CHAPEL HILL – Roy Williams has been through Senior Day 30 times in his career as a head coach and dealing with the emotions won’t be any easier the 31st time he does it Saturday night when three Tar Heels will play their final home games at the Smith Center.

Kenny Williams, Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson will conclude their UNC careers at home when the No. 3 Tar Heels host No. 4 Duke at 6 pm, and while that in and of itself is a load to deal with, so will all that encompasses the entire day when seniors are playing their final home games.

It’s a big deal to Williams, as he spoke about during a Pre-Duke, Pre-Senior Day press conference Thursday at the Smith Center. It’s maybe the most challenging day of each season for the Hall of Fame coach, but does it get any easier over time?

“It’s an interesting question,” he replied. “My first year at KU on Senior Day it was, boy it was emotional, because these guys gave me a chance. I was really very appreciating of that. In different classes, you always had at least one senior, I don’t know that I’ve ever had a team that didn’t have one senior.

“It’s still emotional, it’s draining. You think back to so many good times, some bad times, but it’s the toughest day of the year for me because it’s usually a big game, usually a rivalry… I realize it’s the last time I’m going to coach those kids in a home game and that’s emotional for me. So far in my career, I’ve never had any seniors I was glad to see leave, so that’s good.

“But it’s the toughest day of the year for me because of all the emotions and the emotions that they have, the emotions that their families have. I remember when (son and former UNC walk-on) Scott was a senior, we were playing at Iowa State so I flew back here for the game and I flew back out there because we played on Sunday and it was the only way that it worked out. It was emotional for me as a parent because it’s different stages in your kids’ lives.

“But for me, I have an emotional attachment to them and I do think – hope – but I do think that most of them will say that it wasn’t just about winning with me.”

Williams also spoke about how so many players have talked about the emotional reality of knowing it will be the last time they run out of the tunnel onto the court. He said UNC legend Tyler Hansbrough told him earlier this week that he’d “give a lot of money to do it again.”

The four-year class of Kenny Williams and Maye are 117-30 overall as Tar Heels, including 54-17 in ACC regular season play. The class is 56-6 at home, though one of the home wins occurred in Greensboro after a water mane break moved UNC’s game versus Notre Dame a few years ago. The 117 wins is the fifth most for a class in UNC’s history.

In Cam Johnson’s two seasons as a Tar Heel, Carolina is 51-16 overall, including 26-9 in the ACC, and at home the Heels are 25-5 in the Smith Center.

Williams noted Maye had other significant scholarship offers, so he never really looked at him as a walk-on. Williams spoke a lot about what the will remember about Maye on Thursday, including Maye having those other offers but still chose to walk on at UNC.

“Once you get past that, the think that I will always remember for the rest of my life, which I hope is more than a couple of weeks, is how far the kid came, how hard he worked, that desire and that determination, the belief in himself, I really appreciate that part. It wasn’t a lark, he didn’t just work, he knew that if he did it the way he wanted to that he’d get a chance.

“I take a lot of pride in the fact that he knew that I would give him a chance if he deserved it and got to that level. So, the more of it is admiration and just proud of him for what he’s accomplished.”

Among the things Roy Williams said about his senior guard: “Kenny Williams has been pretty doggone important to our club for four years and particularly the last three years. I think he’s meant more to our team than anybody thought he was going to when we signed him. He’s meant so much mentally, emotionally and physically on the court as well.”

Williams noted the barrage of 3-pointers Johnson hit in the Smith Center in 2017 as a member of Pitt’s team when he scored 24 points in a near-upset of the eventual national champions and how that got him immediately interested in Johnson when he reached out to UNC a few months later.

“I remember he scored twice right in front of me and he shot the sucker and it looked great all the way in, and when they contacted us about him that was my first thought and I remembered how perfect that spin was after it left his hand.”

Williams also said Johnson “does more to prepare than just about anybody” and said his rebounding has improved more than any other part of his game at UNC, and all facets have gotten much better.

It appears doubtful that Zion Williamson will play for Duke on Saturday night, but it makes no difference with respect to UNC's preparation, Williams said. UNC already prepared for Duke having Williamson before the first meeting, in which the Tar Heels won in Durham the same night Williamson injured his knee. With him likely not playing this time around, does that change UNC’s preparation?

“You don’t have to do a lot. I push, push, push, push a lot of our games because ‘lets focus, lets do this.’ But it is Duke and North Carolina (and) a lot of that takes care of itself. We prepared before going over there to be playing against Duke’s full team, including Zion, who had been having as phenomenal a year as any freshman I’d ever seen. And we’re still preparing like Zion’s going to play.

“And at the same time, they’re going to make that decision, we have no say over it, so why worry about that part of it? We’re going to try to prepare to play Duke University and whoever’s got that uniform on we’re going to give a scouting report (for) and we’re going to give a scouting report for Zion in, and if he doesn’t play that’s their decision.”