Jan. 4, 2008

By Turner Walston

Roy Williams expects Quentin Thomas to play Sunday at Clemson, but doubts that Alex Stepheson will return in time for the game, the coach told media members at a press conference on Friday. Thomas turned an ankle last week in practice, and Stepheson returned home to California because of a family illness. "If [Thomas] makes it through practice all right, I would expect him to play," Williams said.

Williams said the Tar Heels' depth would be tested by the Tigers' pressure defense. "There's no question they like to wear people down," he said. "But that's what we like to do also. If we have Quentin, we have seven or eight guys that have played, that I have confidence in that have been in some games at tough moments. Whether that's enough or not, we'll have to wait and see."

Williams said a nine-man rotation was ideal, but with Bobby Frasor lost for the season and Thomas and Stepheson missing recent games, players such as Mike Copeland and Will Graves have had to step up and fill roles. The lack of depth has affected the defensive end of the floor in particular, Williams said. "Bobby, Q, and Alex were 7-8-9 for a reason, more so than Michael and Will, and usually that's the defensive part of it."

Still, Williams said the Tar Heels could not have a better record than their current undefeated mark. "It's great to talk about problems and adversity when you're 14-0," he said. "We've done some good things, and we've done some good things against quality people. If you put a bigger name on those teams, everybody'd say `Wow.' Well, they're better than some of those names."

Having not played a ranked team to date this season, Wayne Ellington said the Tar Heels must remain focused for Sunday's game at Clemson. "We're ready for league to start," Ellington told the media on Friday. "Everyone's going to play us tough in the league, and I think we're just focused on that."

Three times this season, Williams has told his Tar Heels that their opponent might be the best team they've played so far. The team won't need that reminder on Sunday. "He doesn't have to tell us anything. We're all focused in and we understand how tough everyone is in our conference."

Despite its record and #1 ranking, the Tar Heels have room to grow, Ellington said. "I think we're doing some great things," he said. "We're doing some things we weren't doing early in the season but I also know we haven't reached our potential yet and we're still getting better every day. We still have a lot of room for improvement."

Though the team lacks the luxurious depth it had in 2007, Ellington said another year of experience has made the team better overall. "We're talking more, and we're communicating better," he said of the 2008 Tar Heels. "When we need a big stop, we communicate how we have to get it."

Through 14 games, the Tar Heels are outscoring opponents by more than 23 points. Ellington said he knows not to expect that every night in conference play. "It just gets tougher," he said. "It just steps up another level, another notch. Everyone's excited, everyone's ready to play. Everyone knows what everyone else does in the league, so everybody's more prepare d for each other."

That will require the Tar Heels to finish close games, something Ellington said he and his teammates are prepared to do. "I think we're mature enough and we're experienced enough to know how to close out a game even when it is close."