Press Conference Recap: UNC vs Georgia Tech

The #9 North Carolina Tar Heels lost their conference opener against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. UNC had 20 turnovers and shot just 33 percent from the field. Here’s what Coach Roy Williams had to say after the game.

Aggressiveness and Confidence

Simply put, the Yellow Jackets outhustled the Tar Heels. This aggressiveness and confidence was not lost on Williams. He said:

You know, we shoot five of 26 from three and they shoot 33 free throws to our 14. That’s basically the game right there because they were more aggressive, they got the ball where they wanted to get it more than we did. And as the game went along, they got more confidence and more confidence. And we got tighter. I didn’t expect that, didn’t see that coming. But again, their coach did a much better job of getting their guys ready to play than I did. The disappointing thing is I thought that they were much more aggressive, they were quicker to the basketball. We fouled so many times because we were reacting instead of being prepared and playing defense early. It was not a good day for us to say the least, 20 turnovers. It’s an ugly stat sheet. But from my side it was an ugly game.

The statistics were staggering in this game, and it is next to impossible to win with 20 turnovers and poor shooting. However, as Coach Williams mentioned, the effort was not there.

The Health of Joel Berry II

The first question from the media was regarding the health of Joel Berry. The games since Kentucky have been underwhelming for Berry. Against Monmouth, he did not make a single field goal as each of his six points came from the free throw line. In this game, he scored eight points on 3-13 shooting with no free throw attempts. The most shocking part of his stat line was six turnovers. That is the most in his career and most since last season’s home win against Georgia Tech. Is Berry still under the weather or is he still suffering from an ankle injury? This is what Coach Williams had to say:

I think he’s over it, but, you know, he’s not full speed, that kind of thing. During the game on Wednesday night, he said his legs were just dead. And, so I’m sure he’s not 100 percent, but we didn’t say that to be acting like it was an excuse. North Carolina’s got to play.

Coach Williams simply summed up Saturday’s loss against Georgia Tech: “It just wasn’t a good game.” He continues to talk about turnovers, lack of execution on the boards, and failing to beat Georgia Tech’s zone defense.

You can watch the press conference below courtesy of UNC Tar Heels Athletics.