With an 8-10 record and a 1-6 mark in the ACC, the North Carolina men's basketball team is undergoing one of the roughest starts to a season in recent memory. Consecutive losses to Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Clemson, Pittsburgh (again) and Virginia Tech mean the Tar Heels have yet to win a game in 2020.
One might forgive them for being demoralized. But you won’t hear any whining or complaining from this team, and certainly not from head coach Roy Williams.
“We have to bounce back and prepare for the next game,” Williams said. “We may not be successful, but if we don’t do that, then we have no chance.”
To hear Williams tell it, motivation and work ethic are needed now more than ever. Despite the team’s struggles, Williams said the desire to improve is just as strong as always among the players.
“What you gotta do is say, ‘Coach, at three o’clock today I’m going to go out onto the court and give it the best of my ability,’” Williams said. “You have to go out there and think that you can get better."
Injuries have been an issue plaguing the team, with first-year guard Cole Anthony still out and senior guard Brandon Robinson sitting out against the Hokies due to "persistent neck pain" suffered after a car crash.
“He didn’t do anything yesterday,” Williams said. “We’re planning to go through the first part of practice today and reevaluate after that.”
As for Anthony, Williams did not give any medical updates but said that the team is “just waiting for the doctors to say it’s time to go.”
The player filling the hole left by Anthony is junior forward Garrison Brooks. After averaging 7.9 points per game in 2018-19, Brooks has seen his scoring numbers skyrocket and is currently averaging 15.2 points per game this season. He's taken on a new role offensively, having posted almost as many shooting attempts this season (196) as last season (202), in only half as many games.
