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In only one other stretch in North Carolina basketball history has the program lost more games in a four-year span than it has over the last four seasons.
From 2000 through 2003, encompassing the last season under Bill Guthridge and Matt Doherty’s three-year run at the helm, UNC lost 57 times. Quite remarkably, and a true testament to the program, is the Tar Heel reached the Final Four in 2000 and spent a few weeks ranked No. 1 in 2001.
So, the losingest four-year stretch in Carolina history still has some high points. But what about the last four seasons?
The final two campaigns under Roy Williams and first two with Hubert Davis running the show resulted in 53 defeats. Yet, the Tar Heels have a national championship game appearance in there in 2022, and they led Kansas at halftime that night by 15 points.
Had the Heels hung on to win that game and cut down the nets, this four-year period would be tied with 1950-53 with 52 losses, yet the program would have a national championship in there as well.
Even with that, concern is high about where Carolina is at this time, and for losing 53 times in the last four seasons, each of which were double-digit loss campaigns: 19 in 2020, 11 in 2021, 10 in 2022, and 13 this season.
To really get a feel that UNC basketball hasn’t been its usual self of late, even with its many highs, is the Tar Heels have lost 10 or more contests in eight of the last 11 seasons, a span that begins with the 2012-13 season.
Prior to that season, UNC basketball went 23 years losing 10 or more games eight times. Remarkably, the Heels went from 1967 to 1989 without losing more than nine times in a campaign.
Also, dating back to 1951-52, the Heels lost 12 games in a regular season before conference tournament play just six times, with five of those seasons coming over the last 22 years, thus it happened just once from 1952-2001.
In addition, the Heels are in a unique period with respect to the NCAA Tournament. There was no tournament in 2020 because of Covid, but Carolina wasn’t going to make it with a 14-19 record, and missing out this past season with a 20-13 mark means UNC has been to the NCAAs twice in the last four years, and were eight seeds both times.
Carolina had been as low as an eight seed just three times in its history before 2021, and lower than a four seed just three other times. The program that has the most number one seeds of all time with 17, hasn’t had one since 2019, and only one since 2017.
As much as the general thinking is Davis has pressure on him this coming season, North Carolina basketball as a whole has pressure on it to regain its norm regardless of who the coach is over the next several seasons.
Some more numbers to chew on:
*From 1965 through Matt Doherty’s first season in 2000-2001, UNC never finished below third in the ACC regular season standings. However, over the last 22 seasons, it has finished below third eight times. Here is the breakdown:
-1st – 9 times
-2nd – 2 times
-3rd – 3 times
-4th – 1 time
-5th – 2 times
-6th – 1 time
-7th – 2 times
-9th – 1 time
-13th – 1 time
*Dean Smith’s third UNC team in 1963-64 finished ACC play with a 6-8 record. He would never have a losing conference mark again. Carolina, in fact, wouldn’t have its next losing ACC record until 2001-02 when the Tar Heels went 4-12 in Matt Doherty’s second season at the helm.
So, UNC went 38 seasons without losing more ACC games than it won, but over the last 22 years, the Tar Heels have finished with more losses than wins in ACC play four times, and in another season finished .500.
*Since the NCAA began seeding teams for the 1979 tournament, UNC has been in the field 40 times. The Tar Heels have never been seeded lower than No. 8, never No. 7, three times No. 6, never No. 5, twice No. 4, and four times No. 3. Remarkably, that means UNC has been seeded No. 1 (17 times) more than ALL seeds from No. 3 and below (14 combined). Period.
In addition, the Tar Heels have been No. 2 nine more times. So, here’s the breakdown: No. 1 (17); No. 2 (9); No. 3 (4); No. 4 (2); No. 5 (0); No. 6 (3); No. 7 (0); No. 8 (five), and none from No. 9-16.
*Carolina’s current period of four consecutive seasons without being a No. 1 seed is its second longest since teams were first seeded in 1979. From 1999-2004, UNC failed to earn a top seed, though it was a three in 1999 and a two in 2001.
The current period, however, shows that Carolina hasn’t been higher than a No. 8 seed since the senior seasons for Kenny Williams, Luke Maye, and Cam Johnson in 2019. That was UNC’s last No. 1 seed.
Only two other periods has Carolina gone as many as three consecutive years without being a No. 1 seed: 1988-90 and it was a two seed twice, and 2013-15 when the Heels were an eight, six and four, respectively.
These numbers only factor years in which UNC played in the NCAA Tournament, but
