No. 5: 1993
Our series counting down the Top 30 North Carolina basketball teams of all time continues.
Our mission isn't 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.
Your thoughts and picks are welcome in our message board thread for this series.
No. 5: 1993
Record: 34-4 (14-2)
NCAA Tournament: NCAA champions
ACC Tournament: Lost in finals
Ranking: 4
Coach: Dean Smith
All-Americans: Eric Montross.
All-ACC: Eric Montross (1st); George Lynch (1st).
Honors: Donald Williams: Final Four MOP; George Lynch, NCAA East Region MOP; Dean Smith ACC Coach of the Year.
What's To Know: Dean Smith never revealed who his favorite this or that was, they were all in the same place in his heart and mind, or so he maintained that disposition publicly until his final days. While many UNC fans and observers believe if pressed Smith would have admitted Phil Ford was his favorite player he coached, it wouldn't be far-fetched to imagine the 1992-93 Tar Heels as his favorite team. In a sense, they were the consummate Smith club.
The '93 Tar Heels don't have the eye-popping names dotting the roster, though Eric Montross and George Lynch were excellent players and had long NBA careers, but this squad was more the epitome of a team. Quick, name the other three starters? Derrick Phelps…. Brian Reese…. And Donald Williams, the MOP of the Final Four that year after sinking 10 of 14 attempts from 3-point range in wins over Kansas and Michigan. The latter three played a combined total of three games in the NBA. They may not have fit in that league, but they were perfect parts for the Tar Heels.
They also had plenty of help off the bench. Carolina went very deep into its reserves, most of whom were experienced and quite long. Kevin Salvadori (7 feet) spent some time in the NBA, even Matt Wenstrom (7-1), who as a senior was basically the 10th man and actually had a brief stint in the NBA, as well. Also off the bench were 6-8 Pat Sullivan, 6-7 Henrik Rodl, 6-4 Dante Calabria, and 6-4 Scott Cherry.
What might be the most amazing thing about this club is how good it really was, especially when comparing names. They reached the 100-point mark 10 times, including in a 112-67 win over Rhode Island in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They beat South Carolina by 41, Texas by 36, won at Ohio State by 20, at a terrific Seton Hall team, and beat Notre Dame by 28. Their 16 wins over ACC teams were by an average margin of 19.4 points and they had six ACC road wins by double figures.
The 1993 Tar Heels had two bad losses - falling at Wake Forest by 26 points and at Duke by 14 four days later. But make no mistake, they were a borderline great team.
1993 NBA Draft
George Lynch, 1st Round, No. 12 overall selection