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

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.

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

Previous season

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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

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Departures

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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

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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:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    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:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    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:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    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:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    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:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    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

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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

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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)   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

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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

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP999913117513122015101921141091210Not released
Coaches9999111074141118141017221610911914

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References

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  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".