# 2014–15 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

The 2014–15 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Roy Williams, who was in his 12th season as UNC's head men's basketball coach. They played their home games at the Dean Smith Center as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 26–12, 11–7 in ACC play to finish in fifth place. They advanced to the championship game of the ACC tournament where they lost to Notre Dame. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Harvard in the second round and Arkansas in the third round before losing in the Sweet Sixteen to eventual runner-up Wisconsin.

## Previous season

The Tar Heels finished the season 24–10, 13–5 in ACC play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament to Pittsburgh. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Providence in the second round before losing in the third round to Iowa State.

### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| P.J. Hairston | 15 | G | 6'6" | 220 | Junior | Greensboro, NC | Dismissed from the team. Declared to NBA draft |
| James Michael McAdoo | 43 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Junior | Norfolk, VA | Declared to NBA draft |
| James Manor | 30 | F | 6'6" | 220 | Senior | Carrboro, NC | Graduated |
| Denzel Robinson | 34 | F | 6'4" | 220 | Senior | Chapel Hill, NC | Graduated |
| Wade Moody | 55 | G | 6'0" | 175 | Senior | Mount Airy, NC | Graduated |
| Leslie McDonald | 2 | G | 6'5" | 215 | Senior | Memphis, TN | Graduated |

## Pre-season

The Tar Heels entered the 2014–15 season lost two starters from the previous season as James Michael McAdoo and P. J. Hairston declared for the 2014 NBA draft. However, rising juniors and potential draft picks Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks decided to return to Chapel Hill and UNC brought in a strong recruiting class including McDonald's All-Americans Justin Jackson, Theo Pinson and Joel Berry.

### Class of 2014 signees

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Joel Berry II PG | Apopka, FL | Lake Highland Prep | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jan 21, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Justin Jackson SF | Tomball, TX | Homeschool Christian Youth | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Mar 4, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Theo Pinson SF | Greensboro, NC | Wesleyan Christian Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 22, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 28, 2014. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 24* 7:30 pm | No. 6 | Fayetteville State | W 101–58 | | 18 – Jackson | 13 – Johnson | 8 – Tokoto | Dean Smith Center (9,171) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Nov 7* 7:30 pm | No. 6 | Belmont Abbey | W 112–34 | | 16 – Jackson | 5 – Tied | 6 – Tokoto | Dean Smith Center (11,441) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 14* 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 6 | North Carolina Central | W 76–60 | 1–0 | 12 – Johnson | 9 – Meeks | 4 – Tied | Dean Smith Center (17,338) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Nov 16* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 6 | Robert Morris Battle 4 Atlantis Opening Round | W 103–59 | 2–0 | 23 – Johnson | 12 – Meeks | 10 – Tokoto | Dean Smith Center (13,579) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Nov 22* 2:00 pm | No. 6 | vs. Davidson | W 90–72 | 3–0 | 19 – Meeks | 12 – Meeks | 4 – Tokoto | Time Warner Cable Arena (11,113) Charlotte, NC |
| Nov 26* 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 5 | vs. Butler Battle 4 Atlantis Quarterfinals | L 66–74 | 3–1 | 18 – Paige | 9 – Meeks | 4 – Tokoto | Imperial Arena (3,136) Nassau, BAH |
| Nov 27* 7:00 pm, AXS TV | No. 5 | vs. No. 22 UCLA Battle 4 Atlantis consolation 2nd round | W 78–56 | 4–1 | 21 – Paige | 7 – Pinson | 5 – Paige | Imperial Arena (2,940) Nassau, BAH |
| Nov 28* 8:00 pm, AXS TV | No. 5 | vs. No. 18 Florida Battle 4 Atlantis 5th place game | W 75–64 | 5–1 | 18 – Meeks | 13 – Meeks | 4 – Tied | Imperial Arena (3,298) Nassau, BAH |
| Dec 3* 7:30 pm, ESPN | No. 12 | Iowa ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 55–60 | 5–2 | 15 – Meeks | 12 – Meeks | 3 – Tokoto | Dean Smith Center (18,040) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Dec 7* 2:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 12 | East Carolina | W 108–64 | 6–2 | 19 – Tied | 17 – Johnson | 8 – Tokoto | Dean Smith Center (18,741) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Dec 13* 12:00 pm, CBS | No. 21 | at No. 1 Kentucky Rivalry | L 70–84 | 6–3 | 15 – Johnson | 6 – Tokoto | 6 – Paige | Rupp Arena (24,406) Lexington, KY |
| Dec 16* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 24 | at UNC Greensboro | W 79–56 | 7–3 | 18 – Meeks | 7 – Paige | 4 – Pinson | Greensboro Coliseum (11,108) Greensboro, NC |
| Dec 20* 1:00 pm, CBS | No. 24 | vs. No. 12 Ohio State CBS Sports Classic | W 82–74 | 8–3 | 18 – Johnson | 13 – Meeks | 5 – Tied | United Center (19,726) Chicago, IL |
| Dec 27* 7:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 20 | UAB | W 89–58 | 9–3 | 16 – Paige | 19 – Meeks | 4 – Tied | Dean Smith Center (19,124) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Dec 30* 7:00 pm, RSN | No. 19 | William & Mary | W 86–64 | 10–3 | 19 – Tokoto | 10 – Tokoto | 6 – Paige | Dean Smith Center (20,053) Chapel Hill, NC |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| Jan 3 8:15 pm, ESPN | No. 19 | at Clemson | W 74–50 | 11–3 (1–0) | 13 – Jackson | 12 – Meeks | 7 – Tokoto | Littlejohn Coliseum (8,404) Clemson, SC |
| Jan 5 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 18 | No. 13 Notre Dame | L 70–71 | 11–4 (1–1) | 15 – Paige | 8 – Pinson | 2 – Tied | Dean Smith Center (20,604) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jan 10 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 18 | No. 5 Louisville | W 72–71 | 12–4 (2–1) | 13 – Meeks | 11 – Johnson | 5 – Tokoto | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jan 14 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 15 | at NC State Carolina–State Game | W 81–79 | 13–4 (3–1) | 23 – Paige | 10 – Meeks | 9 – Paige | PNC Arena (19,500) Raleigh, NC |
| Jan 18 6:30 pm, ESPNU | No. 15 | Virginia Tech | W 68–53 | 14–4 (4–1) | 16 – Jackson | 11 – Johnson | 4 – Tied | Dean Smith Center (19,745) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jan 21 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 15 | at Wake Forest | W 87–71 | 15–4 (5–1) | 19 – Johnson | 8 – Meeks | 8 – Paige | LJVM Coliseum (13,877) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Jan 24 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 15 | Florida State | W 78–74 | 16–4 (6–1) | 19 – Paige | 14 – Johnson | 3 – Tied | Dean Smith Center (20,512) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jan 26 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 13 | Syracuse | W 93–83 | 17–4 (7–1) | 22 – Paige | 11 – Johnson | 8 – Paige | Dean Smith Center (19,856) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jan 31 4:00 pm, ESPN | No. 13 | at No. 10 Louisville | L 68–78 $^{OT}$ | 17–5 (7–2) | 15 – Paige | 11 – Tokoto | 4 – Paige | KFC Yum! Center (22,418) Louisville, KY |
| Feb 2 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 12 | No. 3 Virginia | L 64–75 | 17–6 (7–3) | 15 – Paige | 8 – Johnson | 4 – Paige | Dean Smith Center (20,102) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb 7 3:00 pm, ACCN/ESPN3 | No. 12 | at Boston College | W 79–68 | 18–6 (8–3) | 21 – Hicks | 10 – Johnson | 5 – Tokoto | Conte Forum (8,263) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| Feb 14 12:00 pm, ACCN/ESPN3 | No. 12 | at Pittsburgh | L 76–89 | 18–7 (8–4) | 19 – Johnson | 7 – Tokoto | 6 – Tied | Peterson Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Feb 18 9:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN | No. 15 | at No. 4 Duke Rivalry | L 90–92 $^{OT}$ | 18–8 (8–5) | 18 – Tied | 12 – Johnson | 7 – Tokoto | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Feb 21 12:00 pm, ACCN | No. 15 | Georgia Tech | W 89–60 | 19–8 (9–5) | 18 – Meeks | 6 – Tied | 10 – Paige | Dean Smith Center (20,779) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb 24 8:00 pm, ACCN | No. 15 | NC State Carolina–State Game | L 46–58 | 19–9 (9–6) | 16 – Jackson | 14 – Meeks | 2 – Tokoto | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb 28 2:00 pm, CBS | No. 15 | at Miami (FL) | W 73–64 | 20–9 (10–6) | 22 – Johnson | 11 – Johnson | 6 – Tokoto | BankUnited Center (7,972) Coral Gables, FL |
| Mar 3 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 19 | at Georgia Tech | W 81–49 | 21–9 (11–6) | 15 – Berry II | 9 – Johnson | 4 – Paige | Hank McCamish Pavilion (6,913) Atlanta, GA |
| Mar 7 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 19 | No. 3 Duke Rivalry/ESPN College GameDay | L 77–84 | 21–10 (11–7) | 23 – Paige | 9 – Meeks | 5 – Tied | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 11 2:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN | No. 19 | vs. Boston College Second Round | W 81–63 | 22–10 | 21 – Hicks | 10 – Johnson | 5 – Tokoto | Greensboro Coliseum (22,026) Greensboro, NC |
| Mar 12 2:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN | No. 19 | vs. No. 16 Louisville Quarterfinals | W 70–60 | 23–10 | 22 – Johnson | 7 – Johnson | 5 – Paige | Greensboro Coliseum (22,026) Greensboro, NC |
| Mar 13 7:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN | No. 19 | vs. No. 3 Virginia Semifinals | W 71–67 | 24–10 | 22 – Jackson | 9 – Meeks | 5 – Tied | Greensboro Coliseum (22,026) Greensboro, NC |
| Mar 14 8:30 pm, ESPN/ACCN | No. 19 | vs. No. 11 Notre Dame Championship game | L 82–90 | 24–11 | 24 – Paige | 6 – Tokoto | 7 – Tokoto | Greensboro Coliseum (22,026) Greensboro, NC |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 19* 7:20 pm, TNT | (4 W) No. 15 | vs. (13 W) Harvard Second round | W 67–65 | 25–11 | 14 – Jackson | 8 – Meeks | 6 – Paige | Veterans Memorial Arena (12,761) Jacksonville, FL |
| Mar 21* 8:40 pm, TNT | (4 W) No. 15 | vs. (5 W) No. 21 Arkansas Third round | W 87–78 | 26–11 | 22 – Paige | 13 – Johnson | 8 – Tokoto | Veterans Memorial Arena (13,687) Jacksonville, FL |
| Mar 26* 7:47 pm, TBS | (4 W) No. 15 | vs. (1 W) No. 3 Wisconsin Sweet Sixteen | L 72–79 | 26–12 | 15 – Tied | 6 – Hicks | 3 – Tied | Staples Center (18,809) Los Angeles, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West region. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 6 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 15 | N/A |
| Coaches | 6 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 14 | 12 |

## Players drafted into the NBA

| Year | Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 2015 | 2 | 58 | J. P. Tokoto | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2016 | 1 | 25 | Brice Johnson | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2016 | 2 | 55 | Marcus Paige | Brooklyn Nets |
| 2017 | 1 | 15 | Justin Jackson | Portland Trail Blazers |