With the college basketball season’s first matchup between UNC and Duke taking place this week, Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams was asked Tuesday for his thoughts on the situation surrounding Blue Devil junior guard Grayson Allen.

Allen–an All-ACC performer who was suspended for one game and stripped of his team captaincy after tripping an opponent for the third time in his career–has faced intense scrutiny all season long due to those actions.

“It’s been way, way, way blown out of proportion,” Williams told reporters. “I think he’s a wonderful kid, and he, himself, and [Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski], himself, have said he’s made some mistakes.”

Since that time, media outlets all across the nation–including behemoths like ESPN–have carefully studied Allen’s every move, attempting to diagnose the behavior.

Following his suspension, Allen dove for a loose ball out of bounds against Florida State–toppling over one of the Seminoles’ assistant coaches, Dennis Gates. Conversation immediately heated up, implying that the collision was intentional on Allen’s part.

Gates immediately shot down that notion on Twitter.

“I’m so old, I recruited Dennis [Gates], the assistant at Florida State–good God, almighty,” Williams said. “I thought that [situation] was totally nothing.”

After another of Duke’s recent games–at Notre Dame on Jan. 31–high-profile sports blog Deadspin wondered whether Allen again tried to trip an opponent but wasn’t called for it, posting a video that surely drew large numbers of clicks (just like any other story on the matter).

UNC point guard Joel Berry, who grew up playing alongside Allen for a Florida-based AAU Team called the E1T1 Elite, agreed with his coach that the constant criticism is unwarranted.

“I see a different side of Grayson just from when I played with him and everything,” Berry said. “I know he’s not that kind of guy that everyone has made him out to be.”

Allen is averaging 15.8 points per game for the Blue Devils this season, to go along with four assists and 4.6 rebounds.

His matchup against Berry will be a key factor in the game, which may begin to sway the conversation away from what he does with his feet and back towards what he does with the ball in his hands.

Related Stories
‹
Duke Erases 13-Point Second Half Deficit, Stuns UNC in ACC Tournament Semifinals
For the first 25 minutes of Friday’s UNC-Duke showdown in Brooklyn as part of the ACC Tournament Semifinals, it appeared the top-seeded Tar Heels would pound the Blue Devils into the ground with their inside play. Then point guard Joel Berry went to the bench with his fourth foul and the entire game changed—as Duke […]
Berry, Hicks Combine to Carry No. 5 UNC Past No. 17 Duke on Senior Night
With Michael Jordan back in town to announce a partnership between his Jordan Brand and the UNC football team, the greatest basketball player of all time told fans gathered at the Dean Dome that, “The ceiling is the roof,” for Tar Heel sports moving forward. Although the statement technically didn’t mean anything, everyone in the […]
No. 18 Duke Shoots its Way Past No. 8 UNC Down the Stretch, Wins 86-78
Cameron Indoor Stadium played host to the latest thriller in the UNC-Duke rivalry on Thursday night, which once again came down to who wanted it more in the final minutes. For the fifth time in the past six meetings, however, Duke found a way to pull out the victory—defeating the No. 8 Tar Heels 86-78 thanks […]
Champs At Last: No. 8 UNC Clinches ACC With 76-72 Win at Duke
The No. 8 UNC men’s basketball team took a large step in silencing their biggest critics on Saturday night—knocking off the No. 17 Duke Blue Devils 76-72 at Cameron Indoor Stadium to clinch the ACC regular season championship. For the last four years the Tar Heels have been surrounded by the same questions. Questions about […]
No. 20 Duke Stuns No. 5 UNC 74-73, Williams Apologizes
Roy Williams, like most of Chapel Hill, was at a loss for words at the Dean Smith Center on Wednesday night after watching his No. 5 Tar Heels drop yet another heartbreaker to the hated Duke Blue Devils, this one by a score of 74-73. Despite trailing 68-60 with just over six minutes to play, […]
UNC Holds On to Defeat Duke, Earn Spot in ACC Championship Game
Offense has typically been what UNC is known for under head coach Roy Williams, but it’s the defense that’s carried the Tar Heels to three straight wins in the ACC Tournament—including a 74-69 victory over the No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils in Friday’s Semifinals. Coming into Friday night’s series rubber match between the two […]
No. 5 Duke Erases 13-Point Second-Half Deficit to Defeat No. 9 UNC in Regular Season Finale
For the second time in five days, the ninth-ranked UNC men’s basketball team found themselves on the wrong end of a heartbreaking loss Saturday night. Holding a 13-point lead over No. 5 Duke early in the second half, the Tar Heels let it all slip away as the Blue Devils rallied for a 74-64 victory […]
Second-Half Surge Sparks No. 21 UNC to Win Over No. 9 Duke
The 21st-ranked UNC men’s basketball team used a strong second-half surge to defeat the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils 82-78 Thursday night at the Dean Smith Center, in the first meeting of the season between arguably the two biggest rivals in all of sports. It was the latest installment in the rivalry to come down […]
Saturday Not Just Another UNC-Duke Game: It's Bigger
Saturday night when the No. 8 Tar Heels and No. 17 Blue Devils take the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium it won’t be just another game in the UNC-Duke rivalry. With the ACC regular season title just one win away, this game is much bigger than that for UNC head coach Roy Williams and company. […]
Brandon Ingram 'Creating Own Path', Chooses Duke
Brandon Ingram, the No. 3 player in the basketball Class of 2015, chose Duke as his college destination Monday evening inside the Kinston High School gymnasium.
›