By R.L. Bynum
CHARLOTTE — Hubert Davis was all smiles in Charlotte a day ahead of the Jumpman Invitational matchup, and he suggested that the Tar Heels are emerging from the rough patch that shook their confidence.
Now, it’s a matter of whether UNC’s progress in the win over La Salle and practice since then can translate to the Spectrum Center floor at 7 p.m. Tuesday when the Heels take on No. 7 Florida (ESPN), which is off to a 10–0 start.
“The last two days of practice have been the best practices all year. It’s the first time all year,” Davis said in a hallway at the JW Marriott in uptown Charlotte, where all eight teams are staying. “I went home, and I was like, ‘Wow, we’re getting better. We’re improving.’ And I was just really encouraged by our game on Saturday, but also by the last two days of practice.”
Davis said that his team’s demeanor in practice has been very different than it was in the loss to Auburn. In the aftermath, players admitted they just needed to relax and play and not stress so much. Davis said the two good practices were probably a direct result of getting in a “good spot” mentally.
Davis has repeatedly said that Carolina needs to maintain a certain level of play to be successful, and he’s seen in stretches but not consistently.
“I felt like the last two days of practice we started, and we stayed there,” Davis said. “We’ll see if we can translate that [Tuesday] night against Florida.”
Hitting the boards will be particularly important against the Gators, who, with their impressive size and length, are among the country’s best teams at producing second-chance points.
“Can we limit them to one shot every possession, be able to rebound the basketball? The way we transition from defense to offense, if we can rebound the basketball, it’s going to put us in a situation where we’ve been really effective in transition offensively,” Davis said.
Here’s what Davis had to say on other topics:
— On whether Vanderbilt transfer center Ven-Allen Lubin has solidified a starting spot:
“Ven has been getting more comfortable and better in terms of running the floor, finishing around the basket, rebounding, defending. He can defend guards out on the perimeter and bigs around the post. But in regards to the starting lineup, that’s just who starts. I’ve started different guys in the second half and tried different rotations. Starters don’t mean anything to me, but Ven is an important piece to this team, and I’m glad that he’s here.”
— On Bill Belichick becoming UNC’s football coach:
“I got to meet him after practice [Sunday]. What an honor and a blessing to be able to meet him and just be able to spend some time with him. And obviously our university is really excited about him becoming our head coach. And obviously, his resume speaks for itself and what he can bring to a program, and what he can bring to our university.
“We’re really excited about it, but also, I’m a great friend of Coach Mack Brown. He was our head coach when I was in school. I spent time with him when he was the head coach at Texas, when I was playing for the Dallas Mavericks, and it was an honor and a blessing to work alongside him as head coaches while he was a head coach at North Carolina as well. I’m a fan of both of them.”
— On the challenges of facing Florida:
“They’ve got some good guards, too. They can shoot the ball from three. Our pace is faster, but their pace is pretty good from an offensive standpoint. They can score; they’re dynamic. They have the ability to score close to the basket in the post as well, and so it’ll be a challenge for us. But we’re a pretty good team as well, and look forward to the challenge of playing Florida.”
— On the physicality that Ty Claude brings to games:
“He brings energy, effort, enthusiasm, will and want to and toughness, not just in the games, but always in practice. And he has a burning desire to be out there on the floor. He’s somebody that doesn’t shy away from contact, actually seeks it out, and that’s something I think desperately our team needs, is that type of physicality, that type of aggressiveness, especially rebounding and finishing around the basket, that he brings.”
NOTES — UNC is 2–0 in the Jumpman Invitational after beating Michigan 80–76 in 2022 and Oklahoma 81–69 in 2023. … This is the second consecutive Jumpman that UNC’s opponent is undefeated and No. 7-ranked. The Sooners were 10–0 entering the game. … This is the second time in program history that UNC has played four top-10 teams before New Year’s Day, previously facing this season (rank at the time of the game) No. 1 Kansas, No. 4 Auburn and No. 10 Alabama. In 1967, Carolina lost to No. 8 Vanderbilt but beat No. 4 Kentucky, No. 7 Utah and No. 10 Princeton. … UNC leads the series with Florida 4–2, with the last meeting a 75–64 win under Coach Roy Williams at the 2014 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
UNC season statistics
Florida season statistics
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | Florida |
| Overall ranking | 28 | 7 |
| Offensive efficiency | 118.1 (21) | 122.3 (7) |
| Defensive efficiency | 97.9 (38) | 96.1 (22) |
| Effective FG% | 53.0 (103) | 54.8 (55) |
| Turnover % | 14.3 (28) | 14.5 (36) |
| Offensive rebound % | 28.4 (226) | 40.2 (10) |
| FTA/FGA | 38.8 (68) | 31.3 (221) |
| Strength of schedule | 11 | 161 |
Series: UNC 4, Florida 2
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| No. 25 Clemson | 1–0 | 9–2 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–0 | 9–2 |
| SMU | 1–0 | 9–2 |
| No. 5 Duke | 1–0 | 8–2 |
| Stanford | 1–0 | 8–2 |
| Wake Forest | 1–0 | 8–3 |
| N.C. State | 1–0 | 7–4 |
| North Carolina | 1–0 | 6–4 |
| Notre Dame | 1–0 | 6–5 |
| Florida State | 0–1 | 8–3 |
| Boston College | 0–1 | 7–4 |
| California | 0–1 | 7–4 |
| Virginia | 0–1 | 6–4 |
| Louisville | 0–1 | 6–5 |
| Syracuse | 0–1 | 5–5 |
| Virginia Tech | 0–1 | 5–6 |
| Georgia Tech | 0–1 | 4–6 |
| Miami | 0–1 | 4–7 |
Saturday’s games
North Carolina 93, La Salle 67
Memphis 87, No. 25 Clemson 82, OT
Georgetown 75, Syracuse 71
California 84, Northwestern State 66
No. 8 Kansas 75, N.C. State 60
SMUI 74, LSU 64
Florida State 77, Tulane 64
No. 4 Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
Sunday’s results
Virginia Tech 80, Navy 72
Miami 94, Presbyterian 75
Northwestern 71, Georgia Tech 60
Boston College 73, Stonehill 69
Tuesday’s games
No. 7 Florida vs. North Carolina at Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, 7 p.m., ESPN
George Mason at No. 5 Duke, 7 p.m., ACCN
No. 25 Clemson at South Carolina, 7 p.m., SECN
Winthrop at Florida State, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
James Madison at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Merrimack at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Wednesday’s games
No. 21 Memphis at Virginia, 7 p.m., ESPN2
UMBC at Georgia Tech, 7:30, ACCN Extra
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 15 | Tuesday | W, 84–76 | at Memphis | Exhibition |
| 27 | Sunday | W, 127–63 | vs. Johnson C. Smith | Exhibition |
| November | ||||
| 4 | Monday | W, 90–76 | vs. Elon | 1–0 |
| 8 | Friday | L, 92–89 | at No. 8 Kansas | 1–1 |
| 15 | Friday | W, 107–55 | vs. American | 2–1 |
| 22 | Friday | W, 85–69 | at Hawai’i | 3–1 |
| Maui Invitational | ||||
| 25 | Monday | W, 92–90 | Dayton | 4–1 |
| 26 | Tuesday | L, 85–72 | No. 2 Auburn | 4–2 |
| 27 | Wednesday | L, 94–91, OT | No. 20 Michigan State | 4–3 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Wednesday | L, 94–79 | vs. No. 6 Alabama | 4–4 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Saturday | W, 68–65 | vs. Georgia Tech | 5–4, 1–0 ACC |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 93–67 | vs. LaSalle | 6–4 |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | No. 7 Florida | ESPN |
| CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden | ||||
| 21 | Saturday | 3 p.m. | No. 18 UCLA | CBS |
| ————————— | ||||
| 29 | Sunday | 8 p.m. | vs. Campbell | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | at Louisville | ACCN |
| 4 | Saturday | Noon | at Notre Dame | CBS |
| 7 | Tuesday | 9 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 11 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at N.C. State | ACCN |
| 15 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Cal | ACCN |
| 18 | Saturday | 2:15 | vs. Stanford | The CW |
| 21 | Tuesday | 9 p.m. | at Wake Forest | ESPN |
| 25 | Saturday | 2:15 p.m. | vs. Boston College | The W |
| 28 | Tuesday | 9 p.m. | at Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| February | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | 6:30 p.m. | at No. 5 Duke | ESPN |
| 8 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 10 | Monday | 7 p.m. | at No 25 Clemson | ESPN |
| 15 | Saturday | 6 p.m. | at Syracuse | ESPN |
| 19 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 22 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | vs. Virginia | ESPN |
| 24 | Monday | 7 p.m. | at Florida State | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | Noon | vs. Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 4 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ESPN, ESPN2 orESPNU |
| 8 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 5 Duke | ESPN |
| 11– 15 | Tues.–Sat. | ACC tournament Spectum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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