...our starters aren't as good as UNC or Kansas' starters just as our 2nd string aren't as good and we don't play in the ACC, we play in the WCC. If Roy williams spent the entire season playing only his 2nd string he would lose in the ACC just as badly as Rose would if he did the same thing in the WCC. It's all relative.
A good coach doesn't let the inmates run the asylum. He establishes a culture and holds his players equally accountable. You might lose a game because you want to teach your team a lesson and get them all on board but if the cost is just losing one game to win the war then it's worth it.
I'll never forget in my junior year I was slacking off in attendance and got caught skipping a class and had to serve a detention. My coach benched me for the next game and made sure it was reported in the pre-game right up and also in the post-game write up that I was sitting out the game due to disciplinary reasons. It embarrassed me and I learned a hard lesson and got my act together.