2003 Top 50 List: No
Dan Collins List: Yes
Al Wood was a consistent, solid-as-a-rock player for the North Carolina teams from 1978 through 1981. He was the best player on the 1981 team (although James Worthy and Sam Perkins didn’t hurt, either) that won the ACC Tournament and advanced all the way to the national championship game before losing to Indiana.
Wood was a player who steadily, quietly accumulated numbers and accomplishments with one good year after another. He averaged 18, 19, and 18 points per game in 1979-1981. He was named first team All-ACC in 1979, second team in 1980, and first team again in 1981. He is fifth on UNC’s all-time scoring list behind Tyler Hansbrough, Phil Ford, Sam Perkins, and Lennie Rosenbluth.
Wood was named second team AP All-America as a senior. From the statistical record, it’s not entirely clear that he was better as a senior than he was as a sophomore or a junior. But sometimes that happens; a senior who has been good for a long time will be rewarded by the voters, as a kind of Lifetime Achievement Award.
Without a doubt, the pinnacle of Wood’s career was his 39-point, 10-rebound, no turnover performance against Virginia in the 1981 Final Four. The Tar Heels had been swept by the Cavaliers in the regular season, but Wood made sure there wasn’t going to be a hat trick. He still holds the NCAA record for most points scored in a national semifinal.