North Carolina Tar Heels: Final Four Bracket Game 2

The North Carolina Tar Heels Final Four Bracket continues with Game 2 featuring the 1997 and 2008 editions of the team.

The first game of the North Carolina Tar Heels Final Four Bracket Challenge ended with a victory by the 2017 team over the 1972 team. Game 2 is next with the 1997 Tar Heels taking on the 2008 Tar Heels. This time the things are a bit different. In Game 1, I had to go on my own gut, but for this matchup I have the advantage of a couple of factors.

First, both teams play in the modern era. Both shoot three pointers and the game has not changed nearly as much as it did with the institution of the shot clock.

Second, I have access to a simulator that claims it can give results for any Tar Heel team from 1975 onward. This takes my bias out of play if any were to exist in this matter. I may not like the simulated result, but I will accept it.

The 1997 team was Dean Smith’s final team. It is the team that broke the career coaching wins record of Adolph Rupp by beating Chauncey Billups and Colorado. It was the second of the Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter teams and the first to introduce pass first point guard Ed Cota. Cota was new enough that he did not start in some games. Jamison had proved his reliability next to Serge Zwikker while Carter took a big step in the right direction during that season. Behind them was Ademola Okulaja with his defense. The team ran into Miles Simon and eventual champion Arizona.

The 2008 team was the odd brother of the Hansbrough era teams. The 2007 and 2009 teams that surrounded it were more akin to super teams than it was. It was a more streamlined team that resulted in Tyler Hansbrough getting Player of the Year honors. The team was good enough that Danny Green, Wayne Ellington, and Ty Lawson all put out draft feelers but not good enough to push them into the draft. The 2008 team refined the 2007 team formula and fortunately got to perfect it the next year. They are disappointing in that they did a much worse job with eventual national champion Kansas than Stephen Curry-led Davidson did just a week before.