Not many men's higher basketball programs accept been more dominant than the North Carolina Tar Heels.

UNC has the 3rd-most national championships ever, only backside UCLA and Kentucky. The schoolhouse has too produced some of the greatest NBA players in history in Michael Hashemite kingdom of jordan, James Worthy, and Vince Carter.

But when virtually teams are called something ferocious like the "Tigers," "Bears," or "Bulldogs," why is North Carolina called the Tar Heels? Heck, what even is a Tar Heel?

Here's some more data virtually the higher basketball powerhouse.

North Carolina is a college basketball powerhouse

North Carolina's higher basketball dominance dates dorsum to the 1940s. The program reached its first national title game in 1946, merely it didn't win its first championship until a little over a decade afterwards, in 1957.

Notwithstanding, it didn't consistently become one of the best teams in the country until the great Dean Smith became head bus in 1961.

UNC reached the Terminal Four under Smith in three consecutive seasons betwixt 1967–1969, making one national title game appearance during that span. But that was merely the commencement of its success under Smith.

North Carolina recorded 11 Final Four appearances with the legendary charabanc and fabricated information technology to the national title game five times. The Tar Heels won Smith his first title in 1982 with Michael Hashemite kingdom of jordan, James Worthy, and Sam Perkins before winning another 11 years later in 1993.

Smith'due south tenure in Chapel Loma ended subsequently 1997, and Bill Guthridge took the squad to 2 Final Fours in 1998 and 2000. But after some down years with Matt Doherty, UNC became dominant once more once it hired Roy Williams as head omnibus in 2003.

Williams led the Tar Heels to five Final Fours and four national title games. They won iii championships under his leadership, which improved their full number to six and is just behind UCLA'south 11 and Kentucky's eight.

Why is North Carolina called the Tar Heels?

North Carolina Tar Heels player Leaky Black before the 2022 Final Four.
Leaky Black of the N Carolina Tar Heels poses during Media Mean solar day for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final 4 on March 31, 2022. | Isaiah Vazquez/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

And then, why is North Carolina, ane of the about feared college basketball programs in the state, named the Tar Heels?

The term obviously dates back to the country'due south early history when it was known for producing naval manufacture supplies.

"Workers who distilled turpentine from the sticky sap of pine trees and burned pine boughs to produce tar and pitch often went barefoot during hot summertime months and undoubtedly collected tar on their heels," the schoolhouse's alumni website reads. "To phone call someone a 'rosin heel' or 'tar heel' was to imply that they worked in a lowly trade."

However, North Carolina natives started taking more pride in beingness called "tar heels" during the Civil War.

"North Carolina soldiers flipped the meaning of the term and turned an epithet into an award," the alumni site reads. "They called themselves 'tar heels' as an expression of state pride. Others adopted the term, and N Carolina became widely known equally the 'Tar Heel Country.'"

Then how did the university's sports teams adopt the name? UNC needed a nickname in the 1880s when it outset started competing in intercollegiate athletics. And there was seemingly not much of a debate about what information technology would telephone call its teams.

The Academy of Due north Carolina became the Tar Heels, and the remainder is history.

The North Carolina Tar Heels have a bright future

Since becoming the Tar Heels, the schoolhouse'due south basketball program has developed a rich tradition. And information technology doesn't appear to be lowering its standards someday presently.

Roy Williams retired after the 2020-21 season, and former UNC player Hubert Davis took over.

Davis helped pb Northward Carolina to the Concluding Four every bit a thespian in 1990-91 before having a breakout yr in 1991-92, averaging 21.4 points. He went on to play in 12 NBA seasons.

In his commencement twelvemonth as UNC's caput bus, his squad looked like information technology was bound to miss the NCAA Tournament. Information technology was eighteen-8 with some bad losses on its resume. But a hot terminate and an upset win over fourth-ranked Duke got them into the tourney as an eight seed. The Tar Heels so went on a miraculous run through the East region to make the Terminal Four.

If you're not a North Carolina fan, you may be tired of hearing about the Tar Heels at this betoken. You better get used to it, though, because it looks like Davis will accept them atop the higher basketball landscape for years to come.

Stats courtesy of Sports Reference

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