AJ: Same Result, Different Tone
PITTSBURGH – Roy Williams has moved past the foot-stomping phases of anger, bewilderment and frustration and has entered into something we haven’t seen very often from the Hall of Fame coach.
Losses can be numbing as they pile up, and while the ultra-competitive Williams continues to scratch and claw as he always has, he’s taken on a different tune, tone and manner of late.
His basketball team is struggling. No, they’re reeling, especially now that the losing streak reached four games following a 66-52 loss here at Petersen Events Center on Saturday, which dropped Carolina below .500 for the first time since the opening game of Williams’ second campaign at his alma mater.
And it was, as they’ve been for a while now, a new low point for his team.
“I’m getting tired of meeting with you guys like this,” Williams said to the media, as he sat down for his postgame presser.
He got a reprieve of sorts during the week, as the Tar Heels had an open date, so they hadn’t played since the late-game meltdown versus Clemson. It was a time to get better but also rest, heal some and hit a reset button of sorts.
Maybe the Heels did those things, but it wasn’t apparent in their performance, especially in the first half.
The Tar Heels didn’t do much well, as once again the stats tell a truly ugly tale. From turnovers (16) leading to Pitt points (23) to shooting just 31.7 percent from the floor, including 22.2 percent from 3-point range, to a woeful stretch defensively when the Panthers took a commanding 20-point halftime lead, the Heels were about as bad as they’ve been all season.
Sadly, if you’re rooting interest is Carolina blue, that’s saying something.
Actually, the Tar Heels did outscore Pitt 24-7 on second-chance points, courtesy of posting a 21-11 advantage on the offensive boards. But that’s pretty much it.
And instead of nit picking his team’s mistakes to death in the postgame, Williams took a different route, one that lends some real-life perspective, which might be the healthiest way for his team to navigate through these very rare times.
“Only any day that ends in Y,” he said, when asked about trying to keep up his team’s spirit. “Every practice, you’re trying to get them to be more positive, more enthusiastic and it’s hard. It’s hard when somebody’s hitting you right in between the eyes every time you step out there.”
Raw and real, Williams continued.
“But, life’s like that too,” he said. “For me, it’s trying to win basketball games but also I happen to be one of those corny old blankety-blanks that thinks athletics are good for you and teaches you how to handle some adversity and, right now, we’ve got to handle quite a bit of adversity.
“It’s not pleasant, it’s not a good feeling after the games, it’s not a good feeling when we’re watching the tape and trying to correct them and show it. But what, we’re going to play again either Tuesday or Wednesday, whenever it is this week, we’re going to play again.”
So when the Tar Heels take the court Wednesday night at Cassell Coliseum against a quality Virginia Tech team, they will face another club that gets after it on both ends, loves to shoot threes and will have a full house chomping at the bit to pile on the baby blues.
Until Cole Anthony returns, it appears there’s no remedy for what ails this team, and even with the freshman point guard, Carolina still faces a significant uphill climb just to respectability.
Williams will still get ticked at his team and flail away some, but Saturday’s tone may be a precursor to the rest of the season.