Smith and Scott in 1969

Uniforms were different 50 years ago, but not much else vs. State. In the walloping win over the Wolfpack, Carolina wore its throwback unies from the pre-Alexander Julian argyle days. But going back a half-century, a lot is still the same in the Carolina-State rivalry.

The 1969 Tar Heels, ranked No. 2 in the nation, had four starters in double figures, led by junior Charlie Scott, who averaged more than 22 points a game. Bill Bunting, Rusty Clark and Dick Grubar also averaged in double digits.

Scott, the All-American and UNC’s first black scholarship athlete, was particularly tough on State that year, scoring 26 and 22 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in the two games Carolina won by a total of 43 points, 20 in Raleigh and 23 at old Carmichael.

The currently eighth-ranked Heels have won six straight behind four starters in double figures, also beating State in Raleigh by eight points on the exact date, January 8, and in the 113-96 romp last night at the Dean Dome that won biscuits and wing deals for UNC fans.

Luke Maye is their all-time scorer against State, ringing up his third 30-point game on the Wolfpack. Luuuuke’s own State of the Union drew rave reviews. Maye posted his fourth straight double-double against the team that will be happy to see him graduate.

Under Frank McGuire and mostly Dean Smith, Carolina lost only four games to the Pack in the entire decade of the ‘60s, going 18-4. Roy Williams has done even better in 16 years as UNC’s head coach with a 30-4 record against his alma mater’s arch rival as a kid.

The ’69 Tar Heels went on to win their third straight ACC regular season and tournament titles and reach their third straight Final Four (before losing in the semifinals to Purdue and shooting star Rick Mount). No team in the ACC before or since has done that.

The throwback uniforms, presumably designed by Nike, were dead ringers for the originals, with two stripes down the sides of the jerseys and a triangle design on each side of the shorts.

In 1970, Smith went to snappy V-necks. It didn’t change their good fortune against State either, as Carolina whipped the Wolfpack four more times until a guy named David Thompson arrived and beat the Heels nine straight before a guy named Phil Ford arrived to stop that mess.

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