UNC vs. Radford - Player of the Game: Kenny Williams

Kenny Williams came to North Carolina with the reputation of an excellent three-point shooter. However, he spent most of his first season getting more plaudits for his defense than his shooting. Against Radford, the defense was there, and Williams showed where the reputation as a shooter came from.

Williams returned to the starting lineup against Radford after coming off the bench against Indiana. That paid off as Williams finished with a career-high 19 points.

He came out on fire early, and scored 14 of Carolina’s first 18 points. He knocked down four threes in the first five minutes, and made his first five shots. Williams’ early barrage took put Carolina up double digits, with the lead only growing further from there.

He shot 7-10 from the floor and 5-6 from three. He also chipped in with five rebounds and an assist. Williams was part of a solid team defensive effort with Radford shooting just 31% from the field.

With the options this team has on offense, Kenny Williams will probably remain a player Roy Williams looks to more for his defense than his offensive abilities. He probably won’t remain in the starting lineup once Theo Pinson returns from his foot injury, but he should prove to be valuable until then and beyond. Against Radford, he showed that he is capable of being an option on both sides of the ball, finally living up to the hype surrounding him when he first came to UNC.