Kenny Williams' career day leads UNC men's basketball to 95-50 win over Radford

Kenny Williams wasn’t surprised.

In No. 3 North Carolina’s 95-50 win over Radford (3-5), Kenny Williams started his day with a quick layup for UNC (8-1) off a pass from Justin Jackson. But it was what came next that shocked the Smith Center.

A 3-pointer. And another. And another. And another.

In less than five minutes, Williams scored 14 of UNC’s first 18 points and bested his previous career mark of 3-pointers in a game (3). He finished the game with 19 points, setting a new career high.

“They were open looks,” Williams said. “I was getting the ball in my pocket where I wanted it, where I needed it, and from there it was just mechanics. And I’ve been working all summer on that.”

Williams’ improvement is what makes his performance so remarkable. Coach Roy Williams saw the sophomore's potential as a shooter during recruitment, but he didn’t flash that potential in his first year.

Last season, he only made one 3-pointer — a shot that gave UNC a double-digit lead over Pittsburgh in the ACC Tournament.

“You would’ve thought it was a shot to win the national championship the way our bench reacted,” Roy Williams said.

Kenny Williams shot well in practice, but he couldn’t translate it to games. While his mechanics have improved this year, he attributed his shooting success to newfound confidence.

“Last year, a little bit of it was nerves, but a lot of it was confidence in myself,” he said. “And that’s really one thing that I’ve stressed about this season is keeping my confidence up."

“And that’s all it is. That’s what’s making the ball go in. That’s what’s making my shot look good every time.”

Going into the season, Kenny Williams tried to change his mindset and focus on having confidence in himself as a player.

Kennedy Meeks has noticed a difference.

“He’s got different swagger,” Meeks said. “I mean, he cut his afro, he’s got waves now. He’s got a car on campus now … He’s got new shoes on. So everything’s different about him.”

Kenny Williams got into a rhythm after his first couple of 3-pointers, and Radford never recovered, as UNC held the lead for the rest of the game.

But Kenny Williams wasn’t done.

As the clock winded down for the first half, first-year Brandon Robinson attempted from beyond the arc. When his shot rattled off the rim, Kenny Williams grabbed the rebound and took a mid-range shot before touching the floor. His jumper barely beat the buzzer, giving UNC a 51-27 halftime lead.

Before Sunday, Kenny Williams was averaging 5.8 points per game, and he had eight 3-pointers on the season. He finished the game with 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including five 3-pointers.

Kenny Williams said he didn’t think his teammates were surprised by his play. After all, he shoots like that in practice.

Meeks wasn’t surprised.

“We always knew that he could shoot the ball,” Meeks said. “I mean, (he) clearly can shoot really good … But when you see him make those shots, it’s like finally, he’s here.”

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