What you missed at UNC's pre-Final Four press conference

Before departing for Phoenix for their Final Four matchup against Oregon, members of the North Carolina men’s basketball team met with the media on Tuesday.

Berry’s status

Junior guard Joel Berry is currently undergoing rehab for injuries to both of his ankles. About five minutes into Sunday’s matchup against Kentucky, Berry attempted to drive the lane for a layup but came to a stop as his left ankle turned.

“If we had to play a game today, I don’t think he’d play,” Williams said. “The good news is we don’t have to play today.”

UNC practiced for an hour and 15 minutes on Tuesday, and Berry sat out entirely.

But Williams didn’t dwell on the injury, halting any comparison to Kendall Marshall’s fractured wrist in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

“Can’t worry about all that junk,” he said. “I saw a motorcycle cop crash in the street in front of us the other day, and there wasn’t anyone else involved. There were just railroad tracks. He rides that bike for a living, and there he was laying in the street.”

“So no, I hadn’t even though about Kendall.”

Preparing for Oregon

Don’t ask Williams about Oregon’s defense or Pac-12 Player of the Year Dillon Brooks. He hasn’t even thought about Saturday’s opponent.

“Every game I’ve ever coached, I start watching the day before,” Williams said. “I worry about North Carolina.”

“Now, Hubert Davis has seen (Oregon) play 88 games. I pay him an exorbitant salary so he tells me what the crap to do in practice.”

Meanwhile, the players are relishing the opportunity to play in the Final Four.

“You don’t get many times to get to one Final Four, let alone two,” Jackson said. “For that, we’re going to go in there and just enjoy the experience. But we know we still have a dream and a goal that we’re trying to accomplish.”

Maye’s game-winner

Maye is enjoying a flurry of attention this week after his game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left against Kentucky on Sunday.

“(I’ve watched it) probably about like 20 times just trying to figure out what happened,” said Pinson, who assisted the shot. “It’s something that I’ll never forget, just real proud that I could be a part of it.”

Maye hadn’t seen the replay until Monday night.

“They put it in the group message,” he said.

“Theo’s talking about how he set it up and everything. It was a great pass, and it really put me in a great spot.”

“I just talked to my mom on the phone, and she was saying, ‘I know it’s going to be crazy, and you’re going to feel a lot of pressure going into this weekend.’ I mean, I told her that I don’t feel any pressure because I know how good I can be and how good I can play. Just like any other game, I’m going to take the game and do what I can to help my team win.”

But not even his teammates are letting it slide.

“He’s big-time now; he needs some security around campus,” Jackson said. “I mean, we make fun of him all the time, that’s just what we do. But deep down we’re just really happy for him.”

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