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March 2

1974--Eight Points in 17 Seconds
CHAPE HILL--In the most storied comeback in Atlantic Coast Conference history, North Carolina rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final 17 seconds to force overtime and eventually defeat Duke, 96-92, in a frenzied Carmichael Auditorium.

The Blue Devils came into the game with just a 10-15 record, while the Tar Heels were 20-4. But, six of the Duke losses had been by less than 10 points.

With 17 seconds left in this game, the Tar Heels found themselves trailing, 86-78, and Bobby Jones going to the free throw line for a one-and-one opportunity.

Jones a 60.7 percent foul shooter at the time, made both his free throws. Center Bob Fleischer tried to make the inbounds pass for Duke, couldn't find an open teammate and attempted to bounce the ball off Ed Stahl. Instead it went through Stahl's legs right to Walter Davis, who passed to John Kuester for an easy layup. Carolina took timeout with 13 seconds to go.

Fleischer's next inbounds pass was fumbled out-of-bounds by Tate Armstrong. Davis got the ball in to Stahl, stepped on the court for a return pass and missed a short jumper. However, Jones tipped it in and took another timeout.

Only six seconds were left, but it was just a two-point game.

Pete Redding made the next inbounds pass and finally got the ball to a Blue Devil, Pete Kramer. Kuester fouled him with four seconds on the clock. Kramer missed the front end of his one-and-one opportunity and Stahl grabbed the rebound. Carolina got a timeout with three seconds to play, trailing, 86-84.

Mitch Kupchak made the inbounds pass and threw a strike to Davis at midcourt. The freshman took three dribbles and fired a 30-footer jumper. It banked into the basket and the building seemingly exploded.

There was still a game to be won, however. In fact, Duke had a 92-89 lead in overtime before Carolina scored the last seven points for a 96-92 victory.

Davis finished with 31 points, hitting 14 of 21 shots, and Jones had 24 points and 10 rebounds. Stahl added a dozen rebounds.

March 1

1998-- Women Sweep Third Straight ACC Basketball Title
CHARLOTTE, N.C.-- Tracy Reid and Chanel Wright each scored 21 points as North Carolina won its third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament and fifth in six years, crushing Clemson, 81-50, in the title game at the Charlotte Coliseum.

Reid, the ACC Player of the Year and Tournament MVP, also pulled down 11 rebounds and made four steals in sparking the Tar Heel rout. She hit eight of 12 field goal attempts. Wright was eight-for-11 from the floor as the Tar Heels shot 54.3 percent as a team.

Freshman Nikki Teasley was the only other UNC player in double figures with 12 points. She just made two of eight field goal attempts, but hit eight of 11 free throws. She also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Nicole Walker grabbed 11 rebounds as Carolina won the battle of the boards, 45-30.

However, it was at the free throw line where the Tar Heels did their biggest damage, attempting a Tournament-record 48 shots. They only made 29, but it was the inside moves of Reid and the slashing drives by Teasley that got the Tigers in deep foul trouble.

Reid only had eight points at the half, but Wright had 16 as Carolina raced to a 42-30 lead.

Clemson got a quick layup to start the second half. But, the Tar Heels then broke the game open, outscoring the Tigers, 33-14, over the next 15 minutes. This included one run of 16 straight points with Reid and Teasley leading the way.

Clemson shot just 28.6 percent from the floor and the Carolina defense forced 19 turnovers.

February 28

1963--Brown Sets Tournament Assist Record
RALEIGH, N.C.--Larry Brown had a record 13 assists and North Carolina shot 59.7 percent from the floor as the Tar Heels defeated South Carolina, 93-76, in the opening round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament at Reynolds Coliseum.

Brown's 13 assists were the most ever by a Carolina player and also set an ACC Tournament single-game record. The previous high for the Tournament was 11 by Jackie Murdock of Wake Forest in 1955 and N.C. State's John Maglio in 1956.

Carolina hit 40 of 67 field goal attempts in disposing of the Gamecocks. Charlie Shaffer was a big reason for that figure as he hit all seven of his shots from the floor and finished with 18 points. Shaffer also was one of three Tar Heel players in double figures in rebounding, finishing with 10.

Billy Cunningham had a game-high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. He hit 11 of his 18 field goal attempts.

Yogi Poteet had 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Bryan McSweeney also scored in double figures with 13 and pulled down eight rebounds.

In addition to his 13 assists, Brown scored 12 points, hitting six of nine shots.

Carolina vaulted to a 49-34 halftime lead and was never threatened after that.

Scotti Ward and Bud Haney led the Gamecocks with 23 points each. South Carolina managed to hit just 36.3 percent of its shots and was out-rebounded, 53-40.

1986--Wrestlers Dominate First Day of SCC Meet
RALEIGH, N.C.--North Carolina's wrestling team advanced eight of its 10 wrestlers into the finals after the first day of competition at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships in Reynolds Coliseum.

Tar Heel wrestlers dominated opening-round and semi-final action and built an almost insurmountable lead in the team race over N.C. State. Carolina heads into the finals and consolation matches with 81 1/4 points. State is in second place with 58 1/2.

Moving into the championship matches at their weight class for Carolina were Al Palacio at 118 pounds, John Aumiller at 126, Enzo Catullo at 134, Lenny Bernstein at 142, Rob Koll at 158, Tad Wilson at 167, Tracey Davis at 190 and heavyweight Stacey Davis.

Catullo had a great day at 134, pinning Clemson's Bobby Taylor at 4:35 and scoring a 13-5 win over Kris Felthousen of Virginia.

Bernstein had wins of 15-1 win over Duke's Tom Hontz and 7-1 over Virginia's John Placek. Koll had an opening bye and then pinned Gary Fischbein of Virginia at 6:16.

Wilson pinned the Wolfpack's Chuck Murray at 2:37 in the quarterfinals and then scored a 13-4 victory over Seann Henry of Duke in the semifinals.

February 27

1993--Reese, Phelps Spark Win at FSU
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--Brian Reese scored 25 points and Derrick Phelps handout out 10 assists as third-ranked North Carolina topped sixth-rated Florida State, 86-76, at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center.

Carolina broke open a close game in the last 6:19 of the game to improve to 24-3 for the season.

The Tar Heels had just a 61-58 lead until Reese drove the baseline for his eighth and ninth points of the second half. He then scored on an offensive rebound at 5:33 to increase the Carolina margin to seven points.

Donald Williams hit a pair of free throws, Eric Montross took a lob pass from Phelps for a dunk and Williams dropped in two more foul shots for a 13-point advantage, 71-58, with just 4:34 to play.

The Seminoles did cut that deficit to 77-70 with 1:20 in the game. But, Dante Calabria hit a free throw and Reese followed with two soaring dunks over FSU defenders to seal the win.

Reese hit 11 of 18 shots from the floor, including eight-for-10 in the second half. He had 18 of his points in the final 20 minutes.

In addition to his 10 assists, Phelps added six rebounds and four points. George Lynch finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, Montross had 15 points and Williams finished with 13.

Lynch scored 12 of his points in the first half to help keep Carolina in the game. The game was tied, 33-33, at intermission.

Doug Edwards led Florida State with 23 points, while Sam Cassell had 18.

1994--Sampson, Jones Key Victory Over Tigers
CLEMSON, S.C.--Tonya Sampson and Marion Jones each scored 20 points as North Carolina defeated Clemson, 91-86, in a women's basketball game at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The victory gave the Tar Heels a 24-2 record for the season and a 14-2 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Carolina will be the top seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament.

The Tar Heels never trailed by more than five points and led throughout the second half. Carolina had a 45-38 lead at intermission.

Sampson hit five of nine shots from the field, including one of two from three-point range. She was nine of 10 at the foul line. She also grabbed 10 rebounds and had six assists. Plagued by foul problems, Sampson played just 25 minutes before fouling out.

Jones made nine of her 16 field goal attempts, hit her only three-point effort and added a free throw. She had three assist and five steals.

Sylvia Crawley finished with 15 points and Tonya Jackson had 10 for Carolina.

The Tar Heels hit 53.3 percent of their shots, while limiting the Tigers to just 39.2 percent shooting. Jessica Barr had 22 points for Clemson.

Carolina took the lead for good late in the first half. The Tigers had a 30-25 lead until Jones took control of the game. First she hit a baseline jumper with 5:47 left and then was fouled on a driving layup. She added the free throw to tie the game.

Her short jumper with 4:52 in the half gave the Tar Heels a 32-30 lead and she followed that with a fast break layup. Clemson never led again.

February 26

1957--Tar Heels Now 23-0 After Last-Minute Rally at Wake
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.--A three-point play by Lennie Rosenbluth and a steal by Bob Cunningham in the last 46 seconds helped lift top-ranked North Carolina to a 69-64 comeback win over 13th-ranked Wake Forest at Memorial Coliseum.

A crowd of 8,200--largest ever for a basketball game in Winston-Salem--saw the Tar Heels defeat the Deacons for the third time this season by a combined total of just 16 points.

Carolina played without its usual lineup as center Joe Quigg was sidelined with a virus, The Tar Heels still battled Wake Forest on even terms throughout the game.

The Deacons did build an eight-point lead early in the second half, but the Tar Heels quickly cut into that. The lead changed hands eight times in the final 10 minutes and on 29 occasions in the game.

Wake Forest had a 64-62 advantage until Rosenbluth hit a jumper with 46 seconds remaining. He was fouled on the play by Olin Broadway and added the free throw for a 65-64 UNC lead.

Cunningham then stole the ball from Ernie Wiggins just six seconds later. Pete Brennan was fouled by Jackie Murdock with 32 seconds left and his free throw gave Carolina a 66-64 edge.

The game still wasn't decided until a three-point play by Tommy Kearns with six seconds on the clock.

Rosenbluth finished with 30 points, hitting 10 of 15 field goal attempts and 10 of 12 free throws. Brennan had 16 and Kearns added 12.

The Deacons had four double-figure scorers, led by Murdock's 15. Wiggins and Jack Williams had 14 each.

1982--Walsh Sets NCAA Backstroke Record
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--Sue Walsh set an NCAA record in the 50-yard backstroke as North Carolina continued its domination of the Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Virginia's Aquatic and Fitness Center.

In the fourth event of the evening session, Walsh swam the 50 backstroke in a time of 25.86. The sophomore from Hamburg, N.Y. eclipsed the national collegiate record that had been held by Stanford's Linda Jerch.

Two races earlier, Walsh had won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.37, qualifying her for this year's NCAA Championships.

Carolina' other first-place finish came in the 200 individual medley. Gayle Hegel qualified for the national championships with her winning time of 2:04.10. Teammate Nance Thompson was second.

The Tar Heels' tremendous depth kept them well ahead in the team race after three days of the four-day meet.

Sue Scott and Amy Pless were third and fourth behind Walsh in the 50 freestyle. Cami Berizzi and Patty Huey were second and fifth in the 200 butterfly, Barb Harris had a fifth-place finish in the 50 backstroke, while Hegel, Jenny Strickland and Pless went three-four-five in the 100 breaststroke.

Carolina's 800 freestyle relay team placed second and Janice Dalrymple and Sue Perfater were second and fourth in the three-meter diving.

February 25

1995--McInnis Makes Big Plays Late to Beat FSU
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--Jeff McInnis hit what proved to be the game-winning jumper with 1:19 to play and then stole a Florida State pass in the finals seconds to give North Carolina an 80-78 win over the Seminoles at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center.

A Jerry Stackhouse jumper had given Carolina a 28-26 lead with 5:07 to go in the first half. The Tar Heels never trailed again in running their record to 21-3.

In fact, that was the start of an 11-0 Carolina run which gave UNC its biggest lead of the game, 37-26. After his jump shot, Stackhouse took a Dante Calabria pass for a layup. McInnis followed with a driving layup, Stackhouse hit a pair of free throws and McInnis drilled a long jumper.

But, the Seminoles eventually cut that margin to just 62-61 with 9:54 in the game. A dunk by Rasheed Wallace and the shot by McInnis gave Carolina a seemingly comfortable 80-72 advantage with just over a minute left.

However, three-pointers by James Collins and LaMarr Greer made it 80-78 in a 24-second stretch. FSU came up with a turnover and had the ball out-of-bounds in its own frontcourt with two seconds to play. But, McInnis picked off Bob Sura's inbounds pass to preserve the win.

McInnis finished with 19 points and Stackhouse had 17 for Carolina. Also in double figures were Wallace with 15 and Calabria with 12. McInnis hit eight of nine field goal attempts, including all three of his three-pointers.

Collins led the Florida State scoring with 24 and Sura added 16.

A key to the win was the Tar Heel defense. Carolina shot 56.0 percent from the floor, but held the Seminoles to 42.9 percent shooting.

1995--Men and Women Sweep ACC track Crowns
GREENSBORO, N.C.--North Carolina won both the Men's and Women's Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Greensboro Special Events Center.

Freshman Milton Capmbell catured both the 400 and 800 meters as the Tar Heel men won seven individual events. Carolina's men and women each finished with 192 points. Both were the most ever at the ACC Indoor Games.

Carolina freshman Tasha Colander was named the women's outstanding performers after sweeping the 55-meter hurdles and the 200-meter run. She was also second in the 55 meters.

Junior Tyra Moore was first in the triple jump and second in the 55-meter hurdles and the long jump.

The women also got first places from Tiffany Weatherford in the 400 meters, Monique Hunt in the 800, Kim Jones in the high jump, Susanna Matsen in the 5000 meters the 4x400-meter relay.

The men had first-place finishes from Jerry Ingram in the shot put, Obaro Irbu in the 35-pound weight throw, Shannon Pope in the pole vault, Kendrick Morgan in the triple jump, Maurice Smith in the long jump and Eric Bishop in the high jump.

February 24

1956--Rosenbluth Saves Win Over Duke
CHAPEL HILL--Lennie Rosenbluth kept North Carolina close in a ragged first half, allowing the Tar heels to recover for a 73-65 win over Duke at Woollen Gymnasium.

The Tar Heels hit just seven of 39 shots from the floor in the first 20 minutes, a percentage of 17.9. Rosenbluth had six of those baskets and Joe Quigg added the other. Rosenbluth finished with 17 points in that first period.

Duke at one time built an 11-point lead, 30-29. However, Carolina did make 14 of 17 free throws and only trailed 34-28 at the break.

Carolina reeled off the first six points of the second half to tie the game. Tommy Kearns hit a jumper from the corner, Jerry Vayda scored inside and Kearns made a pair of free throws.

Duke pushed back ahead 46-43. But, a jumper by Rosenbluth and two more foul shots by Kearns put the Tar Heels ahead to stay.

Rosenbluth finished with 31 points and 14 rebounds. Pete Brennan added 14 points and Kearns scored 12. Quigg grabbed 13 rebounds as Carolina had a 48-36 edge on the backboards.

Ronnie Mayer had 32 points for the Blue Devils and Joe Belmont followed with 19. No other Duke player had more than four points.

The win assured Carolina of a tie for first place in the final Atlantic Coast Conference standings. The Tar Heels finished 11-3 in ACC play. Wake Forest and N.C. Sate are each 10-3. The winner of their upcoming showdown will tie the Tar Heels, while the loser will drop into a third-place tie with Duke at 10-4.

1991-- Swimmers Complete Rout in ACC Men's Meet
CHAPEL HILL--North Carolina completed its domination of the Men's Atlantis Coast Conference Swimming and Diving Championships at Koury Natatorium by winning five of seven events on the final day of competition and taking its third league title in four years.

Carolina finished the meet with 852 team points, the highest total in ACC swimming history. The meet has been held since 1954.

N.C. State finished a distant second with 596.5 points.

During the course of the three-day meet, Carolina swimmers set six Koury Natatorium pool records, nine ACC championship meet records, seven ACC records and 12 school records. Carolina also qualified all five of their relays for next month's NCAA Championships, as well as eight individuals in 22 events.

Carolina won 14 of the meet's 20 events.

In Sunday night's finals, the Tar Heels got another standout performance from sophomore David Monasterio. He won his third individual race of the competition, taking the 200-yard butterfly in an ACC-record time of 1:45.30. He also anchored UNC's winning 400-medley relay. Joining him on that team were John Davis, Tod Schroeder and Mark Sedlak.

Earlier in the meet Monasterio had won the 500 and 200 freestyles. He finished the three days as a member of four winning relays.

Davis, who also had three individual wins in the championships, had a first-place finish Sunday in the 200 backstroke. That gave him 11 individual ACC titles, most in league history.

Other Tar Heel winners on the final day were Marc Ferguson in the 1650 freestyle and John Fischetti in the 200 breaststroke.