Wofford pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the college basketball season so far on Wednesday, going into Chapel Hill and defeating UNC, 79-75.
The fifth-ranked Tar Heels were listed as 25.5-point favorites in the game, and given their history of success in non-conference games, it was assumed that they would easily beat the Terriers. UNC had not lost a non-conference game since Dec. 3, 2014 heading into the game, and it appeared highly unlikely that Wofford would be the team to put an end to that streak.
Wofford did indeed emerge victorious, though, ending the first half on a 8-0 run to take a one-point lead into the break. It was expected that the Terriers would fall apart in the second half, but their hot shooting continued, and they pulled off the massive upset.
Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams was none too pleased with his players after the game, and he called them out for being a bit cocky heading into the contest. Here’s what Williams told reporters after the loss.
“I’m not pleased at all,” Williams began. “I didn’t think we came out with the passion that we needed to have. We got a big win on Sunday and we’re fat and happy and think that things are just going to be so easy for us. We talk about not turning the ball over and we turn the ball over three times in the first four minutes. Ended up for the game, they get 16 points off turnovers to our eight.”
Williams continued:
“Bad movement, bad defense, bad coaching,” he said. “We got fat and happy. It was a disgusting thing for me the entire game, my own self and the team. I mean, guys, we even call a timeout and I say, ‘Guys, we only have two fouls, so we want to trap and trap again and we’ve got to foul.’ We can’t waste all of the clock, and we wasted 15 seconds and I’m standing over there jumping up and down like an idiot. And we had just had, well, it was a terrible, terrible coaching job.”
The Tar Heels host the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, so they’ll have a chance to right the ship and get back in the win column against a talented opponent. Williams will likely make sure his players are prepared for the game — mentally and physically — so they don’t make the same mistakes they did on Wednesday.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
