By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — It was physical for No. 17 Carolina on Friday against Arkansas, which should be good preparation for what the Tar Heels will face Wednesday against another SEC team in No. 10 Tennessee.
From the time Coach Rick Barnes was at Clemson and then at Texas, his teams have always pushed the limits to take every advantage possible, and that has continued with his time with the Volunteers at both ends of the court.
The Vols, favored to win the SEC, visit the Smith Center at 7:15 on Wednesday (ESPN) in the inaugural ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge.
Barnes, in his ninth season in Knoxville, recruited Hubert Davis while when he became the head coach at George Mason in the early 1980s, so they’ve known each other since he was in high school. And Davis knows what to expect from Barnes’ teams — good defense, particularly in the half court, and relentless rebounding.
“Offensively, I feel like they have the ability to be able to storm the paint,” Davis said. “They’ve got some dynamic wing players who can create their own shots in different situations. They pose a number of problems in terms of being able to shoot the ball from 3 but also athleticism and quickness to be able to punch gaps, get into the lane and be able to cause problems off the pick and rolls, transition.”
For the Tar Heels (5–1) to beat Tennessee (4–2), Davis said that they’ll have to rebound well.
“All five of their guys crash offensive glass, so that’s been a huge emphasis for us all year — but specifically, leading up to [Wednesday] night’s game — is making contact first and boxing out,” Davis said. “Everyone has to rebound [Wednesday] night.”
The Volunteers are battle-tested following three challenging Maui Invitational games. After beating Syracuse 73–56, the Vols lost 71–67 to now-No. 1 Purdue and 69–60 to Kansas, which was top-ranked but now No. 5.
Two transfers lead Tennessee: fifth-year 6–6, 213-pound guard Dalton Knecht from Northern Colorado (17.5 points and nearly two 3-pointers per game) and junior 6–3, 186-pound guard Jordan Gainey from USC Upstate (11.6 points and 2.3 3-pointers).
Fifth-year 6–7, 220-pound guard Josiah-Jordan James averages 9.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Junior 6–11, 240-pound forward Aidoo Jonas (8.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks) is the only Vol averaging more than 19 minutes per game who is taller than 6–7.
“I have great respect for Hubert Davis. When I became a head coach, he was the very first player I recruited,” Barnes said in a Monday press conference in Knoxville. “His high school was literally a quarter of a mile from George Mason. He would come over and shoot at George Mason. I can remember sitting out in front of the gym talking to him. And, at the time, he wasn’t being highly recruited and obviously he grew up wanting to go to North Carolina.”
During his high school career in Hickory, he played Walter Davis, who recently passed away.
“Just a great human being and a person I have great respect for,” Barnes said of Hubert Davis. “His whole staff. I mean, I’ve watched all those guys grow up through the years.”
Whatever Tennessee brings to the Smith Center, Coach Davis is confident that his team can deal with it, considering how the Tar Heels responded after a rough first half in the 91–69 first-round win at the Battle 4 Atlantis and in the 83–81 overtime loss to Villanova, now ranked No. 18, and the 87–72 victory over then-No. 20 Arkansas.
“That can continue to build confidence in terms of giving us that confidence to be able to compete at the highest level,” Davis said. “I still think we have a long ways to go. There’s situations where I’ve said I’m very encouraged by the way that you guys have played but I’m also encouraged because of how much better that I feel like that we can get.”
One big improvement from last season is the Tar Heels’ ability to improvise in their freelance offense after a play breaks down to still create a good scoring chance.
“With the scouting that people do, everyone knows what you’re doing,” Davis said. “How are you going to be efficient offensively when your play doesn’t work? I like the way that the ball is moving.
“We have a number of playmakers out there on the floor that, in freelance situations, can make a play, not only for themselves, but for their teammates,” he said. “And that’s something that’s going to be huge for us [Wednesday] to be able to generate not only shots, but good shots when we don’t get anything out of our initial set.”
Tennessee won’t make it easy, Davis said, because it has so many good individual defenders who are effective on the perimeter and the post. The Vols lead the country in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com.
“They do a really good job of protecting the paint, not allowing teams to post up or dribble-drive, attack the basket,” Davis said. “They’re really good physical rebounding teams. So if you can check those three boxes, that puts you in a position to be really good defensively, and that’s something that’s always been a staple of Coach Barnes.”
Here’s what Davis said on other topics:
— On Armando Bacot’s ability to help offensively even if he struggles to score:
“They’re going to make it very difficult for him. They’re going to double team; they’re going to be physical with him, and those are things that all of us as players have to adjust to and be able to be the best that we can be out there on the floor. … His presence of just posting up opens up everything for us out there on the perimeter and driving lanes to the basket. And so one of the cool things about Armando is he can be dominant in a number of different ways. He’ll be good [Wednesday] night.
— On the improvement of 6–3 sophomore guard Seth Trimble:
“Skill development is just really huge for us. It’s something that we spend a lot of time on; we’re on the court with the guys all the time. But, the reason why Seth is this better this year compared to last year is because of Seth — his hard work.
— On RJ Davis’ leadership:
“Just [Monday] in practice, him being comfortable to be a leader in his own personality, the way that he communicates with everybody; it’s his leadership. This is the most that I’ve ever heard him speak, have a voice this year. And I love it because he’s somebody that the players listen to and they respond to and they respect.
“You can be a leader a number of different ways. I think you can be a leader by your play. I think you can be a leader by words. I think you can be a leader by your actions. I think you can also be a leader by how you respond and how you react to certain situations, whether things are going your way or things aren’t. I think you can be a leader in how you prepare and how you practice. I think leadership comes in many different forms. And that’s the thing that the growth in RJ is that not only has he grown as a leader but in many different areas.”
—On Marcus Paige, in his first season as Director of Team and Player Development, giving players tips during games, using an iPad:
“To have that in-game instruction is invaluable. That’s something that I never had when I played, and I think it would have been really beneficial in the heat of the battle to be able to say, ‘look, this is something you need to do a little bit different defensively or on the offensive end.’
“They’ve been doing that in football all the time, but to have that ability to do it in basketball is something that’s really unique and but I also want to compliment Marcus because it’s also the time and the delivery of it. Marcus just has a talent to be able to communicate but communicate in the right way at the right time. And that’s awesome. I think it’s great.”
—On Harrison Ingram’s personality, versatility:
“He’s one of those guys who makes you laugh, but he’s not trying to be funny. He’s just a joy and a pleasure to be around. He has an excitement of being a part of this program and this team and playing at the highest stage. It’s like a newness about that and excitement that just really lights up the locker room.
“Then, on the floor, his size and his ability, he can just do a number of things on the offensive end. Put a smaller guy on him, he has the ability to post up, he’s an excellent passer. Put a bigger guy on him, he can handle the ball, he can shoot from three. So, he can play a number of different positions. Moving him around them on the offensive end and also having the versatility because he’s strong and big defensively. It’s really allowed us to do some different things on both ends of the floor that we haven’t been able to do in the past.”
NOTE — Coach Davis said that Cormac Ryan, who rolled an ankle on Thursday, was going to try to practice Tuesday and is getting better every day but he was uncertain if the fifth-year guard will be able to play against Tennessee. … Bacot (1,904) needs nine points to pass Brad Daughterty (1,912 points from 1982 to 1986) for ninth on the UNC career scoring list. … On the ESPN call of the game will be Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes and Myron Medcalf. … Carolina was 11–13 in the discontinued ACC-Big Ten Challenge, when it played 20 ranked teams in 24 years. … Tennessee is the first of four consecutive non-conference opponents currently ranked. UNC faces No. 4 UConn (6–0) in New York on Dec. 5, No. 12 Kentucky (5–1) in Atlanta on Dec. 16 and No. 25 Oklahoma (6–0) in Charlotte on Dec. 20. … Fans are encouraged to wear white for the game. … UNC leads the series with Tennessee 10–2, but the Vols snapped a five-game skid against the Tar Heels with their 89–72 victory on Nov. 21, 2021, in Uncasville, Conn. The Vols’ only other win was an 84–56 triumph in 1949. … Jordan Gainey is the son of former N.C. State point guard and current Tennessee assistant coach Justin Gainey. The Vols are 115–100 all-time against ACC schools. Barnes’ teams have won three in a row against ACC teams, all at neutral sites: Syracuse, Duke and UNC. … Barnes is 1–6 coaching at the Smith Center, with the only win while at Texas.
KenPom comparison: UNC vs. Tennessee
| Category | UNC | Tennessee |
| Overall ranking | 13 | 9 |
| Offensive efficiency | 117.7 (12) | 111.6 (52) |
| Defensive efficiency | 94.5 (27) | 87.3 (1) |
| Effective FG% | 52.6 (101) | 47.5 (244) |
| Turnover % | 14.2 (34) | 13.9 (26) |
| Offensive rebound % | 34.2 (64) | 27.9 (223) |
| FTA/FGA | 43.3 (36) | 33.1 (189) |
| Strength of schedule | 123 | 23 |
UNC season statistics
Tennessee season statistics
ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge
Challenge finished tied at 7
Tuesday’s results
Georgia Tech 67, No. 21 Mississippi State 59
South Carolina 65, Notre Dame 53
Syracuse 80, LSU 57
Missouri 71, Pittsburgh 64
No. 12 Kentucky 95, No. 8 Miami 73
Ole Miss 72, N.C. State 52
Clemson 85, No. 23 Alabama 77
Wednesday’s results
No. 17 North Carolina 100, No. 10 Tennessee 92
Virginia 59, No. 14 Texas A&M 47
Wake Forest 82, Florida 71
Boston College 82, Vanderbilt 62
Auburn 74, Virginia Tech 57
Georgia 68, Florida State 66
Arkansas 70, No. 7 Duke 75
| Date | Month/day | Score | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 27 | Friday | W, 117–53 | vs. St. Augustine’s | Exhibition |
| November | ||||
| 6 | Monday | W, 86–70 | vs. Radford | 1–0 |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 90–68 | vs. Lehigh | 2–0 |
| 17 | Friday | W, 77–52 | vs. UC Riverside | 3–0 |
| Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas | ||||
| 22 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | Northern Iowa | 4–0 |
| 23 | Thursday | L, 83–81, OT | Villanova | 4–1 |
| 24 | Friday | W, 87–72 | Arkansas | 5–1 |
| ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | ||||
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 100–92 | vs. No. 6 Tennessee | 6–1 |
| December | ||||
| 2 | Saturday | W, 78–70 | vs. Florida State | 7–1, 1–0 ACC |
| Jimmy V Classic in New York | ||||
| 5 | Tuesday | L, 87–67 | No. 1 Connecticut | 7–2 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 16 | Saturday | L, 87–83 | No. 12 Kentucky | 7–3 |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 20 | Wednesday | W, 81–69 | Oklahoma | 8–3 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 29 | Friday | W, 105–60 | vs. Charleston Southern | 9–3 |
| January | ||||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 70–57 | at Pittsburgh | 10–3, 2–0 ACC |
| 6 | Saturday | W, 65–55 | at Clemson | 11–3, 3–0 ACC |
| 10 | Wednesday | W, 67–54 | at N.C. State | 12–3, 4–0 ACC |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 103–67 | vs. Syracuse | 13–3, 5–0 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 86–70 | vs. Louisville | 14–3, 6–0 ACC |
| 20 | Saturday | W, 76–66 | vs. Boston College | 15–3, 7–0 ACC |
| 22 | Monday | W, 85–64 | vs. Wake Forest | 16–3, 8–0 ACC |
| 27 | Saturday | W, 75–68 | at Florida State | 17–3, 9–0 ACC |
| 30 | Tuesday | L, 74–73 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 9–1 ACC |
| February | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | W, 93–84 | vs. No. 13 Duke | 18–4, 10–1 ACC |
| 6 | Tuesday | L, 80–76 | vs. Clemson | 18–5, 10–2 ACC |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 75–72 | at Miami | 19–5, 11–2 ACC |
| 13 | Tuesday | L, 86–79 | at Syracuse | 19–6, 11–3 ACC |
| 17 | Saturday | W, 96–81 | vs. Virginia Tech | 20–6, 12–3 ACC |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 54–44 | at Virginia | 21–6, 13–3 ACC |
| 26 | Monday | W, 75–71 | vs. Miami | 22–6, 14–3 ACC |
| March | ||||
| 2 | Saturday | W, 79–70 | vs. N.C. State | 23–6, 15–3 ACC |
| 5 | Tuesday | W, 84–51 | vs. Notre Dame | 24–6, 16–3 ACC |
| 9 | Saturday | W, 84–79 | at No. 13 Duke | 25–6, 17–3 ACC |
| ACC tournament Washington | ||||
| 14 | Thursday | W, 92–67 | Quarterfinals: Florida State | 26–6 |
| 15 | Friday | W, 72–65 | Semifinals: Pittsburgh | 27–6 |
| 16 | Saturday | L, 84–76 | Final: N.C. State | 27–7 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 21 | Thursday | W, 90–62 | First round in Charlotte: Wagner | 28–7 |
| 23 | Saturday | W, 85–69 | Second round in Charlotte: Michigan State | 29–7 |
| 28 | Thursday | L, 89–87 | Sweet 16 in Los Angeles: No. 19 Alabama | 29–8 |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
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