Roy Williams defends ACC despite dismal NCAA tournament performance
Roy Williams wants everyone to know that he still believes in the ACC, no matter how poorly the conference has performed in this year's NCAA tournament.
The Tar Heels bench boss told reporters Thursday that the disappointing record posted by teams in tournament play doesn't change the belief that the ACC is the premiere conference in the nation, according to Myron Medcalf of ESPN. North Carolina is the last team standing out of nine that qualified for the tournament.
"This year, I was convinced we were by far the best league, but we haven't shown it in the tournament," Williams said. "I don't know if either (the league's record in the tourney or the regular season]) are the only way to gauge, but it's a very, very strenuous schedule. It's exhausting trying to play in the ACC with 15 ... playing those 18 games is a marathon, but you have to sprint through it. I think the ACC is still the best league."
| Team | Result |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | TBD - Sweet 16 vs. Butler |
| Florida State | Loss to Xavier - 2nd round |
| Louisville | Loss to Michigan - 2nd round |
| Notre Dame | Loss to West Virginia - 2nd round |
| Duke | Loss to South Carolina - 2nd round |
| Virginia | Loss to Florida - 2nd round |
| Virginia Tech | Loss to Wisconsin - 1st round |
| Miami | Loss to Michigan State - 1st round |
| Wake Forest | Loss to Kansas State - 1st four |
Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II echoed his coaches statements, saying the nature of the tournament gives no guarantees to any team, regardless of how strong its conference is.
"That's why they call it March Madness," Berry said. "Anything can happen. It's one game. Just some teams just didn't have their best games on the day that they played, and they don't get another chance."