UNC has been right on the doorstep of an ACC Tournament title, making the finals five of the past eight years, but recently haven’t managed to get the win they’ve needed to cut down the nets.

“We just haven’t gotten over the hump,” head coach Roy Williams said. “I’d like to, if we’re going to be there that long, let’s win the whole daggum thing.”

UNC hasn’t won an ACC Tournament since the year Tyler Hansbrough ran down the court, arms flailing, after hitting the game winning shot against Virginia Tech to send them to the 2008 finals.

Last year the Tar Heels saw a nine point lead in the finals over Notre Dame quickly slip away and turn to an eight-point loss.

“We had it right there,” Joel Berry said. “We were five or six minutes away from winning and the game just turned around. We’re looking back at last year, we’ve got to finish it out and that’s been a big thing for us is finishing games.”

Forward Justin Jackson played well in the tournament last year, but struggled in the finals, finishing 3-12 from the field with just seven points.

“Individually that game hurt quite a bit,” he said. “Because I felt like if I made one or two of those shots then we possibly could’ve won. So it definitely is fuel but for us there’s not individual-type stuff in it. We’re just trying to play for each other.”

Even though his team locked up the regular season title on Saturday with a win against Duke, Williams still expects his team to be ready to play when the tournament starts.

“My teams have taken me to seven final fours,” he said. “And all seven years we won the regular-season championship, so don’t tell me my team is going to be complacent because that ain’t happening.”

The Tar Heels begin their quest for the title that has been so elusive recently on Thursday. They are scheduled to play whichever team wins Wednesday’s game between Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

WCHL will begin broadcasting every game of the ACC tournament starting Thursday and continuing through the championship Saturday.

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: In Others' Hands
Since his first year as UNC head coach, Hubert Davis has failed to meet the program’s lofty standards over the past four seasons.
UNC Women's Basketball Beats No. 5 Seed Maryland to Advance to NCAA Sweet 16
No. 4 seed UNC outscored No. 5 Maryland 24-16 in the fourth quarter and beat the Terrapins 74-66 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 at Carmichael Arena Sunday afternoon. The Tar Heels now advance to the tournament’s Sweet 16, which will be played in Fort Worth, TX next week. SO 𝙎𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙏. pic.twitter.com/ZfyaHTTQsx — Carolina […]
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: Maryland
No. 4 seed UNC will face No. 5 seed Maryland Sunday at Carmichael Arena with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. The winner will play in the regional semifinals in Fort Worth, TX next week. Carolina is seeking its second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16. The Terrapins defeated No. 12 seed […]
UNC Women's Basketball in the 2026 NCAA Tournament: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Times
Carolina will host NCAA Tournament action at Carmichael Arena this week for the second consecutive season. The No. 4 seed Tar Heels will face No. 5 Maryland in Sunday’s second round, with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, TX. If you aren’t attending the game in person, here’s how you can […]
The Signs Were There for a UNC Men's Basketball Collapse. Against VCU, It Finally Happened.
UNC's 2025-26 season came crashing down around it Thursday night in Greenville, as the Tar Heels blew a 19-point lead in the second half.
UNC Women's Basketball Throttles Western Illinois in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
UNC’s defense limited Western Illinois to just 17 made shots in 40 minutes as the No. 4 seeded Tar Heels defeated the No. 13 Leathernecks 82-51 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday in Carmichael Arena. It’s Carolina’s fifth consecutive win in the tournament’s Round of 64 under head coach Courtney Banghart. Round […]
UNC Men's Basketball Left to Pick Up the Pieces Following Shattering NCAA Tournament Loss
The UNC locker room was quiet. Some players sat with their heads in their hands. Some had red and puffy eyes. Others simply sat with blank looks, seemingly unable to fully grasp what they had just seen. That goes for all of us. The Tar Heels let a 19-point lead with 15 minutes remaining slip […]
UNC Men's Basketball Blows 19-Point Lead, Falls to VCU in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
Despite leading 56-37 in the second half, UNC fell 82-78 to No. 11 seed VCU in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday in Greenville. Carolina’s season is over. UNC had led for more than 34 minutes of game action, taking control after the Rams led 18-17 midway through the first half. […]
UNC Men's Basketball in the 2026 NCAA Tournament: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Times
UNC will begin its NCAA Tournament journey Thursday in Greenville, S.C. when it faces No. 11 seed VCU in the first round. It will be the first ever meeting between the Tar Heels and Rams in men’s basketball. If you aren’t going to Greenville with the team, here’s how you can follow along at home: […]
UNC Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: VCU
No. 6 seed UNC will begin its NCAA Tournament journey Thursday in Greenville, S.C. when it faces No. 11 seed VCU in the first round. The Rams enter the field with a 27-7 overall record and 15-3 mark in the Atlantic 10. They defeated Duquesne, St. Joseph’s and Dayton to win their second consecutive Atlantic […]
›