Former Duke basketball superstar rips UNC for lack of effort and communication
Now an ESPN analyst who appears on numerous college basketball broadcasts and shows, Williams enjoyed quite the college career. Williams helped bring the Blue Devils their 2001 NCAA Championship, plus he earned National Player of the Year honors that same season.
UNC (13-9, 6-4 ACC) is preparing to face first-place Duke (18-2, 10-0) on Saturday, February 1, with Williams' Blue Devils holding the massive advantage. North Carolina is a shell of the dominant program it once was, while Duke looks like a front-runner to cut down the nets in March.
In the Tar Heels' latest debacle, a 73-65 loss at Pitt on Tuesday, January 28, Williams called out their apparent effort and lack of communication.
'I can tell you what you want to go through North Carolina's players' minds right now – they are all fragmented on the court,' Williams said during UNC-Pitt. 'Look at Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is huddling in the middle of the court. It already looks as if – with 24.9 seconds left to go, North Carolina being down only four points – that the game feels over. None of them have huddled. None of them have talked to each other. You're never out of it until you're out of it. But you need to have communication about what you're doing next and about what you're going to run offensively, where you need to be defensively and there's no quit in your voice.'
UNC's greatest veteran presence is reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis, but the team is largely otherwise a young bunch. There isn't another senior starter on North Carolina, which relies heavily on its guard play and struggles without Jalen Washington at center.
The Tar Heels will miss their second NCAA Tournament in three seasons under head coach Hubert Davis, barring a 2024 NC State-esque run. Do there need to be changes at UNC?
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
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