Roy Williams Says UNC Will 'Freaking Compete' After 6th Straight Loss

The 10-16 North Carolina Tar Heels' six-game losing skid is the longest losing streak of the Roy Williams era, but the legendary head coach is not intimidated by uncharted territory.

"Well, you've got two choices: You can compete your butt off or you can get in the fetal position and curl up and start crying," Williams told reporters following the Heels' 77-76 loss to Notre Dame on Monday night. "I'm not gonna freakin' do that. ... We're gonna freaking compete."

UNC's six consecutive losses have come against Boston College, No. 8 Florida State, No. 6 Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia and Notre Dame. The Tar Heels last won on Jan. 27 over NC State, though four of their six losses have been by two points or fewer. That included an intense 98-96 overtime loss to rival Duke.

Williams' frustrations predate this losing streak. The 17-year Tar Heels head coach vented on his Roy Williams Live weekly radio show following a 96-83 loss to Georgia Tech on Jan. 4.

"It's probably the least gifted team I have ever coached in the time that I've been back here," Williams said, in part (h/t 247Sports' Gregory Hall). "So, if you're going to be like that, you need to bring your A-game even though your A-game might not even be an A-game."

Injuries have decimated the 2019-20 team. Freshman point guard Cole Anthony missed 11 games throughout December and January with a right knee injury that required arthroscopic knee surgery. That was compounded by freshman guard Anthony Harris suffering a season-ending torn ACL on Dec. 30.

The silver lining this season came when Williams surpassed UNC icon Dean Smith for fourth all-time on the list for career wins by a head coach in Division I history last month.

Moving forward, it's only going to get tougher for the Heels. UNC's next game will be Saturday afternoon at No. 11 Louisville. The regular season will end with a rematch against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 7.