Program history
North Carolina
in the tournament.
North Carolina appears in 54 tournaments in this archive, between 1946 and 2026, with an all-time record of 131–49. 6 of them ended with the net coming down: 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 and 2017.
It has also lost the title game 6 times: 1946, 1968, 1977, 1981, 2016 and 2022.
In its opening game it is 25–5. 18 of its 28 games decided by three points or fewer went its way.
Its biggest upset as the underdog came in 2022, when an 8th seed beat the 1st-seeded Baylor 93–86. The reverse happened in 1999: as a 3rd seed it lost to the 14th-seeded Weber State 76–74.
Its longest run of consecutive appearances is 27, from 1975 to 2001. Its longest absence ran 11 years, between 1946 and 1957. It has met Kansas 7 times, more than any other opponent.
This archive carries no numeric seed before 1979. Since then it has entered as high as a 1st seed and as low as an 11th.
- 54 Appearances
- 131–49 All-time record
- 6 Titles
Season by season
| Year | Seed | Record | Coach | Conference | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | — | 30–5 | Ben Carnevale | Southern Conference | Runner Up |
| 1957 | — | 32–0 | Frank McGuire | Atlantic Coast | Champion |
| 1959 | — | 20–5 | Frank McGuire | Atlantic Coast | First round |
| 1967 | — | 26–6 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Fourth Place |
| 1968 | — | 28–4 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Runner Up |
| 1969 | — | 27–5 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Fourth Place |
| 1972 | — | 26–5 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Third Place |
| 1975 | — | 23–8 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Regional third place |
| 1976 | — | 25–4 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Round of 32 |
| 1977 | — | 28–5 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Runner Up |
| 1978 | 1 | 23–8 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Round of 32 |
| 1979 | 1 | 23–6 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Round of 32 |
| 1980 | 3 | 21–8 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Round of 32 |
| 1981 | 2 | 29–8 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Runner Up |
| 1982 | 1 | 32–2 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Champion |
| 1983 | 2 | 28–8 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Regional Runner-up |
| 1984 | 1 | 28–3 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | Round of 16 |
| 1985 | 2 | 27–9 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Regional Finals to Villanova, 44–56 |
| 1986 | 3 | 28–6 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to Louisville, 79–94 |
| 1987 | 1 | 32–4 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Regional Finals to Syracuse, 75–79 |
| 1988 | 2 | 27–7 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Regional Finals to Arizona, 52–70 |
| 1989 | 2 | 29–8 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to Michigan, 87–92 |
| 1990 | 8 | 21–13 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to Arkansas, 73–96 |
| 1991 | 1 | 29–6 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the National semifinals to Kansas, 73–79 |
| 1992 | 4 | 23–10 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Regional semifinals to Ohio State, 73–80 |
| 1993 | 1 | 34–4 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | champion |
| 1994 | 1 | 28–7 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Boston College, 72–75 |
| 1995 | 2 | 28–6 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the National semifinals to Arkansas, 68–75 |
| 1996 | 6 | 21–11 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Texas Tech, 73–92 |
| 1997 | 1 | 28–7 | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the National Semifinal to Arizona, 58–66 |
| 1998 | 1 | 34–4 | Bill Guthridge | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the National Semifinal to Utah, 59–65 |
| 1999 | 3 | 24–10 | Bill Guthridge | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to Weber State, 74–76 |
| 2000 | 8 | 22–14 | Bill Guthridge | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the National Semifinal to Florida, 59–71 |
| 2001 | 2 | 26–7 | Matt Doherty | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Penn State, 74–82 |
| 2004 | 6 | 19–11 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to Texas, 75–78 |
| 2005 | 1 | 33–4 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | champion |
| 2006 | 3 | 23–8 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Round of 32 to George Mason, 60–65 |
| 2007 | 1 | 31–7 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the Regional Final to Georgetown, 84–96 (OT) |
| 2008 | 1 | 36–3 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the national semifinal to Kansas, 66–84 |
| 2009 | 1 | 34–4 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | won the national championship game (89–72 vs Michigan State) |
| 2011 | 2 | 29–8 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the regional final to Kentucky, 69–76 |
| 2012 | 1 | 32–6 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the regional final to Kansas, 67–80 |
| 2013 | 8 | 25–11 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Kansas, 58–70 |
| 2014 | 6 | 24–10 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Iowa State, 83–85 |
| 2015 | 4 | 26–12 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Wisconsin, 72–79 |
| 2016 | 1 | 33–7 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the championship game to Villanova, 74–77 |
| 2017 | 1 | 33–7 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | won the national championship game (71–65 vs Gonzaga) |
| 2018 | 2 | 26–11 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Texas A&M, 65–86 |
| 2019 | 1 | 29–7 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Auburn, 80–97 |
| 2021 | 8 | 18–11 | Roy Williams | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Wisconsin, 62–85 |
| 2022 | 8 | 29–10 | Hubert Davis | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the championship game to Kansas, 69–72 |
| 2024 | 1 | 29–8 | Hubert Davis | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Alabama, 87–89 |
| 2025 | 11 | 23–14 | Hubert Davis | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Ole Miss, 64–71 |
| 2026 | 6 | 24–9 | Hubert Davis | Atlantic Coast Conference | lost in the round of 64 to VCU, 78–82 (OT) |
How the games went
| Round | W–L |
|---|---|
| Opening | 25–5 |
| Round of 64 | 36–7 |
| Round of 32 | 17–7 |
| Round of 8 | 14–7 |
| Semifinal | 33–17 |
| Final | 6–6 |
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