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 vs. Charlotte (2026): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
UNC will wrap up its preseason schedule Tuesday night when it hosts Charlotte for a third and final exhibition game. UNC begins the regular season next Monday, Nov. 2. If you aren’t attending the game in person, here’s how to follow along at home: Broadcast Schedule Those hoping to listen on the radio can do […]
Harpring Scores 29 as UNC Women's Basketball Loses Exhibition at No. 20 Maryland
Despite a 29-point showing from freshman Kate Harpring, UNC fell 72-68 at No. 20 Maryland in its final exhibition game of the preseason. Harpring paced the Tar Heels on offense, as only one other teammate reached double figures: sophomore Nyla Brooks, who scored 14. Harpring took more than a third of UNC’s field goal attempts […]
UNC Women's Basketball Ranked No. 12 in 2026-27 AP Preseason Poll
Head coach Courtney Banghart and UNC checked in at No. 12 in the AP Preseason Top 25 poll, which was released Tuesday. It’s the third consecutive year and fourth overall in Banghart’s tenure that the Tar Heels have been ranked inside the top 15 in the preseason poll. Comin' in at No. 𝟭𝟮 in the […]
UNC Men's Basketball Unranked in 2026-27 Preseason AP Poll
Michael Malone’s Tar Heels will not be ranked at the outset of the 2026-27 season. The AP Top 25 preseason poll was published Monday morning, and UNC was not included. Florida reigns supreme at No. 1 in the poll, followed by No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 UConn and No. 5 Arizona. Elsewhere […]
What's Trending: The Dayton of Non-Daytons
In the NCAA tournament, which are the 'high' and 'low' seeds? Aaron and Michael discuss that - and the merits of new play-in site Wichita.
The Morning News: Elliott Woods, Early Voting, Carrboro Police, and the Victory Bell
In today's news: local residents are displaced from two apartment complexes, and early voting turnout is extremely high in Orange County.
UNC Men's Basketball Blown Out vs. Indiana in Second Preseason Exhibition
UNC was outplayed on both ends of the floor against Indiana in the Tar Heels’ second exhibition of the preseason Sunday evening, and the Hoosiers won 76-58 in Indianapolis. Indiana flexed its muscles on the glass, outrebounding Carolina by a dominant 53-31 margin. The Hoosiers had more defensive rebounds (33) than UNC had in total. […]
UNC Women's Basketball Beats Davidson in Preseason Exhibition
A 12-0 run in the second quarter helped UNC overcome an early deficit and beat Davidson 76-66 in a preseason exhibition at Carmichael Arena Sunday afternoon. That's a preseason 𝘿𝙐𝘽!@WellsFargo x #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/jQ6yUzYrri — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) October 18, 2026 The 12-0 Tar Heel run flipped a 23-20 deficit into a 32-23 lead in […]
UNC Men's Basketball vs. Indiana (2026): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
UNC will continue preseason action Sunday when it travels to Indianapolis to face Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. If you aren’t making the trip with the team, here’s how you can follow along at home: Broadcast Schedule Those hoping to listen on the radio can do so at 97.9 FM and […]
The Morning News: Faith Hedgepeth Trial, Early Voting, UNC Football
In today's news: more DNA evidence in the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial, and extremely high turnout on the first day of early voting.
›