The Tar Heels have played 13 games on St. Patty’s Day.

Tonight, they will play for the 14th time on St. Patrick’s Day, the global holiday to honor the patron saint of Ireland that has since turned into a celebration of dancing, eating and drinking, mostly drinking. Roy Williams is 2-0 on St. Patty’s day at UNC, beating Murray State in the 2006 NCAA Tournament and Michigan State the next year in the game that Tyler Hansbrough played with a broken nose and mask that he ripped off in the second half.

Bill Guthridge was 1-0 on March 17, beating Missouri in 2000, the game that launched the Tar Heels onto their second Final Four in three years under Coach Gut. In Dean Smith’s 36 seasons, his teams played 10 times when leprechauns were frolicking all over the world. He won nine of the those 10, losing his last St. Patty’s Day game to Texas Tech in 1996, when the Red Raiders’ Darvin Ham shattered green UNC’s hopes in the Big Dance, along with a backboard.

The Heels played some famous and infamous games on March 17, three times with wins that catapulted them to the Final Four. None was more memorable than their 1977 dramatic victory over, of all teams, Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen at College Park, Maryland. Carolina also defeated Villanova in 1991 and Murray State in 1995 on the way to those Final Fours. In 1980, the Heels stunned top-ranked Oklahoma in the second round on Rick Fox’s driving bank shot, as Woody Durham bellowed, “The game is over! The game is over!”

And there was the 1984 win over Temple on St. Patty’s day, five days before perhaps Carolina’s best team ever lost to Indiana in the game that TV announcer Dan Dakich supposedly shut down Michael Jordan. Sure you did, Dan, keep telling people that!

Perhaps the most special March 17 victory came in 1967, when the Tar Heels avenged a regular–season loss to Princeton in the Eastern Regional at College Park and gave Smith his first of what would be 65 NCAA Tournament victories, another record he held the day he retired 30 years later.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Tar Heels!

Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's Basketball to Host Arkansas, Women to Host LSU in 2026 ACC-SEC Challenge
The matchups have been set for both the UNC men’s and women’s basketball programs in the upcoming ACC-SEC Challenge: the men will host Arkansas on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the Smith Center, while the women will host LSU on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at Carmichael Arena. ACC/SEC challenge is set 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/AWzBSN1Cbv — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) […]
Greek Prospect Alexandros Samodurov Commits to UNC Men's Basketball
Another international prospect is making his way to Chapel Hill. Alexandros Samodurov, who has played professionally in Greece since 2022, announced his commitment to head coach Michael Malone and UNC Saturday. Samodurov, a 6-foot-11 forward, has played his entire professional career with the Greek club Panathinaikos. The club has seen sustained success during his time […]
ACC Opponents Set for 2026-27 UNC Men's Basketball Season
The UNC men’s basketball program revealed its ACC opponents for the 2026-27 season. It will be the second since the league shifted from a 20-game schedule to an 18-game schedule. Like in 2025-26, the Tar Heels will play two opponents twice, 14 opponents once and not play one other league school at all during the […]
Matt Able Withdraws From NBA Draft, Will Play for UNC Men's Basketball Next Season
Matt Able, who committed to UNC out of the transfer portal in April after playing his freshman season at NC State but also went through the NBA Draft Combine process, withdrew his name from the draft Monday. Able has already signed with the Tar Heels, meaning he is locked in to playing for the program […]
Report: UNC Men's Basketball Hiring Former Tar Heel Brandon Robinson to Staff
According to a report from Inside Carolina, former UNC men’s basketball player Brandon Robinson is set to join head coach Michael Malone’s staff in Chapel Hill for the upcoming season. Robinson played four years in Chapel Hill and was a freshman on UNC’s 2016-17 national championship team. He played in 130 total games during his […]
Former LSU Signee Kevin Thomas Commits to UNC Men's Basketball
Kevin Thomas, a four-star recruit who initially signed with LSU but decommitted in March, has now committed to head coach Michael Malone and UNC. View this post on Instagram Thomas, a 6-foot-6 wing from Fort Lauderdale, FL, committed to and signed with LSU last fall. But following the Tigers’ firing of head coach Matt McMahon, […]
Freshmen, Transfers and More: Every Newcomer Joining UNC Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 Season
As Michael Malone embarks on his first season as the head coach of the UNC men’s basketball program, he’s gotten busy securing the additions of several newcomers to the program. Malone and his staff have mined from traditional high school recruiting and the transfer portal to fill out Carolina’s roster, and that work is continuing […]
Report: UNC Men's Basketball Hiring Bryan Tibaldi as Assistant Coach
According to a report from Inside Carolina, Bryan Tibaldi, who spent the 2025-26 season as an assistant coach at Providence, will join head coach Michael Malone’s UNC staff in the same position. Prior to arriving at Providence, Tibaldi had spent several years in the Cleveland Cavaliers organization in the NBA. Cleveland initially hired Tibaldi as […]
Report: Former Tar Heel Deon Thompson to Join UNC Men's Basketball Coaching Staff
According to a report from Inside Carolina Tuesday morning, former player Deon Thompson is set to join UNC men’s basketball head coach Michael Malone’s staff in Chapel Hill. Thompson was a four-year standout for the Tar Heels, appearing in 152 games, starting 113 and helping UNC win the 2009 national championship. Playing alongside Tyler Hansbrough […]
Multiple UNC Teams Post Perfect Academic Progress Rates, New Report Says
Several UNC sports programs posted perfect single-year and multi-year academic progress rates for the 2024-25 academic year, according to the NCAA’s latest report. Academic progress rate (APR) is used to track performance of scholarship students who compete on varsity teams, and the score measures eligibility and retention each semester. A perfect score is 1000, and […]
›