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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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This picture taken on August 30, 2012 shows NBA Los Angeles Lakers’ assistant coach Darvin Ham (C) (Photo credit should read Soe Than WIN/AFP/GettyImages)
This picture taken on August 30, 2012 shows NBA Los Angeles Lakers’ assistant coach Darvin Ham (C) (Photo credit should read Soe Than WIN/AFP/GettyImages) /

Darvin Ham’s dunk turned the momentum of the game

What many fans who haven’t watched this game in its entirety might not realize is that Darvin Ham’s dunk came rather early in the game.  But it was still the turning point of the contest.

With 12:06 to play in the first half, the Red Raiders trailed 16-14 and UNC was having no trouble scoring inside, especially Jamison.  Both teams were shooting extremely well and though the pace was to Tech’s liking, the Heels were matching the Red Raiders shot for shot.

But that all changed in one unforgettable moment.  After grabbing an offensive rebound, Tech saw Jason Sasser put up a turnaround jumper that careened right to Ham who swooped in from the foul line for the dunk, which shattered the backboard.

Interestingly, the announcers had pointed out that all season, the Tar Heels had been playing way more zone defense than Dean Smith teams normally did.  That was how they tried to combat Tech in this game because they felt their best chance was to force the Red Raiders to hit jumpers.

But because this dunk came after an offensive rebound, UNC was scrambling and not back into their 2-3 zone.  Rather, they were caught watching the ball as it went up and absolutely no one gave a thought to Ham, who got a full running start towards the ball allowing him to attack the rim with all his might.

It was his third dunk of the first half.  In fact, he finished the game a perfect 7-7 from the floor with 14 points and everything he did offensively came in the lane.

"“The first thing that went through my mind was that I missed a shot,” Sasser said. “Then, I saw Darvin flying through the air and the glass shattered. The next thing that went through my mind was the ESPY [Awards]. Even though Darvin had the big dunk, they’re still going to have to show my missed hook.”"

Shards of glass were found as far away as the opposite free-throw line and both Ham and Jamison were cut by falling glass.  The game was delayed for 39 minutes and when it resumed, two totally different teams emerged from the locker room.

Tech began the post backboard portion of the game on an 8-0 which broke open a close game.  It’s hard to know just why this event changed the way the two teams played given the lengthy delay that followed but the impact of Ham’s signature moment was undeniable as it sparked a 28-16 run to close the first half and give Tech a lead that would never be threatened in the second half.

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