After losing at Duke in embarrassing fashion last season - 82-50 - North Carolina coach Roy Williams said Monday he's "scared to death" about Wednesday's return trip, "because I know what it felt like over there."
"But at the same time, I feel more comfortable with my team," he said during the ACC conference call. "I feel more comfortable with the way we're playing. It will be a monumental task, there's no question about that. But I think our guys will try extremely hard, and I think everybody will be together."
The No. 20 Tar Heels enter the rivalry showdown a half-game behind fifth-ranked Duke for first place in the conference standings. Last year, Carolina -- which went 20-17 and failed to make the NCAA tournament -- entered the game beaten up, both mentally and physically. This time around, UNC has won five in a row, and continues to play its best basketball of the season despite the sudden transfer of point guard Larry Drew II last week.
Williams said the loss of the junior might linger more for the coaches than the players, who say they have pulled together more than ever.
"Kids get over things so much easier and quicker; they don't hold those feelings in, it doesn't last with them as long," Williams said. "... xIt's not a negative about kids, by any means. At the end of the season, they can let go of those losses a lot easier than the coaches can. It was a tough 48 hours for all of us."
Beating Duke will be a challenge, Williams said, because his team -- which now boasts only nine scholarship players -- will have to play a complete game.
"You can't have a great night shooting the ball and play poorly on the defensive end of the floor, or you can't just play great defense and not shoot the ball in the hole," he said. "You have to do everything you can to do a good job defensively; you've got to get some easy ones on the break, and you've got to be able to make open shots, you've got to be able to play without turning the ball over, you've got to try to not put them on the free throw line very often.
"They're going to make a bunch of 3s, you've got to guard them and try to cut that percentage down. You really do have to play the complete game because they're really a phenomenal club."
-- Robbi Pickeral
Monday, February 7, 2011
Beating Duke a 'monumental task,' UNC's Williams says
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
16 comments:
Heels by 11, book it.
The Blue Devils will beat the Heel out of Carolina
Cute name Duke-Fook. Maybe it will make you feel better when Duke smacks UNC around again...
@Duck-Fook: I'll take that action, how much do you want to lay out? $1000? You win if Carolina covers (wins by 11 or more) and I win if Duke wins or Carolina wins by 10 or less.
Deal, or are you a typical trash Carolina fan who's full of it?
If Duke is hitting their perimeter shots it could get ugly against anyone, but if they are not hitting a ton of those 3's on Wednesday it could get ugly the other way the way UNC has been playing. Even at Cameron. It is going to be a very interesting game.
Hey goatheads...don't forget to wear your NIT runner-up t-shirts to watch the game.
Hey Verndog, don't forget to wear those Rat-Face era championship t-shirts when K retires and Duke falls back into obscurity like they were before he came along to gain sexual favoritism with Carl Hess and his beloved Polack 3 point shooters. 1924, 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 > 20 years of relevancy by means of douchebaggery
UNC-Cheats will go down to the Devils by 20. K owns you boys!
I know Carl Hess personally and he does not like coach k, much less favor duke
Not sure how Coach K owns Carolina considering he is 34-35 against them and since Roy Williams has been there it's been an even 7-7
Thomas said...
Hey Verndog, don't forget to wear those Rat-Face era championship t-shirts when K retires and Duke falls back into obscurity like they were before he came along to gain sexual favoritism with Carl Hess and his beloved Polack 3 point shooters. 1924, 1957, 1982, 1993,
Read more: http://aboverim.blogspot.com/2011/02/beating-duke-monumental-task-uncs.html#ixzz1DOeyStsn
Did you really used 1924? BAHAHAHAA 1954 is just about as bad...and if you forget or well since you NEVER knew Duke was good in the 70's you buffoon. 3 years before Coach K they were in the final four. Typical Tarhole fan. And I don't like either team but man you UNCheat fans are terrible.
Rat boy has made some decent progress, but facts are facts: Dean Smith was 59-35 vs. Duke and 24-14 vs. Krzyzewski, winning 8 of the last 9 matchups before retiring in 1997. UNC under Williams (since 2003/04) has finished 1st in conference 5 time, 2nd once, a 6th place in his rookie season and 9th last year...after a mass exodus of all his players.
well then, if facts are facts hows this one sounds?
Dean 2 plus Roy 2 = what?
Coach K 4. I can't wait to see the argument on this one.
Will not be a slaughter with Duke's best player out indefinitely. But Duke is too experienced and well-coached to lose this game. Will take a better team to end the 31-game Cameron win streak!! Duke by 9.
Dad gum and golly gee.I don't know why roy is worried unless the 32 point beating from last year will be a 33 point mauling this year.If duke hits their 3's and they play lock down defense as usual,duke will run roy back into the tanning bed.Coach K is waaaay better of a coach than dean ever was.Big nosed dean couldn't hang when duke started to take over the ACC,so he retired.Tuck the farholes!!
"duke will run roy back into the tanning bed" LOL!
Post a Comment