Roy Williams or Rick Barnes? Which coach holds the edge?

Rick Barnes has gotten the best of Roy Williams in recent years

North Carolina’s Roy Williams is one of the most decorated head coaches in college basketball, with accolades a plenty and a win/loss record unmatched by anyone not named Mike Krzyzewski.

Among active coaches, his three national titles are second only to Krzyzewski, and he’s fourth all-time on a list that includes John Wooden and Adolph Rupp. His 76 NCAA Tournament victories are second-most all-time to Krzyzewski; 11 more than his mentor Dean Smith and 29 more than Wooden.

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He’s the only coach in college basketball history with 350 or more wins at two programs, and has more Final Four and national title game appearances than anyone since returning to Chapel Hill in 2003.

Rick Barnes has had a successful run, too, dating back to his first season as a head coach at George Mason in 1987. He won 20 games in his lone season as the Patriots’ lead man before accepting the head coaching position at Providence.

In the years since, he’s held head coaching positions at Clemson, Texas and Tennessee, winning 20 or more games in a season 19 times. He’s also led his teams to 22 NCAA Tournament appearances and tallied 642 overall wins.

Unlike Williams, though, college basketball’s biggest stage has eluded Barnes over the course of his career. The longtime Texas coach has made it to the Elite 8 three times and the Final Four once, all with the Longhorns, but never to the National Championship game.

Williams and Barnes, friends outside of coaching, have faced each other 11 times as head coaches of their respective programs. Barnes holds a 6-5 edge in the series, thanks to his time at Texas where he posted a 5-1 record in games against North Carolina.

"“Great rebounding team,” Barnes told 247Sports of Williams’ teams. “What I’ve always loved about Roy’s teams is they play inside out. I think their defense, they’re not going to beat themselves.”“But he does teach post play in a great way.” Barnes continued. “The fact that they’re looking in there first. They have front-line guys, they can even size down if they need to. You just have to be impressed that they play a very high-efficiency type of basketball.”"

Barnes is obviously familiar with Williams and his teams, and has gotten the better of the rivalry in recent years. And while that may have no bearing on next Sunday’s game – Williams with a talented team fresh off of an NCAA Tournament title and Barnes in year three of a complete rebuild – it certainly makes for a good story line building up to one of the week’s top non-conference matchups.

North Carolina boasts one of the deepest and most talented back courts in the nation, but a front court loaded with raw, inexperienced big men.

Tennessee, on the other hand, has a balanced attack led by star forwards Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield. Williams and Schofield lead the team in points and minutes per game, and have helped lead the Volunteers to a 7-1 record on the young season.

With the ACC moving to 20-game conference schedule, there’s no telling how much longer this friendly inter-conference series will take place, so enjoy it while it lasts. It’s provided some exciting bouts in the past and Sunday’s game looks to be the newest chapter.

Stick with Keeping It Heel throughout the week for continued coverage of North Carolina’s top-25 matchup with Tennessee next Sunday.

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UNC Basketball: Roy Williams or Rick Barnes? Which coach holds the edge?

By Blake Cockrum | Dec 10, 2017

Rick Barnes has gotten the best of Roy Williams in recent years

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