North Carolina Guide All-Time All-Tobacco Road First Team:

Billy Cunningham (F), UNC: ACC Player of the Year in 1965. Led the ACC in rebounding each of his three seasons - and no doubt would have done it a fourth if they'd let freshmen play varsity back then. Also number nine all-time in the ACC in points per game. Had 60 double-doubles in 69 career games. Took the same kind of game to the NBA. One of the all-time great nicknames too: "The Kangaroo Kid."

Tim Duncan (F), WFU: Okay; so he wasn't a forward. But he did the twin-towers thing quite successfully with David Robinson for a number of years with the San Antonio Spurs, and he'll be doing it on this team as well. He's always had the moves for it. A two-time first-team All-American in 1996 and '97. National Player of the Year in 1997. Second all-time in NCAA in blocked shots with 481. First (or second, depending on how you look at it; see "Hemric" below) all-time in ACC in total combined points, rebounds and assists. The number one pick in the 1997 NBA draft.

Christian Laettner (C), Duke: First-team All-Hated? Yup; you bet. But what a horse. Led Duke to national championships in 1991 and '92, leading all players in tournament scoring and field-goal percentage both years and in steals in 1992. Selected National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP in '92. Final Four MVP in '91. His game didn't transition so well to the NBA. Europe might have been a better choice.

David Thompson (G), NCSU: The best ACC player ever. No question. One of the five best NCAA players ever. Played forward, but should be just fine in the two spot on this team. The guy could play any position on the floor better than anybody. An amazing leaper (42" vertical from a dead standstill), they used to say he could grab a quarter off the top of a backboard and leave 15 cents change on the way down. He actually once fell on his head after tripping over a teammate's shoulders - a teammate nearly seven feet tall. National Player of the Year in 1974 and '75. Three-time unanimous first-team All-American. ACC Player of the Year in each of his three seasons. In his sophomore and junior seasons, NC State was 24-0 in the conference and 57-1 overall, won two ACC tournament championships and one national title. First pick in the 1975 NBA draft.

Phil Ford (G), UNC: A consummate point guard and prolific scorer. Did what it took to win - and won: he was 99-25 in his four years at Carolina. National Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year in 1978. Three-time first-team All-ACC. UNC's all-time leading scorer.

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