The Tar Heels finished the 2015 – 16 season with a record of 33 – 7 , 14 – 4 in ACC play to finish in first place , winning their 30th ACC regular season title . The Tar Heels also won their 18th ACC Tournament Championship by beating Virginia in the finals 61 – 57 . They received the conference 's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed . There , they defeated Florida Gulf Coast , Providence , Indiana , and Notre Dame to earn a trip to the Final Four , the school 's 19th Final Four . In a matchup against fellow ACC foe , Syracuse , the Tar Heels easily won 83 – 66 to advance to the National Championship against Villanova . Despite a circus shot by Marcus Paige to tie the game at 74 with less than five seconds remaining , the Tar Heels lost on a three pointer as time expired
ACC Tournament
2016 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
2016–17 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team