An alum gearing up for ACC Tournament week!

Perfect transition to a guy who absolutely dominated this tournament. We're going to talk to Jay Williams about it.

Think about this. Jay went nine for nine in games in the ACC tournament. Nine for nine in games. So the guy who hosts in the morning on JWill, Keyshawn, and Max on ESPN Radio. But before we get to your performance in the ACC tournament, Jay, do I have this correct?

According to a top 100 ranking of ACC point guards, you're not even as good as Ty Lawson? So you know, one of the beautiful things about doing our job is that you're constantly looking for content. And then sometimes, AG, the content just comes gift-a-raps for you. And this was presented to me. I looked at the list and someone sent it to me.

Duhan actually sent it to me. And I was like, huh, 14. Okay. And then, you know, for me, my competitive self starts like actually digging into the numbers and accolades and start tweeting the guy about, so how do we actually look at the criteria for you coming up with this list?

No criteria. And then I decided to make it a bigger topic and talk about it because that's who I am, you know? First of all, when Chris Duhan sent it to you, did he ask you why he wasn't ranked ahead of you since on the 0-1 championship team for various reasons, he was moved into the starting lineup and was, I don't know if he was the primary ball handler, maybe more of a defensive guy, but he became the point guard.

So maybe he should be ahead of you. Yeah, you should. You know, it's really funny.

All I've seen is red since then. So it's like old school with Will Ferrell at the podium. Like you come out of it, you're like, what the hell just happened? What did I say? So I don't even think I got a chance to read the text copy above the picture of the rankings. I just reacted.

So I should probably go back and reread that for what you do. It was a great segment. And that guy called in by the way to the show. I don't know if you guys called him or if he randomly called. No, he called in. He called him out of me as a Moxie to him. I didn't credit for it.

I do too. First of all, how did we verify that he was the right guy? Cause I could have done that. Yep. I, we should probably do a little bit more research and diligence cause I don't think anybody verified it. We just took him for his word.

Hey look, that's you guys are trusting people. All right. So we're at the ACC tournament here and I was looking through the ACC tournament runs when you were at Duke and your final, your ACC championship game margins, 13, 30 in the second year over North Carolina. And then 26, you guys in, in you, you were nine and Oh, as a player in ACC tournament play and the closest game you had, do you remember the closest game you had? Closest game we had, let's see. I love these contests. Maryland is a ACC semi-final.

I think my, was it my sophomore year. Yup. Yup. That was.

Brain like an elephant. Call me a baby LeBron James at six two. That was one of the greatest basketball games I have ever been to. Um, I think it was Juan Dixon's half court heave at the buzzer went off the back rim and you guys, it was an absolute, absolute classic.

Um, you guys just dismantled people. You know, I don't know that that game that year or two, cause I'll never forget this. Um, and it's, you know, I think a lot of times fans hear analysts or coaches talk about the psychological effect of, you know, competing against your opponents before, and you hear things that go, it's hard to beat a team four times. And for us that year being down, I think we were down double digits as a half. Um, it's when we were down 22 points in the final four against that same Maryland team, I'll never forget being in the locker room during halftime and shame being like, do you guys, do you guys know that each team has been down double digits at halftime and always came back from one game and it was like that theme that follows throughout the game.

It proved true. I mean, each and every game. So it's like that being down double just gave us a lot of confidence and composure.

All right. You know, all these cliches, one possession at a time and get a stop here and all these things there. But when you put it together, that psychological aspect played a major factor in us winning the whole thing. Well, you guys, I mean, you guys were a machine anyway, in 2001, it was one of the best teams I've ever watched, but have been, had the privilege to cover. Um, I would, as a Maryland grad, um, I, that era, and I look, we know what the Duke UNC rivalry is all about, but for those three for those three years, there were no better basketball games than Duke Maryland. I mean, not even close. And earlier in the 2001 season was the miracle in, I guess it's not really a miracle. You guys coming back from 10 down in the final minute, uh, as Maryland was during the headlights up there. But, um, I mean, those are the best games.

I mean, how do you, how do you process that? Why I processed it in 2023 terms, because I feel like college basketball is, uh, and as much as I'm a fan of the sport, it's missing those nostalgic like moments, right? And, and I think that at times with conference realignment with the transfer portal, uh, with all these movable parts that we miss on some of those moments for the fan base is to kind of lean into what those robberies would do. And I really wish that Duke in Maryland would have a home and away each and every year.

I think it would be great for the sport. I think you see this throughout old school, big East rivalries, old school, big 10 rivalries. And regardless of conference realignment or what it has been, uh, being able to have a lot of those hypo rivalries and away scenarios allows us on the media side to package and go back and help people remember what was because frankly, it's hard for people to remember what the hell happened last week. You had a loan 20 years ago, but if you can recreate that, Adam, then I think the product of college basketball becomes bigger and stronger.

Jay Williams is joining us here. We could talk about the state of college basketball in a second. I'm just trying to think and in my, close my eyes and imagine Duke going up to Comcast center now or whatever it's called now.

I have no idea. I've actually never been in that building. Um, I left Maryland and never, never, I didn't go back to a game. I went to one Duke Maryland game at Cole field house. Uh, I think it was Steve Wojcicki junior or senior season have not been to a Maryland game in college park since, uh, I just can't imagine going back, seeing these two teams play again. I mean, there were big 10 ACC challenges, uh, that I don't know if Duke worked behind the scenes to make sure, Hey, we ain't matching up with them. Um, because I think everybody was still kind of bitter that Maryland flew the coop. Yeah. Well, like, you know, I, I look at personalities too, and it's almost, you know, look for all the respect that Rory and Mike Krzyzewski have for each other, they wanted to beat the hell out of one another.

Like, you know, you would hear all these guys say, well, it was like BS. It's never just another game when you go again, North Carolina, it's never just another game because what any of these players tell you, when we go against Maryland, and I would see that with how badly coach K wanted to beat Gary Williams. And I spent time with Gary after I was a player and I heard it firsthand from him over trying, but how much he wanted to win those type of games.

Right. So when you hear that, and I think about what the new age could be like, yeah, you can make a case that at times, especially against, you know, certain opponents, you wish that John Shire was a little bit more, you know, animated, right? We talk about that game at UV day, like being animated, but John Shire is one of the most competitive people, uh, the game of basketball has ever seen. Like I'm a competitive prick. John Shire is a competitive prick.

Kevin Willard is a competitive prick. I would love to see those two guys as coaches go against each other as well. I think it would be great for college basketball.

Oh, it absolutely would be. I spoke to a former teammate of yours yesterday. We, uh, we had Chris Carroll on the show and he was talking about the competitive nature. So let's get to this Duke team. We waited this long to get to, uh, this team, the team you watched go into, uh, the Smith center and eke out a win. And to me, it's, they don't play pretty basketball. They play very, very tough, physical defensive basketball. If they went on a, they got an offensive hot streak and they might be a juggernaut. I'm just not sure that hot streak is there, but boy, do they gut things out?

Well, you know, everybody keeps saying that and look, I, um, I watched Duke play multiple times. I don't know if they possess that scoring punch this year. Um, I think next year, this core group we're together, Philadelphia doesn't need to come in pro or Jeremy Roach.

We'll see what happens with Derek Lively and company. But I think if next year we're together, there will be a lot more confidence in, in roles and a lot more certainty in their ability to score a rock. Um, I think this team is more built on the defensive side, the offensive rebounding side. I think they can score in spurts, but there doesn't seem to be that rhythm like offensive punch that is provided consistently. I just thought Duke was a tougher team.

And to me, uh, in a moment where you need a win to secure a spot in the tournament, but it's just not that it's the robbery itself. It's also the pride and the momentum that you need to gain after beating UVA, after beating Florida state on the road, going into ACC tournament, you always feel like North Carolina has a scoring punch, uh, to be a national title contender. But what I saw firsthand, there's, there's, there's some major issues going on there. There's an identity crisis going on for North Carolina, and I don't know what's going on with Caleb love and RJ Davis.

They should be the best back court in the country. Um, there's something missing there, Adam. And then, and I, I saw it in person and I know in the Hubert has a tough job. Uh, sometimes you wonder about that personality, how he needs to hold different players accountable. But there, there was something, and I think Brady manic brought all that last year, but it seemed like that covered a lot of holes when they started getting on the roll offensively. And this team lacks an identity to me. And now I think that was the most shocking revelation that I had watching them play in person.

Yeah. They, um, Jay Williams is joining us here. They're too streaky. They don't, they probably don't use Armando Baycott enough to be honest in their offense. Uh, but when they got into a little bit of an offensive rhythm, it was a high ball screen for RJ Davis. Uh, and either flared out and knocked down a three or, uh, or drove and created, but, uh, Caleb love has not, there had been very few times this year where Caleb love has looked like the Caleb love of last year.

And even last year he was streaky, but we have had very few real good Caleb love stretches this year. Let me ask you real quick about the health of the sport. Um, because we haven't seen like, it's, it's almost unfair to compare it to your era because even you stayed three years. I think you ain't staying more than one.

Uh, when, when you were here, when, when you were playing, if you came in and did what you did as a freshman today, I mean, you're in the draft. So these guys don't stay. Um, but what has that done? Is that, is that the biggest factor in why we have, I mean, it's just not, it's not a great product.

It is at times, but consistently it's not a great product. Well, you know, and I think my, my mindset has changed over the years. College basketball with NIL needs to go to a place where it should be a two year mandatory stay. I don't like what I see going on with the transfer portal. I think there needs to be way more stipulations in the transfer portal because it's hard to coach kids these days. If I'm telling you this as a player, I always speak player first, not coach first. Um, if I were just allowed to leave Duke university my freshman year after, you know, being challenged daily by, you know, all American guards and Johnny Dawkins and, you know, Steve Wojcicki, I would, my freshman year I would have bounced. I would, it was too hard. And I think what's happening right now, and I'm saying it to young kids out there, sometimes the best thing you can do in your life is look adversity in the eye and face it. It's a great learning experience on how to become a young adult for men and women. And I'm not saying that every situation is equal.

I'm not saying that every situation is worth you staying, but battling through things for a couple of years gives you a better metric on how did you handle that situation as well? Now, I'm not making excuses. There are some poor coaches out there, but Adam, I think the lack of accountability that we're giving these young people it's problematic.

And it's very in tune with the time. It's almost like John Moran, right? And I'll say that because I love John Moran, but it's like, Hey, look, how many times do you need a player to be warned? But what happens in the league and what's happening now in college?

Oh, you know, in college, I have a poor game. I'm still jumping in my escalator. Wendy's homestyle French toast sticks are so delicious. Some are saying that they're better than their mom's breakfast. Excuse me. Did you just say Wendy's French toast sticks are better than my breakfast?

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See capitalone.com slash bank for details, Capital One and a member FDIC. I've still seen those checks coming through. It doesn't hurt as much. Right. And I think it's more challenging for kids now than ever to manage because they don't have to be accountable because they're already given certain things. So, you know, once again, player first, Adam, but I am a little bit more old school because I think there needs to be a little bit more old school married to the new school and where this game is going because I do want to see players earn things. You know, not everything is given to everybody. I had to earn it my freshman year. I just wasn't given National Player of the Year. I had to fight through a lot of stuff and I had to stay over the summer to become National Player of the Year and steal one award away from Shane, you know, to make a decision. But, like, I used to fight for that. Yeah, I still won, Adam. I still won, but I still claim myself as Jack Black National Player of the Year. No, it's good, man.

It's all good. You and, man, what a great era. I will absolutely never forget that run. You guys were awesome. You won a national championship. Maryland won the next year. And those were two of the best teams I ever watched. I mean, to be 100% honest, you guys were good enough to win it all three years just shows you how hard it is to win.

And that's not shade on anybody or anything. It is hard to win in a one-game scenario. Especially when the two years you lose, you lose to the team that makes it all the way to the national championship game.

You know what I mean? Like, losing to Indiana, of course, I marry an IU grad and they remind me of it all the time, the lack of free throw shooting, which, you know, I still work on my free throws now as a 41-year-old pro, man, because I've been secured and complexed about it. But it's like losing to IU and then seeing IU lose to Maryland in the national championship game, a team that we beat two times, they're like, oh, come on. You know, losing the Florida, you know, who then goes on to lose to Michigan State that year in the national championship, my freshman year, it goes to show you that the best teams don't always win. It's about having the biggest stretch of games. And that's what makes this time of year the best. And, you know, the one and done scenario, you know, you lose, you're out. That's the ultimate pressure. It's why the tournament is the ultimate tournament.

We'll talk about the tournament next week when we chat again. Real quick, Jay Williams is joining us here. Did they treat you well at the Smith Center?

You know, it's really funny. They always treat me so well, like the staff. I saw Roy, I love Roy Williams.

I got a chance to meet for the first time, which is kind of crazy knowing Hubert for as long as I have his wife. And, you know, I really enjoy Carolina. I really do. I enjoy it so much that I have to remind them I'm 7-1 against Carolina. I was 3-0 in that building, right?

So, like, that always exists. I think, you know, but on the real side, like, we are so intertwined, these two schools and organizations, and I think there is so much respect. And I know what Hubert Davis is going through right now is challenging, going from a team that was in a championship game last year to a team that may not make the tournament unless they go on a run here in the ACC tourney. It's not easy feeling in the shoes of Dean Smith and Roy Williams.

And the expectations that come along with being a North Carolina player for Kale Love, it's not easy. So, I feel for them. I really do, because at the end of the day, man, Adam, like, Raymond Felton used to come stay over at my house, watch tape with Raymond Felton. I've known Ty Law, Ty Lawson, for a long time.

Wayne Ellington and I were cool. So, it's a family, and you want to see individuals win. And, you know, for Leaky Black, I love watching them play. There's an intensity he brings to the floor. I want to see them do well.

Just don't want to see them do well versus us. Jay Williams, I appreciate your time, my friend. Best to, best to everyone, best to your mom. I will talk to you next week, and good luck to the Blue Devils this week. I'm still working on my free throws, Adam. I'm still working on them. Choose Wendy's sweet and crispy Homestyle French Toast Sticks. That's still not an answer. At participating U.S. Wendy's during breakfast hours.