Roy Williams: Grayson Allen is a 'wonderful kid'

Ahead of Thursday's massive rivalry game between Duke and North Carolina, surely Tar Heels coach Roy Williams would add fuel to the fire with some incendiary comments about Grayson Allen, right?

Wrong.

Allen has emerged as a college basketball villain of sorts this season, thanks to a suspension for tripping, but don't count Williams among those criticizing the Duke guard's on-court behavior.

Williams told Andrew Carter of The News and Observer that Allen is a "wonderful kid," and said the coverage surrounding him "has been way, way blown out of proportion."

Allen's scoring is down this season to 15 points per game, after he averaged 21 per contest in his sophomore campaign, but he's come on as of late, with 61 points in his last three games - all Duke wins.

The Florida native averaged 26 points per game last season in two matchups with the Tar Heels.