Roy Williams sank into his chair and sighed. It wasn't angry, wasn't barbed in the way coaches can be after a game when they're ready to voice their frustrations. In that moment, it was just accepting.
Accepting that his team lost. Accepting that this North Carolina team is the roster and, excepting first-year guard Cole Anthony's return from injury, it won't be changing this year.
"I'd like to come up with something witty and something different, but I don't have it."
That's how Williams opened his press conference following UNC's 73-65 loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. The next eight minutes were likely the closest the Hall of Fame coach will ever get to saying that he, his team, Chapel Hill and the world need to adjust expectations.
Williams made some waves earlier in the week by saying, quite plainly, that this is the "least gifted" team he has ever coached at UNC. By most measures, he is correct.
Former four-star recruits Garrison Brooks and Brandon Robinson were valuable role players on last year's team that went a blistering 16-2 in the ACC. Now, following Anthony's injury, they have been forced into bigger roles, with mixed success.
First-year guard Jeremiah Francis has been competent, but unable to buy a bucket, still finding his way after not playing an organized competitive game of basketball since his sophomore year of high school due to injury. The brief and bright spark-plug that was Anthony Harris is out for the season after tearing his ACL.
The only McDonald All-American available is first-year center Armando Bacot, who has struggled at times to compete at the college level, but bounced back to an extent against a much smaller Panthers team.
"The last two, three games I was struggling, just fighting the voice in my head. I mean, I guess it was kind of just affecting the state, but I just said last night, just forget it," Bacot said, before offering an admission on the state of the team.
