2007-08 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
Encyclopedia
The 2007–08 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
during the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Roy Williams
. The team played its home games in the Dean Smith Center
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference
.
During the December 27 game against Nevada, backup point guard Bobby Frasor was injured, requiring surgery and ending his season.
. They suffered their first loss of the season against Maryland
on January 19. Three games later, point guard Ty Lawson twisted his ankle and missed most of February. Despite this, the Tar Heels didn't miss a beat, going 8–1 the rest of the way. They regained the top spot in the polls in late February and held it for the rest of the season. They clinched their 26th ACC regular season title by avenging their earlier loss to Duke in the last game of the season.
In the ACC Tournament held in Charlotte
, the top-seeded Tar Heels defeated Florida State
, Virginia Tech
and Clemson to win their 17th conference tournament title. In so doing, they went into the NCAA Tournament with a 32–2 record—the most wins going into the tourney in school history.
In the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels were seeded first in the East Regional, and were also the overall top seed in the tournament. They routed Mount St. Mary's and Arkansas
while playing just 30 minutes from campus at the RBC Center in Raleigh
. They were no less dominant in the regional phase in Charlotte, scoring convincing wins over Washington State
and Louisville
to make their 17th trip to the Final Four, but in their national semifinal game, they lost to Kansas
, who went on to win the national championship. Remarkably, the Tar Heels made the Final Four while not having to leave the state of North Carolina for almost two months (a total of 10 games), and while notching two losses at the Smith Center—an arena where they have traditionally been all but unbeatable. They also set a school record for wins in a season, with 36. With Memphis
having its 38-win 2007–08 season vacated by the NCAA, the 2007–08 Tar Heels' 36 wins are now the second-most in Division I history.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
during the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Roy Williams
Roy Williams (coach)
Roy Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging nearly an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...
. The team played its home games in the Dean Smith Center
Dean Smith Center
The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, usually called simply the Smith Center and popularly referred to as the Dean Dome is a multi-purpose arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The arena is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels men's basketball team, and temporary...
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
.
Roster
| Name | # | Position | Height | Weight | Year | Home Town | High School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Campbell | 2 | Guard | 5–11 | 165 | Sophomore | Raleigh, NC | Ravenscroft Ravenscroft School Ravenscroft School is an independent, formerly Episcopal, college preparatory school located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It enrolls students from pre-school through grade 12... |
| Mike Copeland | 40 | Forward | 6–7 | 225 | Junior | Winston-Salem, NC | R. J. Reynolds Richard J. Reynolds High School Richard J. Reynolds High School now the Richard J. Reynolds Magnet School for the Visual and Performing Arts is a high school in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Named for R. J. Reynolds, the founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the... |
| Wayne Ellington Wayne Ellington Wayne Robert Ellington Jr. , is an American basketball player who was drafted 28th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association... |
22 | Guard | 6–4 | 195 | Sophomore | Wynnewood, PA | Episcopal Academy |
| Bobby Frasor Bobby Frasor Robert John "Bobby" Frasor is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant video coordinator at the University of North Carolina. He was born in Blue Island, Illinois to Bob and Donna Frasor. Father Bob Frasor won 298 games in 27 years as head basketball coach at... |
4 | Guard | 6–3 | 208 | Junior | Blue Island, IL | Brother Rice |
| Marcus Ginyard Marcus Ginyard Marcus Ginyard is an American professional basketball player from the University of North Carolina. Ginyard committed to play basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels after a high school career at Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. Ginyard’s role as a defensive... |
1 | Guard-Forward | 6–5 | 218 | Junior | Alexandria, VA | Bishop O'Connell Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School was founded in 1957 in Arlington County, Virginia. It was operated by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, but has been under the direction of the Diocese of Arlington since 1974. The school is named for Bishop Denis J... |
| William Graves | 13 | Forward | 6–6 | 245 | Freshman | Greensboro, NC | Dudley James B. Dudley High School James Benson Dudley High School is located in the Southeastern quadrant of Guilford County in the city of Greensboro, North Carolina. Dudley High School was founded in 1929 as the first black high school in Guilford County, in a school system segregated by law... |
| Danny Green Danny Green (basketball) Daniel Richard "Danny" Green, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for KK Union Olimpija in Slovenia. He is a 6'6" guard-forward from North Carolina. Danny has the most wins in North Carolina history: he played in more games and had more wins than any Tar Heel before him... |
14 | Forward-Guard | 6–6 | 210 | Junior | North Babylon, NY | St. Mary's St. Mary's High School (Manhasset, New York) St. Mary's College Preparatory High School is a private Catholic high school in Manhasset, New York. Located on the north shore of Nassau County, also known as the gold coast, the campus is just a few blocks from the Miracle Mile. St... |
| Tyler Hansbrough Tyler Hansbrough Andrew Tyler Hansbrough is an American basketball player for the Indiana Pacers. Hansbrough completed a college basketball career with the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team in 2009, and was drafted into the NBA by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th pick of the 1st round of the 2009 NBA... |
50 | Center | 6–9 | 245 | Junior | Poplar Bluff, MO | Poplar Bluff |
| Ty Lawson | 5 | Guard | 5–11 | 193 | Sophomore | Clinton, MD | Oak Hill Academy Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) Oak Hill Academy is a co-educational, private Baptist-affiliated secondary school in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, United States. Oak Hill's enrollment of approximately 150 students is 98% boarders, serving grades 8–12... |
| Greg Little Greg Little (American football) Greg Little is an American football wide receiver. He played college football and college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and currently plays for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League.-College career:... |
34 | Guard | 6–4 | 210 | Freshman | Durham, NC | Hillside |
| Patrick Moody | 35 | Forward | 6–4 | 195 | Junior | Arden, NC | T. C. Roberson T. C. Roberson High School T.C. Roberson is a high school in the Buncombe County Schools System in Asheville, North Carolina. It is located at 250 Overlook Road, Asheville, NC 28803. TC Roberson High School was founded when Valley Springs High School and Biltmore High School were combined to form one high school... |
| Alex Stepheson Alex Stepheson Alex Stepheson is an American basketball player at the University of Southern California. At the end of 2008 season, Stepheson decided to transfer from the University of North Carolina citing family illness. He chose USC on July 17, 2008... |
32 | Forward-Center | 6–9 | 235 | Sophomore | Los Angeles, CA | Harvard-Westlake Harvard-Westlake School Harvard-Westlake School is an independent, co-educational university preparatory day school consisting of two campuses located in Los Angeles, California with approximately 1,600 students enrolled in grades 7 through 12.... |
| J.B. Tanner | 15 | Guard | 6–0 | 185 | Junior | Hendersonville, NC | West Henderson |
| Quentin Thomas | 11 | Guard | 6–3 | 185 | Senior | Oakland, CA | Oakland Technical Senior Oakland Technical High School Oakland Technical High School, known locally as Oakland Tech, or just simply "Tech", is a public high school in Oakland, California, and is operated under the jurisdiction of the Oakland Unified School District.-Background:... |
| Deon Thompson Deon Thompson Deon Thompson is an American college basketball player that played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Thompson is 6'9" tall and played the forward position.... |
21 | Forward | 6–8 | 240 | Sophomore | Torrance, CA | Torrance Torrance High School Torrance High School is a high school located in Torrance, California. Founded in 1917, it is one of the oldest high schools in continuous use in California and is the oldest of the four high schools in the Torrance Unified School District. Four of its buildings are listed on the U.S... |
| Surry Wood | 24 | Forward | 6–5 | 205 | Senior | Raleigh, NC | Cary Academy Cary Academy Cary Academy is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian, college-preparatory secondary school in Cary, North Carolina established in 1996. The school places an emphasis on the use of technology in the classroom, with tablet computers issued to all students... |
| Jack Wooten | 30 | Guard | 6–2 | 190 | Junior | Burlington, NC | Williams |
During the December 27 game against Nevada, backup point guard Bobby Frasor was injured, requiring surgery and ending his season.
Schedule and results
The Tar Heels began the season ranked atop both major polls, and stayed there for the first two months of the season despite closer-than-expected games against Davidson and ClemsonClemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are any team that represents Clemson University as a member of the NCAA's Division I or in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference....
. They suffered their first loss of the season against Maryland
Maryland Terrapins
The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 27 men's and women's athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition...
on January 19. Three games later, point guard Ty Lawson twisted his ankle and missed most of February. Despite this, the Tar Heels didn't miss a beat, going 8–1 the rest of the way. They regained the top spot in the polls in late February and held it for the rest of the season. They clinched their 26th ACC regular season title by avenging their earlier loss to Duke in the last game of the season.
In the ACC Tournament held in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
, the top-seeded Tar Heels defeated Florida State
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a...
, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams officially representing Virginia Tech in college sports. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 19 varsity sports. Virginia Tech's men's sports are football, basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, soccer,...
and Clemson to win their 17th conference tournament title. In so doing, they went into the NCAA Tournament with a 32–2 record—the most wins going into the tourney in school history.
In the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels were seeded first in the East Regional, and were also the overall top seed in the tournament. They routed Mount St. Mary's and Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
while playing just 30 minutes from campus at the RBC Center in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
. They were no less dominant in the regional phase in Charlotte, scoring convincing wins over Washington State
Washington State Cougars
The Washington State Cougars are the athletic teams at Washington State University; the term applies to any of the school's varsity teams. Washington State University is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, which participates in the NCAA Division I...
and Louisville
Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals are the athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. A member of the Big East Conference since 2005, they are known nationally as traditional powers in men's basketball, women's volleyball, and dance team...
to make their 17th trip to the Final Four, but in their national semifinal game, they lost to Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks
The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
, who went on to win the national championship. Remarkably, the Tar Heels made the Final Four while not having to leave the state of North Carolina for almost two months (a total of 10 games), and while notching two losses at the Smith Center—an arena where they have traditionally been all but unbeatable. They also set a school record for wins in a season, with 36. With Memphis
Memphis Tigers basketball
The Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represents the University of Memphis in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The Tigers compete in Conference USA, in which they have won six regular season and four conference tournament championships. As of 2011, the Tigers have the 29th highest...
having its 38-win 2007–08 season vacated by the NCAA, the 2007–08 Tar Heels' 36 wins are now the second-most in Division I history.
Standings
| ACC | Conference | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W-L | GB | PCT | W-L | PCT | |
| #1 North Carolina | 14–2 | - | .875 | 36–3 | .947 |
| #9 Duke | 13–3 | 1 | .813 | 28–5 | .848 |
| #22 Clemson | 10–6 | 4 | .625 | 24–9 | .727 |
| Virginia Tech | 9–7 | 5 | .563 | 20–13 | .606 |
| Miami | 8–8 | 6 | .500 | 23–10 | .697 |
| Maryland | 8–8 | 6 | .500 | 19–15 | .559 |
| Georgia Tech | 7–9 | 7 | .438 | 15–17 | .469 |
| Wake Forest | 7–9 | 7 | .438 | 17–13 | .567 |
| Florida State | 7–9 | 7 | .438 | 19–15 | .559 |
| Virginia | 5–11 | 9 | .313 | 16–15 | .516 |
| Boston College | 4–12 | 10 | .250 | 14–17 | .452 |
| North Carolina State | 4–12 | 10 | .250 | 15–16 | .484 |
Team players drafted into the NBA
| Year | Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 2009 2009 NBA Draft The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S... |
1 | 13 | Tyler Hansbrough Tyler Hansbrough Andrew Tyler Hansbrough is an American basketball player for the Indiana Pacers. Hansbrough completed a college basketball career with the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team in 2009, and was drafted into the NBA by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th pick of the 1st round of the 2009 NBA... |
Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association... |
| 2009 | 1 | 18 | Ty Lawson | Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams... |
| 2009 | 1 | 28 | Wayne Ellington Wayne Ellington Wayne Robert Ellington Jr. , is an American basketball player who was drafted 28th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association... |
Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor... |
| 2009 | 2 | 46 | Danny Green Danny Green (basketball) Daniel Richard "Danny" Green, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for KK Union Olimpija in Slovenia. He is a 6'6" guard-forward from North Carolina. Danny has the most wins in North Carolina history: he played in more games and had more wins than any Tar Heel before him... |
Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team... |