Which UNC will show up against FSU? Heels’ Williams has no idea
The blank stares from North Carolina players in the locker room could mean they’re zoned out because they’re so focused on the task at hand like in their win over Louisville. Or it could mean they’re zoned out because they’re aloof as they proved in Wednesday’s loss to Marquette.
Head coach Roy Williams is still trying to play interpreter as the Tar Heels (14-8, 8-5 ACC) prepare to face No. 11 Florida State (14-3, 10-2) on Saturday in the Dean E. Smith Center.
“I get so tired of saying it myself, but it’s hard to read this team with seven freshmen,” Williams said in a video call with reporters Friday.
According to Kenpom.com, the Heels rank 325 out of 347 Division I teams currently playing in the category of experience. Only Louisville (338) and Duke (344) are younger among ACC teams.
Williams said he thought the Heels would be “fired up” to play Marquette following such a good performance against the Cardinals. Instead, he joked as the coaching staff heads to the court, their youth has made predicting their demeanor useless.
“We just laugh about it, because
we don’t know if they’re being fired up, or if I’m getting them fired up or if I’m putting a damper on it, because they just sort of look at me with a blank stare,” Williams said. “But I think that youthfulness we got to got to get through that because we got a big-time game.”
The Seminoles have won nine of their last 10 games, despite the program being put on pause twice due to COVID-19 protocols. That included FSU’s 82-75 win over UNC on Jan. 16 in Tallahassee. The Noles are alone in first place in the ACC standings.
FSU didn’t have its 6-9 freshman point guard Scottie Barnes, who averages 10.1 points and leads the
team in assists. Barnes is considered by many a first-round talent should he choose to declare for the NBA draft.
Carolina will unveil for the first time this season, a Smith Center crowd not limited to family members and guests of players. Thanks to the state’s scaled back restrictions, 15% or about 3,200 fans, will be in place — the majority of which will be students.
“I’ve been there before when it’s 21,750 screaming and going crazy and it’s a phenomenal feeling running out the tunnel,” Williams said. “It’s not going to be that, but it is going to be a lot better and I think the kids will enjoy it more.”