WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina

Heels' Williams says players are buying more into defense

By Ryan Craig

Mar 30, 2009

Everyone knows that the winner of a basketball game is decided by which team scores more points.

For North Carolina this season, that usually meant giving up a lot of points, but scoring even more - that has changed in recent weeks.

"We've had times when we didn't play as well defensively this year, but at big moments, we've stepped up," said Carolina head coach Roy Williams on his Monday afternoon teleconference. That has given the coaches and the players confidence that they can do it."

Against Oklahoma, the Tar Heels played perhaps their best defense of the season, especially on the perimeter, where their opponents' three-point shooting percentage had been an Achilles' Heel all year long.

The Sooner made only two shots from beyond the three-point line Sunday afternoon on 19 attempts. Carolina head coach Roy Williams said on his teleconference Monday afternoon, that it's all a case of his team finally taking the coaching staff's message to heart.

"We've gotten better over the year, and you should get better after 90-something practices," Williams said. "The players are buying more into it each and every day."