What Happened: Could Anyone Have Predicted Al Wood’s Outburst in 1981 Final Four?

Posted Jun 20, 2024
One of North Carolina’s most contentious set of rivalry basketball games took place in 1981 against Virginia, who beat the Tar Heels twice only to lose a rematch in the national semifinals. That game was decided by a three-minute burst by UNC's Al Wood, one of the most famous single-game performances in Carolina history, especially given the setting. (Inside Carolina)

Related: Basketball, Basketball Recruiting

Video: Carolina Insider - Interview With Kenny Williams
Former North Carolina guard and 2017 national champion Kenny Williams joins Jones Angell and Adam Lucas on the Carolina Insider podcast to discuss this season's...
Wed Jan 7, 2026

Hubert Davis explains why UNC is switching more on defense this season
There’s one big difference between the defensive philosophies of Roy Williams and Hubert Davis. Williams preferred that defenders fight through screens and stick with their...
Wed Jan 7, 2026

Open Week Offers UNC Basketball Time to Focus on Defensive Issues
With no midweek game on the schedule ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Wake Forest, North Carolina plans to treat the coming days as an open...
Tue Jan 6, 2026

Chansky’s Notebook: The Smith Center's Foundations
Forty years minus eight days comes at the right time. The Tar Heels have won 499 games at the Smith Center since it opened Jan...
Tue Jan 6, 2026