THI’s annual spring series this year looks at the Top 30 North Carolina basketball teams of all time. We will run the series almost daily until we reach No. 1.

Be sure to check out our Top 20 UNC football series we recently completed.

Record: 29-8 (14-2, ACC 1st)

NCAA Tournament: NCAA Elite 8

ACC Tournament: Lost ACC FInals

Ranking: 7

Coach: Roy Williams

All-ACC: Tyler Zeller (2nd), Harrison Barnes (2nd), John Henson (2nd), Kendall Marshall (3rd).

Honors: Harrison Barnes, ACC Rookie of the Year; Roy Williams, ACC Coach of the Year, John Henson, ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

What's To Know: The 2010 UNC basketball team was a essentially a mess. A 20-17 mark with some injuries, transfers and other attrition made it seem to many Tar Heels fans as if the 2009 national championship was a distant memoory, and then the 2010-11 team's start didn't help matters.

The Heels were 4-3 through seven games, which included losses to so-so clubs Minnesota and Vanderbilt and a blowout loss at Illinois. Three weeks later, Carolina was mauled at Texas and stood at 7-4 and out of the national rankings. In fact, UNC began the season at No. 8, but by the end of November was unranked and remained so until the last day of January.

Following the loss to Texas, however, the Heels started finding themselves winning 19 of 21 games. Their real ascent came when Roy Williams moved freshman Kendall Marshall into the starting point guard spot over Larry Drew. Freshman Harrison Barnes' game elevated, Tyler Zeller was healthy, John Henson got comfortable, and Reggie Bullock and Dexter Stickland were solid contributors.

The Tar Heels re-entered the rankings Jan. 31 and by March 7 were up to No. 6 in the nation. They were also tied with Kentucky with 3:18 left in their Elite 8 battle in Newark, NJ, but UK pulled away for the victory and trip to the Final Four.

The growth of the 2011 team directly linked to a 2012 season that at one point saw the Tar Heels on a collision course with Kentucky for the national championship until an ugly fate that afflicted the 1977 and 1984 Heels hit and destroyed their fortunes. Marshall badly injured his wrist in an NCAA second-round win over Creighton and did not play again. Had 2012 ended like many UNC fans and observers expected, the 2011 team's tremendous improvement would have greater historical meaning for the program.

2010-11 Schedule

None.