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CHAPEL HILL, NC – Roy Williams of North Carolina became the fifth Division I men’s basketball coach to score 900 wins on Saturday, and he was able to celebrate the milestone in front of home fans for the first time this season. .
Down 16 points to No.11 in Florida shortly before halftime, the Tar Heels put in a 20-point first-year Walker Kessler performance to stage a comeback against the ACC’s top team. . The UNC celebrated the longtime coach in the midfield after the game, lifting a framed No.900 jersey in his honor.
Williams joins Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun and Bob Knight as the only Division I men’s basketball coaches to score 900 wins. He is the fastest Division I coach to reach the milestone, only making it in his 1,161st game as head coach.
Williams said he was just focused on securing North Carolina’s 15th win this season, but admitted after the game it was a great achievement. “It’s cool, and I appreciate all the players who have been involved in these things before,” said Williams. “My assistant coaches, for 33 years I felt like I had the best coaching staff in the world and I believe that every day. But it was good.”
Saturday also marked North Carolina’s first home game with fans in attendance, after Governor Roy Cooper eased public gathering restrictions earlier this week to allow indoor arenas with a capacity of at least 5,000. to contain up to 15% of that total.
That meant North Carolina could have around 3,200 fans in the Smith Center, which has over 21,000.
Williams, 70, began his Hall of Fame head coaching career in 1988 with Kansas. In 2003, he began his tenure with North Carolina, where he won three NCAA Championships.
Saturday’s victory served to bolster the Tar Heels’ resume for this year’s NCAA tournament. The UNC had taken the right direction by winning nine of 12 after the Louisville explosion last weekend. A loss to Marquette on Wednesday spoiled some of that momentum, but the Tar Heels responded well to a tough Seminoles side.
North Carolina overcame their biggest halftime deficit at home in a win since February 2006 over Georgia Tech.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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