1983–84 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

The 1983–84 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented University of North Carolina in the 1983–84 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 28–3 overall, won the ACC regular season title with a 14–0 record and made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the 1984 NCAA tournament. They were coached by Dean Smith in his twenty-third season as head coach of the Tar Heels. They played their home games at the Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

1983–84 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
ACC regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record28–3 (14–0 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCarmichael Auditorium
Seasons
1983–84 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 North Carolina 14 0   1.000 28 3   .903
No. 11 Maryland 9 5   .643 24 8   .750
No. 19 Wake Forest 7 7   .500 23 9   .719
No. 14 Duke 7 7   .500 24 10   .706
Georgia Tech 6 8   .429 18 11   .621
Virginia 6 8   .429 21 12   .636
NC State 4 10   .286 19 14   .576
Clemson 3 11   .214 14 14   .500
1984 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Season Summary

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Returning seniors Sam Perkins and Matt Doherty, junior Michael Jordan, and sophomore Brad Daugherty, the Tar Heels were ranked #1 in the AP poll and #2 in the Coaches' Poll to start the season.

On Saturday, November 3 coach Dean Smith recorded his 500th career victory with an 88–75 win at Stanford.[1] On Wednesday, January 25 UNC recorded its largest margin of victory in the history of its rivalry with Wake Forest, trouncing Wake Forest 100–63.[2] Except for the second week of the season, North Carolina was ranked #1 in the AP Poll for the entire season. The Tar Heels were 16–0 and dominating other teams, when their point guard, freshman Kenny Smith, was injured. He broke his wrist after being taken down on a break-away against #10 LSU on January 29, 1984. Although North Carolina won the game 90–79, the team's chemistry was disrupted.[3] The Tar Heels won their next four games to reach 21–0 but lost on February 12, 1984, at 19th ranked (UPI) Arkansas 65–64. They won their last five games, including a memorable season-ending game over Duke (see below), to finish the regular season 26–1 and 14–0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Although Kenny Smith returned with a cast on his arm against Duke, the Tar Heels' season ended on a flat note. After beating Clemson in the opening round of the ACC Tournament, North Carolina lost to Duke 77–75 (see below) in the semi-finals of the tournament. Despite the loss, the Tar Heels retained their #1 ranking and received a #1 seed in the East Regional of the NCAA tournament. They received a first-round bye and defeated #8-seed Temple 77–66 in the second round. However, their season ended in disappointment in the East Regional semi-finals with a 72–68 loss to #4-seed Indiana.

Dean Smith often said that the 1983–84 Tar Heels' team was one of the few teams he coached that he felt was the best team in the country. Although freshman Kenny Smith was overshadowed by other teammates on this team, his mid-season injury may have prevented the Tar Heels, and stars Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins, from winning their second national championship in three years.[3]

North Carolina played two notable games against Duke in 1984:

  • March 3, 1984: #1 North Carolina 96, Duke 83 (2OT)

The final home game for Matt Doherty, Michael Jordan, and Sam Perkins, was a memorable one for Tar Heels fans. North Carolina looked to be finished when Duke's Mark Alarie converted a three-point play with 20 second to go in regulation and the Tar Heels missed a jumper that would have tied the game. However, after the Blue Devils missed the front end of a one-and-one, Matt Doherty took the inbounds pass the length of the court and hit a 15-footer with one second remaining to force overtime. The teams traded baskets during the first overtime and headed for the second extra session tied at 79. Michael Jordan opened the second overtime with an ally oop and a free throw, but Johnny Dawkins cut the North Carolina lead to 82–81 with a short jumper. Duke would get only one more basket as Jordan and Sam Perkins carried the Tar Heels to the 96–83 final, and North Carolina became the first ACC team in 10 years to go undefeated in conference play (14–0). Alarie led all scorers with 28 points, while Jordan topped Carolina with 25.

  • March 10, 1984: #16 Duke 77, #1 North Carolina 75

After losing two close games to North Carolina in the regular season, Duke finally upset the Tar Heels in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. Johnny Dawkins and Tommy Amaker led the Blue Devils to a 40–32 halftime advantage. Nevertheless, North Carolina went on a 12–2 run to open the second half, tying the score at 44–44 in a game that was close the rest of the way. David Henderson hit four late free throws to keep Duke in the lead, but Michael Jordan closed the gap to 77–75. North Carolina regained possession with three seconds left in the game, but the Tar Heels comeback bid ended with Matt Doherty's errant inbounds pass. Jordan led all scorers with 22 points, while Doherty scored 20 and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Roster

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1983–84 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
PG 20 Cliff Morris 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Jr   Durham, NC
PG 22 Buzz Peterson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Jr Asheville Asheville, NC
G/F 23 Michael Jordan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Emsley A. Laney Wilmington, NC
PF 24 Joe Wolf 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Kohler Kohler, WI
SG 25 Steve Hale 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
So   Jenks, OK
PG 30 Kenny Smith 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Archbishop Molloy Queens, NY
PF 35 Dave Popson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Bishop O'Reilly Ashley, PA
F/C 41 Sam Perkins 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Shaker (Latham NY Brooklyn, NY
C 42 Brad Daugherty 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
So Owen Black Mountain, NC
SG 43 Curtis Hunter 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Fr Southern Durham, NC
SF 44 Matt Doherty 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Sr Holy Trinity East Meadow, NY
SF 50 Cecil Exum 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Sr   Dudley, NC
C 51 Timo Makkonen 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Sr   Lahti, Finland
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster

Source: Tar Heel Times[4]

Player stats

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Player Games Minutes Field Goals Three Pointers Free Throws Rebounds Blocks Steals Points
Michael Jordan[5] 31 915 247 N/A 113 163 35 50 607
Sam Perkins[6] 31 1029 195 N/A 155 298 60 28 545

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 26, 1983*
No. 1 Missouri W 64–57  1–0
Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
Nov 28, 1983*
No. 1 Tennessee-Chattanooga W 85–63  2–0
Carmichael Auditorium 
Chapel Hill, NC
Dec 2, 1983*
No. 2 vs. Fordham
Stanford Invitational
W 73–56  3–0
Maples Pavilion 
Stanford, CA
Dec 3, 1983*
No. 2 at Stanford
Stanford Invitational
W 88–75  4–0
Maples Pavilion 
Stanford, CA
Dec 10, 1983*
No. 1 at Syracuse W 87–64  5–0
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, NY
Dec 21, 1983*
No. 1 Dartmouth W 103–58  6–0
Carmichael Auditorium 
Chapel Hill, NC
Dec 27, 1983*
No. 1 vs. Iona
ECAC Holiday Festival
W 74–61  7–0
Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
Dec 28, 1983*
No. 1 at No. 8 St. John's
ECAC Holiday Festival
W 64–51  8–0
Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
Jan 5, 1984*
No. 1 vs. Boston University W 87–54  9–0
Charlotte Coliseum 
Charlotte, NC
Jan 7, 1984
No. 1 at No. 12 NC State
Carolina–State Game
W 81–60  10–0
(1–0)
Reynolds Coliseum 
Raleigh, NC
Jan 12, 1984
No. 1 at No. 5 Maryland W 74–62  11–0
(2–0)
Cole Field House 
College Park, MD
Jan 14, 1984
No. 1 at No. 12 Wake Forest W 70–62  12–0
(3–0)
Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
Jan 18, 1984
No. 1 Virginia W 69–66  13–0
(4–0)
Carmichael Auditorium 
Chapel Hill, NC
Jan 21, 1984
No. 1 at Duke
Rivalry
W 78–73  14–0
(5–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
Jan 25, 1984
No. 1 No. 17 Wake Forest W 100–63  15–0
(6–0)
Carmichael Auditorium 
Chapel Hill, NC
Jan 28, 1984
No. 1 Georgia Tech W 73–61  16–0
(7–0)
Carmichael Auditorium 
Chapel Hill, NC
Jan 29, 1984*
No. 1 LSU W 90–79  17–0
Carmichael Auditorium 
Chapel Hill, NC
Feb 1, 1984
No. 1 Clemson W 97–75  18–0
(8–0)
Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
Feb 3, 1984*
No. 1 vs. Furman
North-South Doubleheaders
W 83–48  19–0
Charlotte Coliseum 
Charlotte, NC
Feb 4, 1984*
No. 1 vs. Citadel
North-South Doubleheaders
W 76–60  20–0
Charlotte Coliseum 
Charlotte, NC
Feb 9, 1984
No. 1 at Virginia W 85–72  21–0
(9–0)
University Hall 
Charlottesville, VA
Feb 12, 1984*
 NBC
No. 1 vs. Arkansas L 64–65  21–1
Pine Bluff Convention Center (7,529)
Pine Bluff, AR
Feb 18, 1984
No. 1 NC State
Carolina–State Game
W 95–71  22–1
(10–0)
Carmichael Auditorium 
Chapel Hill, NC
Feb 19, 1984
No. 1 Maryland W 78–63  23–1
(11–0)
Carmichael Auditorium 
Chapel Hill, NC
Feb 26, 1984
No. 1 at Clemson W 82–71  24–1
(12–0)
Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
Feb 29, 1984
No. 1 at Georgia Tech W 69–56  25–1
(13–0)
Omni Coliseum 
Atlanta, GA
Mar 3, 1984
 Raycom/JPT
No. 1 No. 15 Duke
Rivalry
W 96–83 2OT 26–1
(14–0)
Carmichael Auditorium 
Chapel Hill, NC
ACC Tournament
Mar 9, 1984
12:00 p.m., Raycom/JPT
(1) No. 1 vs. (8) Clemson
Quarterfinal
W 78–66  27–1
Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
Mar 10, 1984
 Raycom/JPT
(1) No. 1 vs. (4) No. 16 Duke
Semifinal / Rivalry
L 68–72  27–2
Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
NCAA Tournament
Mar 17, 1984*
(1 E) No. 1 vs. (8 E) No. 20 Temple
Second Round
W 77–66  28–2
Charlotte Coliseum 
Charlotte, NC
Mar 22, 1984*
(1 E) No. 1 vs. (4 E) Indiana
Sweet Sixteen
L 68–72  28–3
Omni Coliseum 
Atlanta, GA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East Region.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
AP12111111111111111
CoachesNot released222222111111111

[7][8]

Awards and honors

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Team players drafted into the NBA

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Year Round Pick Player NBA Club
1984 1 3 Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls
1984 1 4 Sam Perkins Dallas Mavericks
1984 6 118 Matt Doherty Cleveland Cavaliers
1984 9 194 Cecil Exum Denver Nuggets
1985 7 147 Buzz Peterson Cleveland Cavaliers
1986 1 1 Brad Daugherty Cleveland Cavaliers
1986 4 81 Steve Hale New Jersey Nets
1987 1 6 Kenny Smith Sacramento Kings
1987 1 13 Joe Wolf Los Angeles Clippers
1987 4 88 Dave Popson Detroit Pistons

[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Wolfpack win streak ends at 15". USA Today. December 5, 1983.
  2. ^ Moore, David Leon (January 26, 1984). "North Carolina confuses, routs Wake 100-63". USA Today.
  3. ^ a b "May's Injury Joins Long List For Carolina Hoops, Jan. 29, 2003". TarHeelBlue.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  4. ^ "1983-1984 UNC Basketball Roster". Tar Heel Times. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  5. ^ "Michael Jordan Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  6. ^ "Sam Perkins Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
  7. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 910–911. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  8. ^ "1983-84 College Basketball Polls". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  9. ^ "About Us". Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  10. ^ "Naismith Awards - Naismith Trophy". Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  11. ^ "The Oscar Robertson Trophy - Past Oscar Robertson Trophy Winners". Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
  12. ^ "Wooden Award - Athletics". Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  13. ^ "1984 NBA Draft on databaseBasketball.com". Archived from the original on July 6, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.