2017–18 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

2017–18 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 14
APNo. 10
Record26–11 (11–7 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDean E. Smith Center
Seasons
2017–18 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Virginia † 17 – 1   .944 31 – 3   .912
No. 9 Duke 13 – 5   .722 29 – 8   .784
No. 22 Miami (FL) 11 – 7   .611 22 – 10   .688
No. 20 Clemson 11 – 7   .611 25 – 10   .714
NC State 11 – 7   .611 21 – 12   .636
No. 10 North Carolina 11 – 7   .611 26 – 11   .703
Virginia Tech 10 – 8   .556 21 – 12   .636
Florida State 9 – 9   .500 23 – 12   .657
Louisville 9 – 9   .500 22 – 14   .611
Notre Dame 8 – 10   .444 21 – 15   .583
Syracuse 8 – 10   .444 23 – 14   .622
Boston College 7 – 11   .389 19 – 16   .543
Georgia Tech 6 – 12   .333 13 – 19   .406
Wake Forest 4 – 14   .222 11 – 20   .355
Pittsburgh 0 – 18   .000 8 – 24   .250
† 2018 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Roy Williams, who was in his 15th season as UNC's head men's basketball coach. The Tar Heels played their home games at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 26–11, 11–7 in ACC play to finish in a four-way tie for fourth place. As the No. 6 seed in the ACC tournament, they defeated Syracuse, Miami, and Duke before losing to Virginia in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the West region where they defeated Lipscomb before losing to Texas A&M in the Second Round.

Previous season

The Tar Heels finished the 2016–17 season with a record of 33–7, 14–4 in ACC play to finish in first place, winning their 31st ACC regular season title.[1] After beating Miami in the ACC tournament,[2] they lost to Duke in the semifinals.[3] Despite the loss to Duke, the Tar Heels received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed in the South region.[4] There they defeated No. 16 Texas Southern,[5] No. 8 Arkansas,[6] No. 4 Butler,[7] and No. 2 Kentucky to earn a trip to their 20th Final Four.[8] In a matchup against the Midwest Region's No. 3 seed Oregon in the Final Four, the Tar Heels won 77–76 to advance to the National Championship.[9][10] In the championship against the West Region's No. 1 seed Gonzaga, the Tar Heels won 71–65, winning the school's sixth national championship.[11][12][13]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Nate Britt 0 G 6'1" 175 Senior Upper Marlboro, Maryland Graduated
Kennedy Meeks 3 F 6'10" 260 Senior Charlotte, North Carolina Graduated
Isaiah Hicks 4 F 6'9" 235 Senior Oxford, North Carolina Graduated
Kanler Coker 13 G 6'4" 200 Senior Gainesville, Georgia Graduated
Stilman White 30 G 6'1" 175 Senior Wilmington, North Carolina Graduated
Justin Jackson 44 F 6'8" 200 Junior Tomball, Texas Declared for 2017 NBA draft[14]
Tony Bradley 5 C 6'11" 240 Freshman Bartow, Florida Declared for 2017 NBA draft

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Garrison Brooks
PF 		Lafayette, AL Auburn High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Apr 21, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: N/A
Jalek Felton
SG 		Mullins, SC Gray Collegiate Academy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Dec 30, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: N/A
Brandon Huffman
C 		Anchorage, AK Word of God Christian Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Sep 26, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: N/A
Andrew Platek
SG 		Guilderland, NY Northfield Mount Hermon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 18, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: N/A
Sterling Manley
C 		Pickerington, OH Pickerington Central High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Oct 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #21   Rivals: #28  247Sports: #14  ESPN: #22
  • 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:

Incoming transfers

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Cameron Johnson F 6'8" 210 Junior Moon Township, PA Graduate Transfer from the University of Pittsburgh. Will play immediately in the 2017–18 season under NCAA transfer rules and has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Roster

2017–18 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Seventh Woods 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Hammond School Columbia, South Carolina
G/F 1 Theo Pinson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Wesleyan Christian Academy Greensboro, North Carolina
G 2 Joel Berry II 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Lake Highland Prep Apopka, Florida
G 3 Andrew Platek 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Northfield Mount Hermon Schenectady, New York
G 4 Brandon Robinson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Douglas County High School Douglasville, Georgia
G 5 Jalek Felton (S) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Gray Collegiate Academy West Columbia, South Carolina
F 11 Shea Rush 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So The Barstow School Kansas City, Missouri
G 13 Cameron Johnson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Our Lady of the Sacred Heart/Pittsburgh Moon Township, Pennsylvania
G 14 Kane Ma (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr New Garden Friends School Greensboro, North Carolina
F 15 Garrison Brooks 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Auburn High School Lafayette, Alabama
C 21 Sterling Manley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Pickerington Central High School Reynoldsburg, Ohio
F 22 Walker Miller (W) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr New Hampton School Greensboro, North Carolina
G 24 Kenny Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr L.C. Bird Midlothian, Virginia
F 25 Aaron Rohlman (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Hunter Huss Gastonia, North Carolina
G 30 K. J. Smith (W) Current redshirt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So IMG Academy Thousand Oaks, California
F 32 Luke Maye 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Hough Huntersville, North Carolina
C 42 Brandon Huffman 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Word of God Christian Academy Goldsboro, North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 27, 2017*
7:30 pm, ACCN Extra 		Barton W 91–80  –
  18 – Maye   11 – Maye   7 – Felton  Dean Smith Center (10,047)
Chapel Hill, NC
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 9 Northern Iowa W 86–69  1–0
  26 – Maye   10 – Maye   5 – Pinson  Dean Smith Center (18,926)
Chapel Hill, NC
Nov 15, 2017*
8:00 pm, ACCN Extra 		No. 9 Bucknell
PK-80–Phil Knight Invitational Opening Round 		W 93–81  2–0
  20 – Maye   13 – Manley   6 – Tied  Dean Smith Center (13,941)
Chapel Hill, NC
Nov 20, 2017*
11:30 pm, ESPN2 		No. 9 at Stanford W 96–72  3–0
  29 – Berry II   9 – Maye   5 – Maye  Maples Pavilion (7,233)
Stanford, CA
Nov 23, 2017*
2:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 9 vs. Portland
PK-80–Phil Knight Invitational Victory quarterfinals 		W 102–78  4–0
  20 – Maye   10 – Maye   7 – Pinson  Moda Center (14,053)
Portland, OR
Nov 24, 2017*
3:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 9 vs. Arkansas
PK-80–Phil Knight Invitational Victory semifinals 		W 87–68  5–0
  28 – Maye   16 – Maye   5 – Maye  Veterans Memorial Coliseum (10,978)
Portland, OR
Nov 26, 2017*
8:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 9 vs. No. 4 Michigan State
PK-80–Phil Knight Invitational Victory championship 		L 45–63  5–1
  16 – Pinson   6 – Tied   3 – Berry II  Moda Center (19,413)
Portland, OR
Nov 29, 2017*
7:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 13 Michigan
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		W 86–71  6–1
  27 – Maye   7 – Pinson   6 – Pinson  Dean Smith Center (19,036)
Chapel Hill, NC
Dec 1, 2017*
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 13 vs. Davidson
Charlotte Showcase 		W 85–75  7–1
  27 – Berry II   17 – Maye   5 – Pinson  Spectrum Center (11,395)
Charlotte, NC
Dec 3, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 13 Tulane W 97–73  8–1
  22 – Maye   10 – Maye   4 – Maye  Dean Smith Center (14,402)
Chapel Hill, NC
Dec 6, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 11 Western Carolina W 104–61  9–1
  15 – Felton   12 – Maye   7 – Pinson  Dean Smith Center (12,720)
Chapel Hill, NC
Dec 17, 2017*
3:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 7 at No. 20 Tennessee W 78–73  10–1
  21 – Berry II   9 – Pinson   8 – Pinson  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
Dec 20, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 5 Wofford L 75–79  10–2
  23 – Berry II   14 – Maye   4 – Pinson  Dean Smith Center (16,017)
Chapel Hill, NC
Dec 23, 2017*
1:30 pm, CBS 		No. 5 vs. Ohio State
CBS Sports Classic 		W 86–72  11–2
  19 – Tied   10 – Maye   5 – Felton  Smoothie King Center (8,119)
New Orleans, LA
ACC Regular Season
Dec 30, 2017
12:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 13 Wake Forest W 73–69  12–2
(1–0) 		 17 – Maye   15 – Maye   6 – Pinson  Dean Smith Center (19,578)
Chapel Hill, NC
Jan 3, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 12 at No. 24 Florida State L 80–81  12–3
(1–1) 		 28 – Berry II   7 – Williams   4 – Pinson  Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (8,931)
Tallahassee, FL
Jan 6, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 12 at No. 8 Virginia L 49–61  12–4
(1–2) 		 17 – Berry II   8 – Tied   3 – Williams  John Paul Jones Arena (14,401)
Charlottesville, VA
Jan 9, 2018
8:00 pm, ACCN 		No. 20 Boston College W 96–66  13–4
(2–2) 		 32 – Maye   18 – Maye   5 – Tied  Dean Smith Center (17,104)
Chapel Hill, NC
Jan 13, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 20 at Notre Dame W 69–68  14–4
(3–2) 		 18 – Maye   11 – Maye   4 – Pinson  Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149)
South Bend, IN
Jan 16, 2018
7:00 pm, ACCRSN 		No. 15 No. 20 Clemson W 87–79  15–4
(4–2) 		 21 – Johnson   7 – Pinson   6 – Pinson  Dean Smith Center (20,155)
Chapel Hill, NC
Jan 20, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 15 Georgia Tech W 80–66  16–4
(5–2) 		 17 – Maye   11 – Maye   5 – Williams  Dean Smith Center (20,334)
Chapel Hill, NC
Jan 22, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 10 at Virginia Tech L 69–80  16–5
(5–3) 		 23 – Tied   9 – Maye   8 – Pinson  Cassell Coliseum (9,275)
Blacksburg, VA
Jan 27, 2018
12:00 pm, CBS 		No. 10 NC State
Rivalry 		L 91–95 OT 16–6
(5–4) 		 31 – Maye   15 – Pinson   6 – Johnson  Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
Jan 30, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 19 at No. 20 Clemson L 78–82  16–7
(5–5) 		 32 – Johnson   9 – Maye   4 – Berry II  Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)
Clemson, SC
Feb 3, 2018
8:00 pm, ACCN 		No. 19 Pittsburgh W 96–65  17–7
(6–5) 		 26 – Maye   13 – Pinson   8 – Pinson  Dean Smith Center (20,381)
Chapel Hill, NC
Feb 8, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN 		No. 21 No. 9 Duke
Rivalry/ESPN College GameDay 		W 82–78  18–7
(7–5) 		 21 – Berry II   13 – Johnson   6 – Berry II  Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
Feb 10, 2018
2:00 pm, ACCN 		No. 21 at NC State
Rivalry 		W 96–89  19–7
(8–5) 		 33 – Maye   17 – Maye   7 – Pinson  PNC Arena (19,500)
Raleigh, NC
Feb 12, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 14 Notre Dame W 83–66  20–7
(9–5) 		 21 – Berry II   10 – Pinson   5 – Pinson  Dean Smith Center (19,336)
Chapel Hill, NC
Feb 17, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 14 at Louisville W 93–76  21–7
(10–5) 		 23 – Berry II   13 – Maye   5 – Tied  KFC Yum! Center (21,210)
Louisville, KY
Feb 21, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 10 at Syracuse W 78–74  22–7
(11–5) 		 23 – Pinson   8 – Williams   7 – Pinson  Carrier Dome (27,165)
Syracuse, NY
Feb 27, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 9 Miami (FL) L 88–91  22–8
(11–6) 		 31 – Berry II   10 – Maye   11 – Pinson  Dean Smith Center (20,251)
Chapel Hill, NC
Mar 3, 2018
8:15 pm, ESPN 		No. 9 at No. 5 Duke
Rivalry/ESPN College GameDay 		L 64–74  22–9
(11–7) 		 16 – Johnson   8 – Williams   5 – Berry II  Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
ACC Tournament
Mar 7, 2018
9:30 pm, ESPN2 		(6) No. 12 vs. (11) Syracuse
Second Round 		W 78–59  23–9
  17 – Williams   11 – Pinson   6 – Pinson  Barclays Center (17,732)
Brooklyn, NY
Mar 8, 2018
9:30 pm, ESPN2 		(6) No. 12 vs. (3) No. 24 Miami (FL)
Quarterfinals 		W 82–65  24–9
  25 – Pinson   13 – Maye   5 – Johnson  Barclays Center (17,732)
Brooklyn, NY
Mar 9, 2018
9:30 pm, ESPN 		(6) No. 12 vs. (2) No. 5 Duke
Semifinals/Rivalry 		W 74–69  25–9
  17 – Maye   10 – Maye   7 – Pinson  Barclays Center (18,157)
Brooklyn, NY
Mar 10, 2018
8:30 pm, ESPN 		(6) No. 12 vs. (1) No. 1 Virginia
Championship 		L 63–71  25–10
  20 – Maye   8 – Pinson   6 – Pinson  Barclays Center (18,157)
Brooklyn, NY
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 2018*
2:45 pm, CBS 		(2 W) No. 10 vs. (15 W) Lipscomb
First Round 		W 84–66  26–10
  18 – Williams   10 – Tied   7 – Pinson  Spectrum Center (18,489)
Charlotte, NC
Mar 18, 2018*
5:15 pm, CBS 		(2 W) No. 10 vs. (7 W) Texas A&M
Second Round 		L 65–86  26–11
  21 – Berry II   11 – Maye   11 – Pinson  Spectrum Center (18,485)
Charlotte, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

See also: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP999913117513122015101921141091210Not released
Coaches9999111074141118141017221610911914

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References

  1. ^ "UNC Basketball: Tar Heels win ACC title outright for second-straight year". Keeping It Heel. March 4, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  2. ^ "North Carolina crushes Miami by 25 in ACC tournament". miamiherald. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  3. ^ "ACC Tournament: Duke clears North Carolina and looks as dangerous as ever". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  4. ^ "2017 NCAA Tournament bracket: North Carolina No. 1 seed in South Region". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  5. ^ "North Carolina ousts Texas Southern in the NCAA Tournament: Score, stats, live updates recap". OregonLive.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "North Carolina defeats Arkansas in 2nd round of NCAA tournament". myfox8.com. March 20, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  7. ^ "Butler vs. North Carolina - Game Recap - March 24, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "NCAA tournament 2017: North Carolina beats Kentucky, 75-73, in a last-second thriller". SBNation.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  9. ^ "Oregon Ducks lose heartbreaker to North Carolina Tar Heels at Final Four 2017: Live updates recap, game highlights". OregonLive.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  10. ^ Schonbrun, Zach (April 1, 2017). "Loose Attitudes and a Tight Finish Put the Tar Heels Back in the Title Game". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  11. ^ "Gonzaga vs. North Carolina - Game Recap - April 3, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  12. ^ Wire, SI. "UNC wins sixth national championship, beating Gonzaga". SI.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  13. ^ Tracy, Victor Mather, Marc; Schonbrun, Zach (April 3, 2017). "N.C.A.A. Championship: How North Carolina Won Its Seventh Title". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 7, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Justin Jackson to Enter NBA draft".