Duke wasn’t a bad alternative for the Dean Dome debut.
The opening date was reset for Saturday January 18, 1986, after the UNC “Student Activities Center” was officially renamed for Smith the night before at a cocktail party and presentation on the gleaming new concourse and court. Just as good (or better), the opponent was third-ranked Duke to take on the 17-0 and No. 1 Tar Heels. National television carried the game with analyst and former UNC All-American Billy Cunningham wearing a tuxedo.
Duke’s Mark Alarie made the first basket at the Dean Dome and Warren Martin dunked UNC’s historic first bucket. In the year before college basketball introduced the 3-point shot, the Blue Devils and Tar Heels played one of the great games ever staged in the building.
Both teams shot better than 50 percent in Carolina’s epic 95-92 win. The Tar Heels won the rebounding battle and had 22 assists compared to 13 for Duke. Brad Daugherty, who would be the first pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, had a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow senior Steve Hale led the Heels with 28 points on 10 of 12 shooting and 8 of 9 from the foul line.
The first of 90 losses to date in the Smith Center was toward the end of that 1986 season, when Len Bias scored 35 points as Maryland beat UNC 77-72 in overtime. Hale was injured during the extra period and missed four games through the ACC tournament in which Carolina lost again to the Terrapins.
In 1986-87, the Tar Heels went 13-0 at home, the first of five seasons in which they did not lose at the Smith Center. The others were 1992-93 (12-0), 2004-05 (15-0), 2010-11 (15-0) and 2016-17 (16-0). Three of those seasons ended in national championships.
Every Tar Heel fan has his or her favorite game played in the Dean Dome. What was yours?
Among the most mentioned are the 1988 comeback win over Georgia Tech when (current assistant coach) Jeff Lebo hit the last of his six 3-pointers to vanquish the Yellow Jackets. The 1993 super-rally against Florida State disproved Seminoles star Sam Cassell’s characterization of UNC fans as a “wine and cheese” crowd. Who can forget the 1992 (Bloody Montross Game) and 1994 (Derrick Phelps’ “perfect game”) upsets of top-ranked Duke?
There was a stirring upset of Kentucky and coach Rick Pitino somewhere in there. And, of course, Carolina’s decisive win over Duke in 2007 sobered by Gerald Henderson’s elbow to the nose of Tyler Hansbrough. Or maybe the 2005 comeback over the Blue Devils on freshman Marvin Williams’ putback of a Raymond Felton free throw that wrapped up Ol’ Roy’s first ACC regular season championship that led to his first of three NCAA titles.
Heading into Saturday’s game against Wake Forest, UNC’s all-time record in the Dean Dome is 499-90, which is 84 percent.
Up next in Art Chansky’s Dean Smith Center series: Save the Smith Center!
chapelboroaudio.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2026/01%20-%20January/07/Art%27s%20Notebook%20010726%20-%20FINAL.mp3
Featured image via Todd Melet
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Chansky’s Notebook: The Dean Dome’s Greatest Games Chapelboro.com.
Hence then, the article about chansky s notebook the dean dome s greatest games was published today ( ) and is available on chapelboro ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Chansky’s Notebook: The Dean Dome’s Greatest Games )
Also on site :
- Seizure of Russian-flagged oil tanker: what we know so far
- Fatal I-55 crash shuts down lanes in southwest suburbs; ‘major' traffic backups expected
- Nestlé pulls baby milk batches amid safety fears