By R.L. Bynum
With RJ Davis as the only current player who was part of North Carolina’s 2022 turnaround from February struggles to the national championship game, Coach Hubert Davis says he doesn’t mention that season to the team.
Even with UNC (13–10, 6–5 ACC) mired in a stretch of four losses in the last five games heading into Saturday’s 4 p.m. home game (ESPN2) with Pittsburgh (14–7, 5–5), he said that he emphasizes that there is plenty of time to turn the season around.
“This team still has a chance to achieve and experience everything that this team wants to achieve and experience,” Davis said Monday morning at the weekly ACC coaches Zoom press conference, describing what he’s telling his team.
Davis sees plenty of opportunity in the nine remaining regular-season games and the ACC tournament.
“It’s all under our control in terms of us playing the best that we can be,” Davis said. “Obviously, we made the run to the national championship game my first year. We still have an opportunity to turn this season around, and we need to focus on becoming the best team that we can possibly become and, at the end of the day, live with the results.”
Here’s what Davis said on many other subjects:
— On Drake Powell playing more on the wing instead of at the four spot in the second half against Duke, when he scored all 12 of his points:
“I thought he played really well against Duke. In terms of the three and the four, the biggest difference is from a defensive standpoint, in terms of who you’re defending. But other than that, since I became head coach, I’ve been pretty much a positionless coach. Harrison [Ingram] was out on the perimeter and shot 3s and came off of ball screens and posted up and went to the offensive glass and rebounded. He did all that.
“And so there’s no distinction of three, you’re out on the perimeter for me, and four, you’re in the post on the block. In terms of giving guys numbers, it’s just for an organization standpoint. I need you in this spot at the beginning of the play, and I need you in this spot at the end of the play. So, whether somebody’s at the one to two to three and a four — I recruit, I coach and I play basketball players that can make plays all over the court.”
— On why Powell got more open shots in the second half:
“He was more aggressive, and that’s what I really liked about it, and that’s what we need consistently for him — to be aggressive. He has the ability to create his own shot. He has the ability to get to the basket. He’s an excellent passer. He knows how to make the right play. When he’s aggressive, that really helps us out as a team, and it’s something that I communicated to him after the game, and we’ll continue to communicate with him about. Him being aggressive on the offensive end is really good news for us.”
— On what the week without a mid-week game will look like:
“I think it’s coming at the perfect time. I think it’s a time [for] us to regroup. We get to practice and work on us — as opposed to preparing for a game mid-week — and get some guys healthy in terms of some bumps and bruises. I think, mentally, we needed a break. We’ll practice this week, and then we’ll have a day off in the middle of the week. And I just think it comes at a perfect time for us to regroup as a team and refocus on the things that we need to do in order to get better and for the outcomes to be better. And I just really believe that it came at a perfect time to get this week without a midweek game.”
— On what he likes about this team:
“I love coaching this team, and I love coaching these kids, and they come every day to bring their best, and it’s a group that really enjoys being together. It’s a group that really enjoys being a team, and I love coaching them. I don’t know what else to say, other than I like these kids. I love them.”
— On what he’s hoping to tweak this week:
“This is what our team has been. We’ve been consistently inconsistent on the details on both ends of the floor. That’s what we’ve been, and I’ve been clear and direct in regards to the little things that I’m talking about. It’s shot selection, turnovers. The last two games, teams have scored 41 points off of our turnovers. That’s just not going to work; that’s just not sustainable. Defensively, defending without fouling, boxing out. Those are things that can be fixed, and those are things that we’ve talked about, and those are things that we have to fix moving forward.”
— On whether opposing defenses are picking up on patterns to create turnovers:
“One of the things that I say all the time, in many different ways, is making the easy play. Simple works. Make routine plays routinely. I think our turnovers are a result of not making the easy play, trying to hit the home run. Those are things that we have to do, in regards to one-handed passes. We’ve got to make simple, sound fundamental plays. When we don’t, [that results in] our turnovers, and those are things that we have to address and have to get better at right now.”
— On the challenges Pittsburgh will present:
“They’re very physical; they’re tough defensively. They can really shoot the ball. They’ve got a number of guys that could also create on their own and be able to create shots for themselves and for their teammates. Their physicality and their toughness translates on the defensive end in regards to rebounding and protecting the paint. It’s always going to be a battle against Pitt, whether it’s at their place or at our home. And we understand the physicality that we have to bring in order to compete against a really good Pittsburgh team.”
UNC season statistics
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 15 | Tuesday | W, 84–76 | at No. 19 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. 11 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. 1 Auburn | 4–2 |
| 27 | Wednesday | L, 94–91, OT | No. 7 Michigan State | 4–3 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Wednesday | L, 94–79 | vs. No. 4 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 | L, 90–84 | No. 5 Florida | 6–5 |
| CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden | ||||
| 21 | Saturday | W, 76–74 | UCLA | 7–5 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 29 | Sunday | W, 97–81 | vs. Campbell | 8–5 |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | L, 83–70 | at No. 21 Louisville | 8–6, 1–1 |
| 4 | Saturday | W, 74–73 | at Notre Dame | 9–6, 2–1 |
| 7 | Tuesday | W, 82–67 | vs. SMU | 10–6, 3–1 |
| 11 | Saturday | W, 63–61 | at N.C. State | 11–6, 4–1 |
| 15 | Wednesday | W, 79–53 | vs. California | 12–6, 5–1 |
| 18 | Saturday | L, 72–71 | vs. Stanford | 12–7, 5–2 |
| 21 | Tuesday | L, 67–66 | at Wake Forest | 12–8, 5–3 |
| 25 | Saturday | W, 102–96, OT | vs. Boston College | 13–8, 6–3 |
| 28 | Tuesday | L, 73–65 | at Pittsburgh | 13–9, 6–4 |
| February | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | L, 87–70 | at No. 2 Duke | 13–10, 6–5 |
| 8 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 10 | Monday | 7 p.m. | at 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 or ESPNU |
| 8 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 2 Duke | ESPN |
| 11– 15 | Tues.–Sat. | ACC tournament Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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