In the program's last season under the direction of coach Bill Guthridge, the North Carolina Tar Heels won 22 regular season games against the nation's fourth-toughest schedule, via Sports Reference's strength of schedule rating. They posted a 13.68 nERD, and as a result, the Heels snuck into March Madness as an 8 seed.

The trio of Jason Capel, Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood were key to North Carolina's run to the Final Four. On the season, each of them averaged at least 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. That carried over into wins over 1-seeded Stanford and 4-seeded Tennessee.

The streak ended against the Florida Gators in the Final Four. There, at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, UNC lost 71-59.