University of North Carolina Athletics
Roy Williams at his postgame press conference
Photo by: J.D. Lyon Jr.
GoHeels Exclusive: Time To Respond
March 4, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
DURHAM — When Roy Williams sat down for his postgame press conference Saturday, there were several words he could have used to describe North Carolina's 74-64 loss at Duke.
He spoke of how "aliens crawled up" in the bodies of his players in the second half. He congratulated Grayson Allen. But perhaps no words could have resonated with UNC fans more than the first 13 that left his mouth.
"Well, it was an unusual game," Williams said, "and I have unusual feelings right now."
The latter isn't what you want to admit at this point in the season. But the Tar Heels, who seemed poised to clinch a double-bye at the beginning of the week, enter the ACC Tournament as the No. 6 seed after losing two straight. And Saturday's second half provoked some concerns.
In building a 35-25 halftime lead, UNC held Duke to 0.57 points per possession, the lowest mark by any Carolina opponent in any half this season. That might not have seemed sustainable. But at the very least, the Tar Heels' steadily efficient offense could carry them once again.
This time, that wouldn't be the case.
Cameron Johnson's 3-pointer with 16:56 left handed UNC a 13-point edge. Yet from there, the Tar Heels missed 21 of their final 31 shots. Duke made 17 of its last 28.
"I think we left a lot out there," Kenny Williams said. "We were getting good shots, shots that we usually knock down. They had a lot of late closeouts, and those were shots we see each other knock down every day."
UNC shot 37.1 percent from the floor and 25.8 percent on 3-pointers. The Tar Heels attempted 31 shots from behind the arc for the fourth time this season, with a majority of those looks being open.
Joel Berry II took seven 3-pointers. He didn't make any and finished 3-for-11 from the field. After scoring 169 points in the previous eight games, the most he's scored in any eight-game stretch in his career, he matched his season low with six.
"Speaking for myself, I played scared as hell," Berry said. "And that's just not me. I'm a confident dude and I just didn't go out there and play my game tonight. I can't speak for the whole team. I just felt like a lot of shots I usually take, and I make those, but tonight they didn't go in."
And ultimately, UNC lost a game in which it led by 10 or more points at halftime for the first time since a 78-68 overtime defeat at Louisville on Jan. 31, 2015 – adding to the unusual nature of the loss.
But the Tar Heels still find themselves in a familiar situation.
Just last season, UNC lost to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium and then in the ACC Tournament semifinals. The Tar Heels responded to the latter by winning their next six games en route to their sixth NCAA national championship.
UNC could potentially play Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals again this season. But this time, the Tar Heels' road there appears more daunting. They'll likely face Syracuse, an NCAA Tournament bubble team, on Wednesday, and with a win, they'd play third-seeded Miami on Thursday.
"A lot of guys on this team have been in this situation before," Berry said. "We've lost here and went into the tournament and did pretty well. We've just gotta bounce back from it, move on from it and just go back and get better."
For as unusual as Saturday's game might have been, UNC's response will carry more significance.
He spoke of how "aliens crawled up" in the bodies of his players in the second half. He congratulated Grayson Allen. But perhaps no words could have resonated with UNC fans more than the first 13 that left his mouth.
"Well, it was an unusual game," Williams said, "and I have unusual feelings right now."
The latter isn't what you want to admit at this point in the season. But the Tar Heels, who seemed poised to clinch a double-bye at the beginning of the week, enter the ACC Tournament as the No. 6 seed after losing two straight. And Saturday's second half provoked some concerns.
In building a 35-25 halftime lead, UNC held Duke to 0.57 points per possession, the lowest mark by any Carolina opponent in any half this season. That might not have seemed sustainable. But at the very least, the Tar Heels' steadily efficient offense could carry them once again.
This time, that wouldn't be the case.
Cameron Johnson's 3-pointer with 16:56 left handed UNC a 13-point edge. Yet from there, the Tar Heels missed 21 of their final 31 shots. Duke made 17 of its last 28.
"I think we left a lot out there," Kenny Williams said. "We were getting good shots, shots that we usually knock down. They had a lot of late closeouts, and those were shots we see each other knock down every day."
UNC shot 37.1 percent from the floor and 25.8 percent on 3-pointers. The Tar Heels attempted 31 shots from behind the arc for the fourth time this season, with a majority of those looks being open.
Joel Berry II took seven 3-pointers. He didn't make any and finished 3-for-11 from the field. After scoring 169 points in the previous eight games, the most he's scored in any eight-game stretch in his career, he matched his season low with six.
"Speaking for myself, I played scared as hell," Berry said. "And that's just not me. I'm a confident dude and I just didn't go out there and play my game tonight. I can't speak for the whole team. I just felt like a lot of shots I usually take, and I make those, but tonight they didn't go in."
And ultimately, UNC lost a game in which it led by 10 or more points at halftime for the first time since a 78-68 overtime defeat at Louisville on Jan. 31, 2015 – adding to the unusual nature of the loss.
But the Tar Heels still find themselves in a familiar situation.
Just last season, UNC lost to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium and then in the ACC Tournament semifinals. The Tar Heels responded to the latter by winning their next six games en route to their sixth NCAA national championship.
UNC could potentially play Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals again this season. But this time, the Tar Heels' road there appears more daunting. They'll likely face Syracuse, an NCAA Tournament bubble team, on Wednesday, and with a win, they'd play third-seeded Miami on Thursday.
"A lot of guys on this team have been in this situation before," Berry said. "We've lost here and went into the tournament and did pretty well. We've just gotta bounce back from it, move on from it and just go back and get better."
For as unusual as Saturday's game might have been, UNC's response will carry more significance.
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