Current redshirt 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Briarcrest Christian School Memphis, TN
G 4 Luke Davis (I) Current redshirt 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Ravenscroft School Raleigh, NC
G 5 Kendall Marshall 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 186 lb (84 kg) So Bishop O'Connell H.S. Dumfries, VA
G 11 Stilman White 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Hoggard H.S. Wilmington, NC
F 14 Desmond Hubert 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr New Egypt H.S. Cream Ridge, NJ
G 15 P. J. Hairston 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 217 lb (98 kg) Fr Hargrave Military Academy Greensboro, NC
F 21 Jackson Simmons 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Fr Smoky Mountain H.S. Sylva, NC
G 22 David Dupont (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Grimsley H.S. Greensboro, NC
G 24 Justin Watts 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Jordan H.S. Durham, NC
G 30 Patrick Crouch (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr T.C. Roberson H.S. Asheville, NC
F 31 John Henson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Sickles H.S. Tampa, FL
G 34 Stewart Cooper (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Forsyth Country Day Winston-Salem, NC
G 35 Reggie Bullock 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Kinston H.S. Kinston, NC
F 40 Harrison Barnes 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Ames H.S. Ames, IA
F 43 James Michael McAdoo 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Fr Norfolk Christian H.S. Norfolk, VA
C 44 Tyler Zeller 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Sr Washington H.S. Washington, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2012-07-14

  • Note that the roster is subject to change.

Season

Non-conference play

The Tar Heels started out as a near-unanimous #1 in all major polls. They opened the season against Michigan State in the inaugural Carrier Classic, which they won handily 67–55. They were not seriously tested until the finals of the 2011 Las Vegas Invitational, in which they were upset by UNLV 90–80. After a close win over Wisconsin and an equally close loss to Kentucky, they made it relatively unscathed through the rest of the nonconference slate, with the only close game being against Long Beach State.

Conference play

The ACC schedule opened with dominating wins over Boston College and Miami. However, in their third conference game, the Tar Heels suffered a 90–57 flogging at the hands of Florida State — easily the worst loss Williams had suffered in his nine years in Chapel Hill. They quickly rebounded and won their next five games with relative ease. They were well on their way to making Duke their sixth straight victim, but Duke came back from 10 points down with two minutes to go to win the game on an Austin Rivers 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Tar Heels would not lose again for the rest of the season, though they got a scare from Virginia before hanging on for a 54–51 win. An easy win over Maryland set up the seventh winner-take-all game in the 93-year history of the Carolina-Duke rivalry,[1] with the winner clinching the ACC regular-season title and the number-one seed in the 2012 ACC tournament. The Tar Heels dominated from start to finish, leading by as much as 26[2] before going on to an 88–70 win—in the process, winning their 29th ACC regular season title and their fifth outright title in eight years.

Schedule

The Tar Heels return to the court after halftime of the game against Boston College.
Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 28, 2011*
7:30 pm 		No. 1 UNC Pembroke W 100–58  –
  18 – Zeller   11 – Zeller   5 – Bullock  Smith Center (16,852 (77.5%))
Chapel Hill, NC
Regular season
November 11, 2011*
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 1 vs. Michigan State
Carrier Classic 		W 67–55  1–0
  17 – Barnes   7 – Henson   5 – Marshall; Strickland  USS Carl Vinson (8,111 (100%))
San Diego, CA
November 13, 2011*
4:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 1 at UNC Asheville W 91–75  2–0
  27 – Zeller   12 – Henson   15 – Marshall  Kimmel Arena (3,280 (96.5%))
Asheville, NC
November 20, 2011*
2:00 pm, FSN 		No. 1 Mississippi Valley State
2011 Las Vegas Invitational 		W 101–75  3–0
  18 – Barnes; Henson   14 – Henson   8 – Marshall  Smith Center (18,160 (83.5%))
Chapel Hill, NC
November 22, 2011*
7:30 pm, ESPN3 		No. 1 Tennessee State
Las Vegas Invitational 		W 102–69  4–0
  23 – Bullock   10 – Henson   15 – Marshall  Smith Center (17,509 (80.5%))
Chapel Hill, NC
November 25, 2011*
10:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 1 vs. South Carolina
Las Vegas Invitational semifinals 		W 87–62  5–0
  21 – Barnes   8 – Henson   14 – Marshall  Orleans Arena (unavailable)
Paradise, NV
November 26, 2011*
10:30 pm, ESPN2 		No. 1 vs. UNLV
Las Vegas Invitational championship 		L 80–90  5–1
  15 – Barnes; Hairston   8 – Henson   8 – Marshall  Orleans Arena (7,523 (100%))
Paradise, NV
November 30, 2011*
9:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 5 No. 9 Wisconsin
ACC – Big Ten Challenge 		W 60–57  6–1
  20 – Barnes   21 – Henson   7 – Marshall  Smith Center (21,750 (100%))
Chapel Hill, NC
December 3, 2011*
12:00 pm, CBS 		No. 5 at No. 1 Kentucky L 72–73  6–2
  14 – Barnes; Zeller   8 – Hensen; Zeller   8 – Marshall  Rupp Arena (24,398 (100%))
Lexington, KY
December 6, 2011*
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 4 Evansville W 97–48  7–2
  17 – Barnes   12 – Henson   6 – Marshall  Smith Center (15,623 (71.8%))
Chapel Hill, NC
December 10, 2011*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		No. 4 Long Beach State W 84–78  8–2
  24 – Henson   10 – Henson   16 – Marshall  Smith Center (20,426 (93.9%))
Chapel Hill, NC
December 17, 2011*
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 5 Appalachian State W 97–82  9–2
  31 – Zeller   10 – Zeller   13 – Marshall  Smith Center (20,892 (96.1%))
Chapel Hill, NC
December 19, 2011*
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 5 Nicholls State W 99–49  10–2
  14 – McAdoo; Strickland   11 – Henson; Zeller   7 – Marshall  Smith Center (18,072 (83.1%))
Chapel Hill, NC
December 21, 2011*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 5 Texas W 82–63  11–2
  26 – Barnes   11 – Zeller   9 – Marshall  Smith Center (21,750 (100%))
Chapel Hill, NC
December 29, 2011*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 5 Elon W 100–62  12–2
  19 – Zeller   13 – Zeller   8 – Marshall  Smith Center (20,880 (96%))
Chapel Hill, NC
January 1, 2012*
3:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 5 Monmouth W 102–65  13–2
  21 – Henson   11 – Zeller   11 – Marshall  Smith Center (18,614 (85.6%))
Chapel Hill, NC
January 7, 2012
2:30 pm, ACC Network 		No. 3 Boston College W 83–60  14–2
(1–0) 		 25 – Barnes   8 – Henson; Zeller   11 – Marshall  Smith Center (20,582 (94.6%))
Chapel Hill, NC
January 10, 2012
9:00 pm, ACC Network 		No. 3 Miami (FL) W 73–56  15–2
(2–0) 		 16 – Zeller   14 – Henson   7 – Marshall  Smith Center (20,096 (92.4%))
Chapel Hill, NC
January 14, 2012
2:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 3 at Florida State
ESPN College GameDay 		L 57–90  15–3
(2–1) 		 15 – Barnes   14 – Zeller   4 – Marshall  Donald L. Tucker Center (12,100 (100%))
Tallahassee, FL
January 19, 2012
9:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 8 at Virginia Tech W 82–68  16–3
(3–1) 		 27 – Barnes   16 – Henson   8 – Marshall  Cassell Coliseum (9,847 (100%))
Blacksburg, VA
January 26, 2012
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 7 NC State
Carolina-State Rivalry, Homecoming 		W 74–55  17–3
(4–1) 		 21 – Zeller   17 – Zeller   11 – Marshall  Smith Center (21,750 (100%))
Chapel Hill, NC
January 29, 2012
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 7 Georgia Tech W 93–81  18–3
(5–1) 		 23 – Barnes   6 – Henson; McAdoo   12 – Marshall  Smith Center (21,017 (96.6%))
Chapel Hill, NC
January 31, 2012
9:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 5 at Wake Forest W 68–53  19–3
(6–1) 		 18 – Zeller   18 – Zeller   6 – Marshall  LJVM Coliseum (12,865 (87.7%))
Winston-Salem, NC
February 4, 2012
4:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 5 at Maryland W 83–74  20–3
(7–1) 		 22 – Zeller   12 – Henson   16 – Marshall  Comcast Center (17,950 (100%))
College Park, MD
February 8, 2012
9:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 5 No. 9 Duke
Carolina-Duke rivalry 		L 84–85  20–4
(7–2) 		 25 – Barnes   17 – Henson   8 – Marshall  Smith Center (21,750 (100%))
Chapel Hill, NC
February 11, 2012
1:00 pm, ACC Network 		No. 5 No. 19 Virginia W 70–52  21–4
(8–2) 		 25 – Zeller   11 – Barnes   6 – Marshall  Smith Center (20,496 (94.2%))
Chapel Hill, NC
February 15, 2012
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 8 at Miami (FL) W 73–64  22–4
(9–2) 		 23 – Barnes   11 – Henson   9 – Marshall  BankUnited Center (7,071 (88.3%))
Coral Gables, FL
February 18, 2012
4:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 8 Clemson W 74–52  23–4
(10–2) 		 24 – Barnes   8 – Henson   13 – Marshall  Smith Center (21,750 (100%))
Chapel Hill, NC
February 21, 2012
8:00 pm, ACC Network 		No. 7 at NC State
Carolina-State Rivalry 		W 86–74  24–4
(11–2) 		 22 – Marshall   13 – Henson   13 – Marshall  RBC Center (19,710 (99.9%))
Raleigh, NC
February 25, 2012
4:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 7 at No. 25 Virginia W 54–51  25–4
(12–2) 		 20 – Zeller   11 – Henson   6 – Marshall  John Paul Jones Arena (14,273 (97.8%))
Charlottesville, VA
February 29, 2012
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 6 Maryland W 88–64  26–4
(13–2) 		 30 – Zeller   9 – Henson   8 – Marshall  Smith Center (21,750 (100%))
Chapel Hill, NC
March 3, 2012
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 6 at No. 3 Duke
Carolina-Duke Rivalry, ESPN College GameDay 		W 88–70  27–4
(14–2) 		 20 – Marshall   10 – Henson; Zeller   10 – Marshall  Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314 (100%))
Durham, NC
ACC tournament
March 9, 2012
Noon, ESPN2/ACC Network 		(1) No. 4 vs. (8) Maryland
Quarterfinals 		W 85–69  28–4
  15 – Barnes; Bullock   8 – McAdoo   12 – Marshall  Philips Arena (19,520 (100%))
Atlanta, GA
March 10, 2012
1:00 pm, ESPN/ACC Network 		(1) No. 4 vs. (5) NC State
Semifinals 		W 69–67  29–4
  23 – Zeller   9 – Zeller   10 – Marshall  Philips Arena (19,520 (100%))
Atlanta, GA
March 11, 2012
1:00 pm, ESPN/ACC Network 		(1) No. 4 vs. (3) No. 17 Florida State
Championship Game 		L 82–85  29–5
  21 – Barnes   12 – Zeller   9 – Marshall  Philips Arena (19,520 (100%))
Atlanta, GA
NCAA tournament
March 16, 2012*
4:10 pm, TBS 		(1 MW) No. 4 vs. (16 MW) Vermont
Second Round 		W 77–58  30–5
  17 – McAdoo; Zeller   15 – Zeller   10 – Marshall  Greensboro Coliseum (16,422)
Greensboro, NC
March 18, 2012*
5:15 pm, CBS 		(1 MW) No. 4 vs. (8 MW) No. 19 Creighton
Third Round 		W 87–73  31–5
  18 – Marshall   10 – Henson   11 – Marshall  Greensboro Coliseum (18,722)
Greensboro, NC
March 23, 2012*
7:47 pm, TBS 		(1 MW) No. 4 vs. (13 MW) Ohio
Sweet Sixteen 		W 73–65 OT 32–5
  20 – Zeller   22 – Zeller   6 – White  Edward Jones Dome (21,471)
St. Louis, MO
March 25, 2012*
5:05 pm, CBS 		(1 MW) No. 4 vs. (2 MW) No. 6 Kansas
Elite Eight 		L 67–80  32–6
  15 – McAdoo   7 – Bullock   7 – White  Edward Jones Dome (23,565)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time (#) during NCAA Tournament is seed with Region.

Rankings

Main article: 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP [3]1115455533875587644
Coaches[3]1115666643886577645

Team players drafted into the NBA

Year Round Pick Player NBA Club
2012 1 7 Harrison Barnes Golden State Warriors
2012 1 13 Kendall Marshall Phoenix Suns
2012 1 14 John Henson Milwaukee Bucks
2012 1 17 Tyler Zeller Cleveland Cavaliers
2013 1 25 Reggie Bullock Los Angeles Clippers
2014 1 26 P.J. Hairston Miami Heat

[4] [5] [6]

References

  1. ^ "UNC-Duke Postgame Notes". Tarheelblue.com. Retrieved March 4, 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ "North Carolina dominates Duke to claim ACC title". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "2011–12 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  4. ^ "2012 NBA draft".
  5. ^ "2013 NBA draft".
  6. ^ "2014 NBA draft".