Season: 1995-1996
Record: 21-11 overall, 10-6 ACC(3rd place)
ACC Tournament: Lost to Clemson in the quarterfinals
NCAA Tournament: Lost to Texas Tech in the 2nd Round
Roster: Dante Calabria, Vince Carter, Ed Geth, Antawn Jamison, Clyde Lynn, Jeff McInnis, Charlie McNairy, David Neal, Ademola Okulaja, Ryan Sullivan, Webb Tyndall, Shammond Williams, Serge Zwikker.
Source: UNC Media Guide
So, why does 1996 rank one spot ahead of 1999? Well because 1999 lost to Weber State and 1996 had Antawn Jamison.
Actually, the 1996 team was slightly better when you consider the ACC was much stronger in 1996(six teams in the NCAA Tournament) versus 1999(only three NCAA Tournament teams.) The Heels also ended up playing top ten Villanova twice due to a weird twist involving facing them in Maui and then as a part of their regular schedule.
This UNC team is similar to the 2006 version in that they came into the season after losing at least two key players to the NBA and depending on a freshman big man to keep things rolling. Of course 1996 did return Jeff McInnis at point and Dante Calbria at SG with Serge Zwikker developing into a decent big man which was far more than they had coming into 2006. Antawn Jamison was the real surprise making an immediate impact as a freshman the same way Tyler Hansbrough did.
What ended up happening with 1996 was it became a tale of two seasons. The first was very good despite a couple of non-conference losses as UNC ran through the ACC at 7-1 and beat Duke in Chapel Hill off an insane putback shot by Dante Calabria as he fell to the court. After that things seemed to fall apart a bit as the Heels went 4-5 over the last nine games then lost to Rick Barnes and Clemson in the ACC Tournament which was a fairly disgusting moment in my mind. This loss came a year after Barnes had gotten in Dean Smith’s face in the 1995 ACC Tournament plus Clemson played basketball in a way that would have made Boston College proud. At this point the wheels had officially come off with the season being put out of it’s misery by losing to Texas Tech in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament in a game that included a Red Raider player shattering the backboard on a dunk. You realize pretty quickly it is over when something like that happens to you.
Looking back, it was obvious that something chemistry wise went awry in the 2nd half of the season. Jeff McInnis also seems to have been the source of those issues. It was clear he was in Dean’s doghouse and the fact he was allegedly sleeping with Phil Ford’s wife probably had something to do with that. By the time the season ended Dean encouraged McInnis to go the way of JR Reid and head to the NBA instead of bringing him back with all sorts risk involved. You also have to wonder to what extent Dean was convinced Ed Cota could come in and be a four year impact PG. Apparently he had it in mind since he was more than willing to show McInnis the door a year early.
This was basically a transition season and we really did not mind it so much since 1995 was a Final Four year and 1997 looked bright coming on the horizon.
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I had higher expectations for this team. Carter/Jamison were such highly touted freshmen at the time. We seemed to have all positions filled for an ACC Title.
I was at the game to witness Dante’s tap in and THF, you have reminded me how that season sort of went down the drain. Things I recall is that Vince was in Dean’s doghouse to an extent probably because of his lack of defense. Antawn was quick but very skinny and we got hammered inside. (The shattered backboard being the example).
As memory serves this team tended to live and die with the jump shot.
Speaking of Rick Barnes, was 1995-1996 the season where Clemson fouled out so many players in Chapel Hill that they finished the game with only 4 guys on the floor?
Darvin Ham I believe is the name of the gentleman from Texas Tech who posterized us with that dunk.
That was in 1998. Heels ended up shooting 41 FTs in a regulation game.
I believe the 4 player Clemson fiasco was during Larry Shyatt’s tenure. I remember being at that game with my wife, and we thought ‘here is something we may never see happen again’. It was great!
No, it was 1998 because I remember Jamison and Carter playing and I also remember Barnes whining on the sidelines. Barnes left for Texas after that season.
THF, oops you’re right. Shyatt continued the rough play that Barnes had installed, so I guess that’s why I couldn’t tell the two apart
It’s funny how these things sort of all merge together in the mind after a few years. Maybe that’s a sign of getting older?
If you have MJ in your avatar, you’re not old enough to have developed memory issues. My dad talks about the 60’s Carolina often. I talk about the 80’s teams because that is when I was most fervently interested in TarHeel Basketball. Now, again, my passion is what it used to be during the MJ/Worth/Perkins/Daugherty/K. Smith era.
With me, memory and age are unrelated! My first vivid memories of Carolina basketball were the early 80’s and I had family attending UNC at that time so I got to visit campus as a kid. My uncle was a manager at Swensen’s and the basketball players would frequent there often, so I was able to see some of my heroes. I don’t think there was any doubt where I’d be attending college, and certainly no doubt as to the color of my blood. We have all been spoiled by the athletic success we’ve seen in Chapel Hill, and many of us have been further spoiled by it’s beautiful campus. And I don’t regret being spoiled one bit!!
HeelYeah, I loved Swenson’s when I was growing up too. Can’t beat that ice cream they serve either. I first got engaged with UNC basketball in 81. I was only 8 years of age at the time. Been watching ever since! That beautiful UNC campus is an experience all to itself! Glad you had the opportunity to attend college there.
a Swensen’s patty-melt and a choc shake was da bomb!
When I was a kid I always loved Swensen’s bubble gum ice cream. I mean hey, you’ve got ice cream, then you’ve got bubble gum for dessert! As I got older I learned to appreciate the humongous salads they served, which was a really good deal. I live in Wilmington now and the one here closed, so no more ice cream or salads….
yeah, what’s up with the closings? I know it’s a San Fran based chain…your uncle ran a tight ship btw!