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Texas Tech basketball classics: Red Raiders shatter Tar Heels in 1996 Tourney

By Matthew Conner

17 Mar 1996: Darvin Ham of the Texas Tech Red Raiders halted the NCAA East Regional Tournament game in the first half with a backboard shattering dunk at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. The Red Raiders went on to defeat the Tar Heels 92-73
17 Mar 1996: Darvin Ham of the Texas Tech Red Raiders halted the NCAA East Regional Tournament game in the first half with a backboard shattering dunk at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. The Red Raiders went on to defeat the Tar Heels 92-73 /
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17 Mar 1996: Head coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on during a NCAA Tournament game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. Texas Tech won the game 92-73. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport
17 Mar 1996: Head coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on during a NCAA Tournament game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. Texas Tech won the game 92-73. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport /

UNC wasn’t great but had some legendary players

The 1995-96 Tar Heels were not up to the standard that most people in Chapel Hill expect.  At 21-10 entering the game, they were a No. 6 seed but they were coming off a trip to the Final Four the previous season.

But that didn’t mean the Heels were devoid of talent.  In fact, that year they featured four former McDonald’s All-Americans.  Three of those players, true freshman Antawn Jamison, junior guard Jeff McInnis, and 7-foot-3 junior center Serge Zwikker were in the starting lineup.  The other, true freshman Vince Carter, came off the bench.

Some old-school college basketball fans might also remember the other two UNC starters, sharp-shooting guard Dante Calabria and 6-foot-8 forward Ademola Okulaja.  Another memorable name from that Tar Heel squad is Shammond Williams, who came off the bench before becoming a star later in his career.

The next year, that team would remain relatively intact, with the exception of McInnis, and would reach the Final Four.  In other words, this was not a pushover of an opponent.

Of course, Dean Smith gave his team some amazing credibility as well.  His team had reached the Sweet 16 in 14 of the previous 15 seasons while Tech had not been in the NCAA Tournament in 20 years.  By beating New Orleans in the first round of that year’s tournament, he moved to 61-24 all-time in the NCAA Tournament making him the all-time wins leader in the history of the event at the time.

By contrast, Tech head coach James Dickey had won just one game in the tournament.  Of course, that was Tech’s first-round win over Northern Illinois.  Interestingly, that game was a 74-73 Red Raider win meaning Tech was close to being one of the classic first-round upset victims that everyone wants to see in March.  Think of how differently we would view that team had they not been able to pull out the one-point win over the No. 15 seeded Huskies before taking down the Heels.

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