Roy Williams: “Right Now We Stink”

No.7 Michigan Wolverines (7-0) smashed No.11 North Carolina 84-67 in what was supposed to be the game of the day in NCAA basketball. It turned out to be one-sided domination by the Wolverines.

North Carolina and coach Roy Williams don’t like to get trashed by some of their opponents. Tar Heels got used to being a villain, not the victim. So we might understand the source of their frustration after last night’s beating. We can guess why coach Roy Williams reacted the way he did.

“I’ve got no positive things,” Williams said. “If you want positive things, you’d better go out and find someone on the street. I’ve got no positive for me, no positives for my team.”

The 58-year old coach who won three national championships with this university, was absolutely honest about his team, and himself. He didn’t want to make any excuses and cover up the helplessness of his players. Williams was straightforward when asked how his team performed and why he made changes in the lineup during the game.

Here are some quick highlights from tonight's 84-67 victory over No. 11/13 North Carolina!!#GoBlue 〽️🏀 pic.twitter.com/G0niRvcO2U

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) November 29, 2018

“It was because they stunk it up. Every one of them stunk it up, and so did I.” and then continued, sharing his part of the guilt. “Right now, we stink… I’ve coached for 31 years. Right now, my coaching sucks.”

Why did Roy Williams get so upset? Well, his players came into this game as one of the best offences in the NCAA, averaging 96.6 points per game. They’ve scored almost 30 points fewer. Though Michigan’s defense is one of the best in the nation allowing only 48.3 points.

Still, more was expected from Tar Heels high-flying offense, who likes to play fast, with a lot of transition points, and who knows how to dominate under the rim.
None of that was seen, except in the early part of the game when they had a 10-point advantage.

However, Michigan woke up quickly, by tightening up the defensive part and making a 19-4 run which was in largely because of Iggy Brazdeikis who dropped 10 points during that period. The Lithuanian forward was creating a lot of problems for North Carolina, and they simply didn’t have a proper answer for him, and he concluded this event with 24 points, 5 rebounds shooting 9-of-13 from the field. The Wolverines were up four points entering the second half, leading 39-35.

And that was the start of the agony for coach Williams and the boys. In the first 12 minutes of that period, the home team scored 34 points allowing only 12. Jordan Poole finished the match with 18 points, from which only three weren’t provided in the second 20 minutes. He was the guy who controlled the attack, while his backcourt partner Zavier Simpson tortured Tar Heel with his defense. Charles Matthews contributed with 21 buckets and 7 boards.

North Carolina managed to make an 11-0 run and cut the deficit to 11 points, 73-62, but that wasn’t enough to intimidate Michigan. Guests outrebounded Wolverines, mostly because of Luke May who had 15 rebounds along with 11 points. Still, they haven’t managed to use that advantage in their favor. Coby White had a team-high 12 points for the visitors.

.@JonTeske put together a block party tonight and the Wolverines forced 10 Tar Heel turnovers and added four steals of their own in the win!#GoBlue 〽️🏀 pic.twitter.com/buKTkciLEk

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) November 29, 2018

Michigan had 50% for three points, hitting 11 times in 22 attempts, but what made coach John Beilein very unhappy was the free-throw productivity, 11 of 23.

However, he did say what cheered him up. When he heard Roy Williams angry and frustrated, saying that his team “sucks”, Beilein took that as a compliment.

“That’s one of the biggest compliments I’ve ever had,” explaining that the frustration of his big rival, is a product of his team’s excellent play. After defeating Villanova with 27 points, victory here is a huge boost for the last year’s championship game finalist.

Wolverines’ next game is at home against Purdue this Saturday, while North Carolina host UNC Wilmington next Wednesday.