It was tough enough making the right calls in the 1965-74 era. This is easily the most loaded stretch in league history, enough that it was worth rolling out three teams instead of two.

I painted myself into a corner by insisting on three guards on my first team. Then again, who wants to argue very much with Phil Ford, Johnny Dawkins, Michael Jordan, Len Bias and Ralph Sampson. (I suppose Sam Perkins and Walter Davis could).

There's probably a few forwards that could make a case for at least third-team selection, Albert King and Buck Williams at the top of that list. It's just as amazing that Rod Griffin --- truly one of the forgotten greats, so much so that the ACC omitted him from its 50th anniversary team a few years ago --- was only a third-team pick.

Imagine a 12-season stretch in a league where it could be argued King and Williams weren't among the 15 best players. Skip Brown (Wake Forest), Hawkeye Whitney (N.C. State) and Tree Rollins (Clemson) join them on the fourth team. Forwards who still couldn't make that list include Mitch Kupchak, and he was only the league's player of the year in 1976.

Dean Smith had a pretty good dozen years, winning five ACC titles and the 1982 national title. Carolina finished first or second in the regular season every year except 1986.

Anyway, here's the only era meriting a 15-player rundown. And even that doesn't seem like it's enough.

1st team

G Phil Ford, North Carolina: 18.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 6.1 apg, 52.7 FG%, 80.8 FT%
G Johnny Dawkins, Duke: 19.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.6 tpg, 50.8 FG%, 79.0 FT%
G Michael Jordan, North Carolina: 17.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 2.0 tpg, 54.0 FG%, 74.8 FT%
F Len Bias, Maryland: 16.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 53.6 FG%, 79.5 FT%
C Ralph Sampson, Virginia: 16.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 3.5 bpg, 56.8 FG%, 65.7 FT%

2nd team

G John Lucas, Maryland: 18.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.7 apg, 52.5 FG%, 77.8 FT%
G Jeff Lamp, Virginia: 18.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 49.2 FG%, 84.9 FT%
F Walter Davis, North Carolina: 15.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 53.1 FG%, 77.3 FT%
F Sam Perkins, North Carolina: 15.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 57.6 FG%, 79.6 FT%
C Mike Gminski, Duke: 19.0 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 53.1 FG%, 79.2 FT%

3rd team

G Mark Price, Georgia Tech: 17.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.0 apg, 48.7 FG%, 85.0 FT%
G Jim Spanarkel, Duke: 17.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 52.7 FG%, 80.6 FT%
F Rod Griffin, Wake Forest: 18.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 55.2 FG%, 73.5 FT%
F James Worthy, North Carolina: 14.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.1 bpg, 54.1 FG%, 65.2 FT%
C Brad Daugherty, North Carolina: 14.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 62.0 FG%, 72.0 FT%

Coach: Dean Smith

Here's Kevin Brewer's team:

First team

PG Phil Ford, North Carolina (18.6 points, 6.1 assists, 52.7 FG shooting)
SG Michael Jordan, North Carolina (17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 54.0 FG shooting)
F Len Bias, Maryland (16.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 53.6 FG shooting)
F/C Sam Perkins, North Carolina (15.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 57.6 FG shooting)
C Ralph Sampson, Virginia (16.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 56.8 FG shooting)

Second team

PG John Lucas, Maryland (18.3 points, 4.7 assists, 52.5 FG shooting)
SG Johnny Dawkins, Duke (19.0 points, 4.2 assists, 50.8 FG shooting)
F Walter Davis, North Carolina (15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 53.1 FG shooting)
F James Worthy, North Carolina (14.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 54.1 FG shooting)
C Mike Gminski, Duke (19.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 53.1 FG shooting)

Third team

PG Mark Price, Georgia Tech (17.4 points, 4.0 assists, 85 FT shooting)
SG Jeff Lamp, Virginia (18.8 points, 49.2 FG shooting, 84.9 FT shooting)
F Rod Griffin, Wake Forest (18.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 55.2 FG shooting)
F Buck Williams, Maryland (13.6 points, 10.9 rebounds 61.5 FG shooting)
C Brad Daugherty, North Carolina (14.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 62.0 FG shooting)

Coach: Dean Smith, North Carolina (five ACC titles, three Final Fours, one national title)

And Kevin's thoughts on the selection of this era:

The first team is self-explanatory.

Ralph Sampson, Phil Ford and Michael Jordan would likely make the all-time first team. Sam Perkins was a two-time consensus All-American but the second-best player on his team behind Jordan. Len Bias could play, too.

An All-American in basketball and tennis, John Lucas leads the second team.

Johnny Dawkins was Mike Krzyzewski's first great player. He helped Coach K to his first Final Four, the beginning of Duke's reign as the best program of the last 20 years.

At the forward spots, it's James Worthy and Walter Davis of North Carolina.

Mike Gminski was a great player, now a pretty good color analyst.

The point guard on the third team is Mark Price, who made Georgia Tech basketball relevant.

The anti-Hansbrough, Brad Daugherty was 16 years old when he started at center and 20 when he was the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

The last three spots were close ones. Jeff Lamp edged Jim Spanarkel, Rod Griffin edged Albert King and Buck Williams knocked out Mitch Kupchak.

Dean Smith of North Carolina was the easy pick as the era's most successful coach.

But his coaching acumen often received mixed reviews.

By 1982, Smith had advanced to seven Final Fours and finally won a national title. He was the best at producing fundamentally sound players and NBA players --- Ford, Jordan, Worthy, Davis, Daugherty, Kupchak, Kenny Smith, Mike O'Koren, Al Wood and Dudley Bradley just from the era at hand.

However, his in-game decisions raised questions.

Was he outcoached by Al McGuire of Marquette in the 1977 national title game?

Did he take great talent and produce just very good results?

Did he overcoach, taking great, athletic players and too often playing slow-down ball?

In the 1982 ACC final, he beat Virginia 47-45. That game, which featured Worthy, Jordan, Perkins and Sampson, was the No. 1 impetus in the NCAA adopting the shot clock.

Jim Valvano deserves honorable mention for 1983, when he introduced not the term but the idea of March Madness.

--- Patrick Stevens