Our series counting down the Top 30 North Carolina basketball teams of all time concludes.

Our mission hasn’t been to make any declarative statements, but rather have some fun, give our readers something to discuss, walk down memory lane some and provide a needed escape. We hope we’ve achieved that.

Your thoughts and picks are welcome in our message board thread for this series.

Record: 32-0 (14-0)

NCAA Tournament: NCAA champions

ACC Tournament: ACC Champions

Ranking: 1

Coach: Frank McGuire

All-Americans: Lennie Rosenbluth; Tommy Kearns.

All-ACC: Lennie Rosenbluth (1st); Tommy Kearns (1st); Pete Brennan (2nd).

Honors: Lennie Rosenbluth, National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP; Frank McGuire, ACC Coach of the Year.

What's To Know: Carolina's first national championship team didn't have the top-flight collection of stars that led the 1982 team or the dynamic greatness of the 2009 squad, but they had one of the greatest Tar Heels of all-time and their share of studs who make them worthy of this spot in the series for several reasons.

Not only are they tied with the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers with the best record of all-time, but the path to 32-0 was met with significant challenges, yet the Tar Heels answered every one of them. They won both games in the Final Four in triple overtime but also notched a double-overtime victory in the regular season at Maryland.

Fueled by a roster including many players from the New York area, recruited to Chapel Hill by Frank McGuire in what was dubbed the "underground railroad," this remains one of the most important teams in ACC basketball history because it raised the league's profile but also created a new channel for talent.

They had Lennie Rosenbluth, the National Player of the Year, according to some outlets, who averaged 27.9 points per game, and Tommy Kearns, a second-team All-America. Four Heels averaged scoring in double figures, three averaged 8.6 or more rebounds per game.

Comparing them to the 1982 Tar Heels, as many will do, the 1957 club was more convincing in its wins. Stats are obviously reflective of the time, so the game was a bit different in 1957 as opposed to 1982, but let's look at the numbers, anyway.

The 1982 team lost twice, including once at home, by a total of 23 points, so its average margin in ACC games was 9.7 while the '57 team was 12.9. The '82 club won five NCAA Tournament games by an average of 4.6 points while the '57 team won five NCAAT games by an average of 8.4 points. The '82 group won three ACC Tournament games by an average of 10 points, the '57 won three by an average of 14.

Furthermore, the '82 team didn't have to leave North Carolina to advance to the Final Four, while the '57 team never played in the Old North State. And, while the '82 team beat Patrick Ewing (as a freshman) in the finals, the '57 team beat Wilt Chamberlain (as a junior) in its title win. And, the Heels did so in Kansas City.

And, perhaps most elevating this team to the top spot, they had to beat KU and WIlt the Stilt without Rosenbluth in the overtimes, as he fouled out late in regulation. That's like '82 beating Georgetown in three overtimes after Worthy fouling out in regulation or '09 beating Michigan State in the title game in three overtimes after Lawson (the team's MVP that season) fouled out in regulation.

Now, standing on its own, the gritty Heels combined toughness, moxie and skill and found ways to win every time they stepped onto the floor.

A few more notes: The title game was the first ever televised; Even though UNC was unbeaten, Kansas was a three-point favorite going into the championship game; Rosenbluth fouled out before the end of regulation, so the Tar Heels still held on to win in three overtimes without their best player; More than 10,000 fans greeted the Tar Heels at the airport when they returned. UNC’s win changed college basketball on Tobacco Road forever.

Also: That KU team is still regarded as one of the best to not win a national title, and until he died, Chamberlain often said that loss was the most painful of his career.

1957 Schedule & Results

Lennie Rosenbluth, 1st Round, No. 6 overall selection