2000–01 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

The 2000–01 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2000–01 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Matt Doherty. The team captain for this season was Brendan Haywood.[2] The team played its home games in the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

2000–01 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
ACC regular season co-champions
NABC Classic champions
Tournament of Champions champions
NCAA tournament, Round of 32
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 10
APNo. 6
Record26–7 (13–3 ACC Atlantic Coast Conference)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
CaptainBrendan Haywood
Home arenaDean Smith Center
Seasons
2000–01 ACC men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 6 North Carolina133 .813267 .788
No. 1 Duke133 .813354 .897
No. 11 Maryland106 .6252511 .694
No. 16 Virginia97 .563209 .690
Georgia Tech88 .5001713 .567
No. 23 Wake Forest88 .5001911 .633
NC State511 .3131316 .448
Florida State412 .250921 .300
Clemson214 .1251219 .387
2001 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Roster

2000–01 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
C00Brendan Haywood (C)7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)268 lb (122 kg)SrDudleyGreensboro, North Carolina
G3Brian Morrison6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)178 lb (81 kg)FrLake WashingtonRedmond, Washington
G/F11Michael Brooker6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)222 lb (101 kg)SrBrentwood AcademySandersville, Georgia
C13Neil Fingleton  7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)280 lb (127 kg)FrHoly NameDurham, England
G14Jonathan Holmes6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg)SoBloomington SouthBloomington, Indiana
G22Ronald Curry6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)200 lb (91 kg)SoHamptonHampton, Virginia
G/F24Max Owens6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)198 lb (90 kg)SrMt. Zion AcademyMacon, Georgia
G/F25Jason Capel6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg)JrSt. John's Prospect HallFayetteville, North Carolina
G31Adam Boone6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)192 lb (87 kg)FrMinnetonkaMinneapolis, Minnesota
F32Orlando Meléndez6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)200 lb (91 kg)JrMcDowellJuana Díaz, Puerto Rico
F35Jim Everett (W)6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)240 lb (109 kg)SrProvidenceCharlotte, North Carolina
G40Joseph Forte6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)192 lb (87 kg)SoDeMathaGreenbelt, Maryland
F/C42Kris Lang6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)256 lb (116 kg)JrHunter HussGastonia, North Carolina
F44Will Johnson (W)6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)216 lb (98 kg)SoHickoryHickory, North Carolina
F45Julius Peppers6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)290 lb (132 kg)SoSouthern NashBailey, North Carolina
F/C50Brian Bersticker6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)241 lb (109 kg)JrKempsvilleVirginia Beach, Virginia
Head coach

Matt Doherty

Assistant coach(es)

Doug Wojcik, Fred Quartlebaum, Bob MacKinnon


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

[3]

Fingleton had back surgery in August 2000, but was unable to practice with the team until midway into the season.[4]

Schedule and results

This season was Doherty's first year as head coach, after the retirement of Bill Guthridge. He was formally announced as head coach on July 11, 2000.[5]

The Tar Heels started the season ranked sixth in the AP Poll. After suffering back to back losses from Michigan State and an upset loss against an unranked Kentucky, the Tar Heels went on an 18-0 undefeated run, including an undefeated 11-0 run in conference play. During this run, the Tar Heels were ranked number one in the AP Poll; this Tar Heel team was the first team Doherty coached that reached that achievement.[6] Despite losses to Clemson, Virginia, and eventual national champions Duke in return fixtures, the Tar Heels won a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title.

The Tar Heels were the number one seed in the 2001 ACC men's basketball tournament, held that year in Atlanta, Georgia. They defeated Clemson and Georgia Tech in the semifinals and finals, respectfully, before falling to Duke in the final.

Seeded second in the South Region for the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels defeated fifteenth-seeded Princeton in New Orleans, Louisiana before falling to seventh-seeded Penn State in a surprise upset.

The Tar Heels would end the season ranked sixth in the AP Poll and fifth in the Coaches Poll.[7]

On March 30, 2001, Doherty was named the AP Coach of the Year. He was the first coach to win this honor in his first season coaching a team since Kelvin Sampson in 1995.[8]

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
October 21, 2000*
2:00 pm
Blue Team/White Team
Scrimmage
   Dean Smith Center (10,225)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 6, 2000*
7:00 pm
Yakima Sun Kings
Exhibition game
W 96–87 0–0
 22  Tied  13  Haywood  9  Forte[10] Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
November 10, 2000*
7:30 pm
No. 6 Winthrop
NABC Classic
W 66–61 1–0
 14  Tied  8  Lang  4  Forte Dean Smith Center (16,850)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 11, 2000*
8:30 pm
No. 6 Tulsa
NABC Classic
W 91–81 2–0
 38  Forte  10  Forte  6  Forte Dean Smith Center (19,875)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 17, 2000*
7:30 pm, Fox Sports South
No. 7 at Appalachian StateW 99–69 3–0
 20  Forte  6  Tied  6  Capel Holmes Center (8,325)
Boone, NC
November 21, 2000*
7:00 pm
No. 7 EA California All-Stars
Exhibition game
W 88–65 0–0
 19  Forte  17  Haywood      Carmichael Auditorium 
Chapel Hill, NC
November 29, 2000*
7:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 6 at No. 3 Michigan State
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
L 64–77 3–1
 22  Lang  5  Tied  5  Capel[11] Breslin Center (14,759)
East Lansing, MI
December 2, 2000*
3:50 pm[12], CBS
No. 6 Kentucky
Rivalry
L 76–93 3–2
 19  Forte  11  Haywood  5  Morrison Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
December 4, 2000*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 14 Miami (FL)W 67–45 4–2
 18  Haywood  14  Haywood  7  Forte Dean Smith Center (19,859)
Chapel Hill, NC
December 9, 2000*
9:00 pm, Fox Sports
No. 14 at Texas A&MW 82–60 5–2
 23  Forte  7  Capel  7  Capel Reed Arena (9,123)
College Station, TX
December 17, 2000*
1:30 pm, RJ
No. 15 BuffaloW 95–74 6–2
 23  Forte  11  Capel  10  Capel Dean Smith Center (18,134)
Chapel Hill, NC
December 23, 2000*
4:00 pm, CBS
No. 15 at UCLAW 80–70 7–2
 29  Forte  13  Haywood  3  Tied Pauley Pavilion (10,593)
Los Angeles, CA
December 29, 2000*
9:15 pm, RJ
No. 14 vs. UMass
Tournament of Champions
W 91–60 8–2
 16  Forte  7  Tied  4  Curry Charlotte Coliseum (13,224)
Charlotte, NC
December 30, 2000*
9:15 pm, RJ
No. 14 vs. Charleston
Tournament of Champions
W 64–60 9–2
 29  Forte  8  Tied  3  Capel Charlotte Coliseum (13,378)
Charlotte, NC
January 2, 2001
8:00 pm, RJ
No. 13 at Georgia TechW 84–70 10–2
(1–0)
 20  Forte  12  Lang  4  Curry Alexander Coliseum (9,510)
Atlanta, GA
January 6, 2001
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 13 No. 4 Wake ForestW 70–69 11–2
(2–0)
 24  Haywood  10  Haywood  7  Curry Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 10, 2001
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 9 at No. 14 MarylandW 86–83 12–2
(3–0)
 26  Forte  10  Capel  7  Curry Cole Field House (14,500)
College Park, MD
January 13, 2001*
1:00 pm, ABC
No. 9 MarquetteW 84–54 13–2
 17  Haywood  9  Tied  3  Haywood Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 17, 2001
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 6 ClemsonW 92–65 14–2
(4–0)
 14  Forte  9  Capel  5  Capel Dean Smith Center (21,335)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 20, 2001
4:00 pm, RJ
No. 6 at Florida StateW 80–70 15–2
(5–0)
 28  Forte  6  Capel  4  Curry Tallahassee Civic Center (7,452)
Tallahassee, FL
January 24, 2001
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 5 No. 13 VirginiaW 88–81 16–2
(6–0)
 33  Forte  10  Haywood  4  Tied Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 28, 2001
1:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 5 at NC State
Carolina–State Game
W 60–52 17–2
(7–0)
 21  Forte  8  Tied  5  Tied Raleigh ESA (19,722)
Raleigh, NC
February 1, 2001
9:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 4 at No. 2 Duke
Carolina–Duke rivalry
W 85–83 18–2
(8–0)
 24  Forte  16  Forte  6  Forte Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
February 3, 2001
4:00 pm, RJ
No. 4 Georgia TechW 82–69 19–2
(9–0)
 23  Forte  11  Capel  5  Capel Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 6, 2001
9:00 pm, RJ
No. 1 at No. 19 Wake ForestW 80–74 20–2
(10–0)
 24  Forte  10  Capel  6  Haywood LJVM Coliseum (14,407)
Winston-Salem, NC
February 10, 2001
1:00 pm, CBS
No. 1 No. 13 MarylandW 96–82 21–2
(11–0)
 27  Capel  8  Capel  8  Curry Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 18, 2001
4:00 pm, RJ
No. 1 at ClemsonL 65–75 21–3
(11–1)
 16  Tied  12  Capel  4  Tied Littlejohn Coliseum (11,200)
Clemson, SC
February 22, 2001
8:00 pm, RJ
No. 2 Florida StateW 95–67 22–3
(12–1)
 36  Forte  9  Lang  4  Forte Dean Smith Center (21,652)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 24, 2001
1:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 2 at No. 9 VirginiaL 66–86 22–4
(12–2)
 28  Forte  9  Capel  5  Tied University Hall (8,392)
Charlottesville, VA
February 28, 2001
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 4 NC State
Carolina–State Game
W 76–63 23–4
(13–2)
 27  Forte  8  Haywood  4  Capel Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
March 4, 2001
3:30 pm, ESPN
No. 4 No. 2 Duke
Carolina–Duke rivalry
L 81–95 23–5
(13–3)
 21  Forte  11  Capel  5  Curry Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
ACC Tournament
March 9, 2001
12:00 pm, ESPN
(1) No. 6 vs. (9) Clemson
Quarterfinal
W 99–81 24–5
 23  Capel  3  Capel  10  Curry Georgia Dome 
Atlanta, GA
March 10, 2001
1:30 pm, ESPN
(1) No. 6 vs. (5) Georgia Tech
Semifinal
W 70–63 25–5
 27  Forte  12  Forte  4  Capel Georgia Dome 
Atlanta, GA
March 11, 2001
1:00PM, ESPN
(1) No. 6 vs. (2) No. 3 Duke
Rivalry/Final
L 53–79 25–6
 14  Forte  13  Haywood  4  Tied Georgia Dome (40,083)
Atlanta, GA
NCAA Tournament
March 16, 2001
 CBS
(2 S) No. 6 vs. (15 S) Princeton
First Round
W 70–48 26–6
 15  Haywood  12  Forte  8  Capel Louisiana Superdome (12,107)
New Orleans, LA
March 18, 2001
 CBS
(2 S) No. 6 vs. (7 S) Penn State
Second Round
L 74–82 26–7
 21  Peppers  13  Haywood  7  Curry[13] Louisiana Superdome 
New Orleans, LA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South.

[3][14]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP677614151514139654112466Not released
Coaches44^7612151616141166411245510

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a week 2 poll

Team players drafted into the NBA

YearRoundPickPlayerNBA Club
2001120Brendan HaywoodCleveland Cavaliers
2001121Joseph ForteBoston Celtics

[15]

References