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Before the season, Roy Williams deflected questions about high expectations for North Carolina by pointing to the team's 36 losses over the past two years.
He was fond of saying ``Ol' Roy ain't that good'' when asked whether he could lift a troubled program back in line with its storied tradition.
Seven games later,
Williams has brought stability and confidence back to his alma mater, where
he spent 10 seasons as an assistant to Dean Smith. The results show on the court,
where the Tar Heels score more, shoot better and win.
``No coach is ever going to say they're pleased or that you're where you want
to be unless it's the end of the season and you're the only one standing,''
said Williams, who left Kansas after leading the Jayhawks to the NCAA final
last season.
``I'm not good enough to have a master plan to say where we should be at each week. We just go out every day and try to do the best we can do and try to get better.''
North Carolina (6-1) reached No. 4 last week -- its highest ranking since reaching No. 1 during the 2000-01 season -- before Saturday's 119-114 triple-overtime loss to unbeaten Wake Forest. The Tar Heels were off to their best start since winning the first eight games of the 1998-99 season, but fell to ninth in this week's Associated Press poll.
North Carolina averages 92 points per game to rank second nationally and shoots 48 percent. Those numbers are up from 72.1 points a game and 44 percent shooting last year under Matt Doherty.
In addition, the Tar Heels have cut their 3-point attempts from 23.5 per game last year to 16.6 this year, part of Williams' emphasis on an up-tempo style that thrives on easy baskets and shot selection.
But the changes in Chapel Hill go deeper than numbers. Armed with Smith's pedigree, Williams is a calming influence on a program that felt unprecedented turbulence in Doherty's three years.
Williams is well aware of the program's recent troubles, including an 8-20 season in 2001-02. That's why he's handling this year's team -- loaded with sophomores and juniors -- with care.
``If you're 15-0, you can push a team as much as you want to push them, because they believe in you and they believe in what they're doing,'' Williams said. ``They're confident and they're just stubborn enough to say they can run longer than I can blow the whistle. But we don't have a team like that right now.''
Williams' players have noticed the coach's approach.
``Coach is just trying to feel us out right now,'' sophomore center Sean May said. ``I know he wants to push a lot of buttons, but he doesn't really know the personalities on the team. He doesn't know really who can handle it and who can't.''
May cited Williams' reaction to his 21-rebound effort in a win against Akron this month. Many of the rebounds came on his own misses after shooting 3-for-18, but Williams praised May's effort and didn't focus on his struggles.
``He said, 'It just wasn't your night and hopefully you won't have that night next week,''' May said.
``He's not really big on trying to make you feel bad about what you've done. He wants you to get your game going in the right direction, and he's done a great job so far.''
Williams also used the triple-OT loss as a teaching tool. In that game, the Tar Heels had several chances to win, but shot poorly from the free-throw line late and made several errors in the waning minutes.
That included a key foul by junior Melvin Scott that sent Chris Paul to the line to tie the game with 1.2 seconds left in the first overtime.
``He was just telling us that we have to learn how to win,'' Scott said. ``We didn't hit free throws, box outs, the small things. The quicker we learn from this game, the better we'll be.''
Next month, North Carolina begins a two-week stretch that includes games against No. 1 Connecticut, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 4 Georgia Tech and No. 24 Maryland.
Through that brutal stretch -- and the rest of his tenure in Chapel Hill -- Williams will expect one thing from this team.
``I think I'm a pretty easy guy to play for,'' Williams said, ``as long as you bust your rear end and do it every possession.''