North Carolina Tar Heels: 2009 vs 1977, Bracket Challenge

The North Carolina Tar Heels Final Four Bracket Challenge is closing the books on the third round with the 2009 team taking on 1977 team.

The North Carolina Tar Heels Final Four Bracket Challenge is reaching its own Final Four and the ticket will be punched just as soon as the 2009 Champs take on the 1977 team. This matchup between the most dominant Roy Williams era team and the Dean Smith team that didn’t quite make it will decide that final spot.

This matchup is kind to me in that the simulator gets to do the dirty work. This is good news for me as I have little familiarity with the 1977 team, but I am related to people that were around when they played. Amongst those people the 1977 team ranks high, whereas I know it only as the best team of the Phil Ford era.

The NCAA on Demand Youtube Channel has a bunch of games and I went back and watched the 2009 game against Michigan State yesterday. I had forgotten that several Heels (Danny Green) carried some foul trouble in that game. I had forgotten that the second half was pretty even between the two teams, which was small mercy to the Spartans. They had begun that half twenty-one points down. It was still somewhat surreal to watch the ball and player movement in comparison to the recent Gonzaga game.

The 1977 game is also up on Youtube if you want to see the Heels lose to Marquette. It doesn’t really give the full flavor of that team since Ford was limited in that game. I wish I had noticed this service earlier. Unfortunately the games don’t cover those 1960s teams that seem to be giving me so much trouble.

With that in mind let’s look at the lineups before letting the simulator roll