Roy Williams after UNC's collapse vs. Duke: We're not going to quit

Tom Gatto

Roy Williams after UNC's collapse vs. Duke: We're not going to quit image

Roy Williams could have (should have?) gone scorched earth in his postgame comments Saturday night. He had just watched his North Carolina team lose at the buzzer to Duke 98-96 in overtime after blowing two big leads. He could have joined with those who thought the Heels got hosed by the officials twice on one play in the closing moments. He could have hammered his players for missing 17 free throws.

Instead, Williams offered a muted critique of his team's play and tried to make the case that UNC's season isn't over.

"I still think good things are going to happen for this team, but I'm not going to get this woe-is-me BS, by any means," he said, per UNC Athletics, "and I'm going to try to use that terminology very little the rest of my life."

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At this point, the only "things" left for the Tar Heels (10-13, 3-9 ACC) are to try to run the table in conference play and/or win the ACC Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina was woeful in trying to close out this game. It led 77-64 with 4:28 to go in regulation and 96-91 with 20 seconds to play in OT. Wendell Moore Jr.'s putback of an airball at the end of OT ultimately saved the Blue Devils (20-3, 10-2).

UNC fans were livid that officials didn't call a foul on Duke when Andrew Platek fell to the floor on a contested inbounds play with 12 seconds left, and then determined the ball went out of bounds off Platek, giving Duke a better chance at a comeback win.

No one asked Williams asked about that sequence, and he didn't appear interested in bringing it up. His focus was on telling the world (and his players) that he and the Heels were going to dig in and keep competing over the next five weeks, including the rematch against Duke at Cameron Indoor on March 7.

"Yeah, if you want to go woe is me and be a little pansy or something, you know, that's your choice. If you want to be a tough competitor — and 'pansy' doesn't mean anything except a guy who doesn't compete, so don't give me any of that . . . stuff, OK? That's what 'pansy' means; a guy's not a competitive guy.

"We're not going to be like that, and if you want to go do that and go lay in a corner and get in the fetal position and call for your mama, you can, but if you want to be a competitor, you're going to try to bust your tail in practice tomorrow and bust your tail at practice on Monday and try to go on the road and see if you can play your tail off on Tuesday (at Wake Forest)."

A few seconds later, there came the closing flourish to Williams' rallying cry after a backbreaking loss.

"Old coach is not going to freaking quit, and they're not, either."

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.