UNC won the East Regional last night over fellow ACC school Notre Dame to advance to the Final Four for the 19th time in school history, more than any other program. This will be Roy Williams' eighth trip to college basketball's final weekend placing him fourth all time behind John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski and Dean Smith. UNC is also the only school to appear in the Final Four in eight straight decades. The NCAA Tournament started in 1939 making UNC the only school to appear in the Final Four during every full decade the event has been contested.
Here a few notes about UNC's season so far.
-UNC has won 32 games for the 10th time in school history, five of those seasons have come under Roy Williams.
-Brice Johnson broke one record last night and tied another. Johnson's 23rd double-double of the season broke the record previously held by Billy Cunningham. Johnson also has 399 rebounds on the season which ties Tyler Hansbrough for the single season record.
-UNC posted an offensive efficiency of 154.3 versus Notre Dame. That is the second highest game offensive efficiency in the Roy Williams era. Only UNC's 160.6 versus Arkansas during the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008 was better.
-Carolina's win over Notre Dame was a 57 possession game which is the lowest in the Roy Williams era. The Tar Heels are 5-0 under Williams in games below 60 possessions.
-For the season UNC's offensive efficiency is a Williams era high of 123.1 which outpaces the 2009 team's 122.4. That is presently #1 nationally according to KenPom. UNC's defensive efficiency took a hit over the past two games dropping to 21st overall at 95.3.
-UNC will tip-off versus Syracuse in the Final Four at 8:49 PM on Saturday night in Houston. UNC is 4-1 in the city of Houston with its only loss coming at the hands of Louisville during the 1990 Sweet Sixteen. The Tar Heels are 1-2 versus Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament, 2-0 versus Oklahoma and 5-1 against Villanova.
