Roy Williams Ties Dean Smith for 4th Most Wins All-Time

The esteemed head coach will have a chance to take over no. 4 on the list on Saturday against Georgia Tech.

Roy Williams is one game away from overtaking another legendary North Carolina coach on the all-time wins list. With the Tar Heels’ 70-67 win over Yale on Monday night, Williams tied Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith for 4th all-time on the NCAA coaches wins list.

The two coaches are officially tied at 879 wins and Williams has the opportunity to continue moving up the list. Amazingly, Williams tied Smith in the arena bearing his name, defeating the Bulldogs in the Dean E. Smith Center.

Williams had already passed Jim Calhoun and Adolph Rupp on the list this season, in spite of a rough start for the Tar Heels. He is 20 wins behind Bob Knight for 3rd on the list, 156 behind Jim Boeheim for 2nd and 264 behind Mike Krzyzewski for 1st on the list. Calhoun, Boeheim, and Krzyzewski are all still active, so the list continues to be fluid.

Senior guard Brandon Robinson had 20 points to lead the Tar Heels on Monday night, as the Tar Heels continued their shooting woes. North Carolina shot just 36.6 percent from the field, including 31.6 percent from behind the arc. The Tar Heels dominated the glass, giving them the advantage they needed to eek out a victory against a tough Yale squad.

Yale was a dangerous opponent for North Carolina, having already beaten Clemson on the road. The Tar Heels are still without star guard Cole Anthony and will continue to struggle to score as long as he is not on the floor.

The Tar Heels goal will be to try and continue to overcome their injury issues and get back to the NCAA Tournament. There are few coaches other than Williams that you’d like to give that task too. Monday was a historic night in Chapel-Hill, for both the Tar Heels and the NCAA and we’ll see if Williams can coax enough out of his team to pass Knight this season.