By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Hubert Davis addressed the media on Friday at the Smith Center ahead of Saturday’s 4 p.m. home game against Virginia. Here’s a full transcript of the press conference and video:
— On how the Virginia program has changed under Ron Sanchez:
“First of all, I’ve got a great relationship with Coach Sanchez. We’ve been friends for a number of years, and I thought he did an amazing job at Charlotte as head coach. Again, he’s doing a terrific job in this role as well.
“In regards to Virginia under Coach Sanchez, I think from an offensive standpoint, they will push the ball a little bit more in transition, but they’re still methodical in terms of their approach and what they want, where they want the ball to go to, and the shots that they want to get on the offensive end. Defensively they mixed in switching everything on the ball. That’s something that normally they haven’t done. But irregardless, whatever scheme that play defensively, they do it well, and they do it consistently well.
— On where UNC’s team is right now:
“I don’t really think about where we are right now, especially in comparison to a couple weeks ago. I do feel like, defensively, we’ve been more consistent. I think the things that we have talked about that we needed to address before and moving forward is us consistently being able to defend, but really in two areas — one, defending without fouling; two, rebounding the basketball and finishing the possession with the box out; and then on the offensive end, just taking care of the basketball, and that comes in two ways: One, just turnovers, and number two is shot selection. And so I think we’ve gotten better in that regard, and we still have a lot more to improve on moving forward.
— On different dynamics and benefits of the bigger lineups:
“The benefits of going bigger, first of all, helps us defensively. It just does. Playing Syracuse and also playing N.C. State, you’ve got at that position that can shoot 3s. But they can score in the paint, and they can post up and so those are positions, specifically, over the last two games that we haven’t had a need to double-team down low on the post. That’s huge.
“Also playing a bigger lineup, it moves Drake [Powell] more out there on the wing, and he’s 6–6, 6–7. So, it’s not just a bigger lineup in terms of, quote, unquote, the four and a five. It makes our whole lineup bigger. And maybe that’s a result of us rebounding the ball better. But it does change us, I would say, more on the defensive end. But it really helps us defensively, get stops and rebound. It has really helped us in the last couple of games. It really has.”
— On how defending another team’s four with a big helps defending the five:
“I think it can go both ways from a standpoint of not having to double team another person. When you double team, you’re putting yourself in rotations. You’re putting yourself in long closeouts and different types of mismatches. From a defensive standpoint, that makes you vulnerable. On the other end, double-teaming the post, whether it’s one or two people — that gives us an opportunity to get steals and deflections, which is something that we have needed to generate to be able to get out in transition. And so I think at times, maybe it has hurt us, but I think there’s also been some times where it’s really been beneficial for us as well.”
— On whether Jae’lyn Withers’ approach in practice led to his improved play in games:
“I don’t think his approach has changed. There are many benefits of having older, experienced players. There was a time during the season when he wasn’t getting extended minutes, and he kept showing up and preparing and practicing and playing as hard as he could. And now that his number is called a lot more frequently, he was ready.
“This being his last year, there’s a reflection of seeing it’s February and enjoying every moment, taking advantage of every day, whether it’s a practice, a shootaround or a game. As I said before, when he plays well and he plays consistent, he completely changes our team on both ends of the floor.”
— On what it says that 6–3 Seth Trimble is leading the team in rebounding:
“It confirms what I tell them — that rebounding has nothing to do [with] the physical size. It’s the size of your will and want to out there on the floor. Seth leading our team in rebounding shows pursuit of the ball — whether it’s on the offensive or defensive end — is not assigned to someone who has length and height. It also shows Seth, just in terms of his versatility as a basketball player — he can handle the ball, he can distribute, he can shoot, he can drive, he’s a three-level score. He’s a good defensive player, and now he’s leading the team in rebounding. He checks a number of boxes.
“Others have to pick it up, because we can’t rely on Seth rebounding the basketball. And that goes in part with, last couple of games, having Wit at the four and Drake at the three, and then you have Seth out there that’s leading our team in rebounding. That really puts us in a good position on both ends of the floor to get second-chance opportunities and then to limit the opposing team to one shot per possession.
— On who Trimble reminds him of:
“He calls himself Josh Hart. If he keeps rebounding and playing as hard as him? Go for it, even though he played on Villanova’s team when we lost in 2016? Great player.”
— On how Trimble’s rebounding has changed the messaging with the big men:
“The messaging has been to the entire team. I said this last year: This isn’t an Armando Bacot, Harrison Ingram rebounding game. It’s a UNC rebounding game. And this is not a Seth Trimble rebounding game. Everybody has to get involved. Everybody has to rebound, and I emphasize on both ends. Over the last, I think it’s two or three games, Drake Powell has gotten seven offensive rebounds. That’s been huge for us. The prior 14 games, he totaled seven offensive rebounds. His pursuit of getting second-chance opportunities, other guys are coming along, and it’s really helping us out.”
— On if Powell playing on the wing had helped his rebounding:
“I don’t know if it has anything from the wing or playing bigger people. Over the last two or three games, I’ve just been really proud of Drake’s pursuit of getting second-chance opportunities. He’s working really hard to get off box-outs. His pursuit going after loose balls and those second-chance opportunities and giving us additional cracks on the offensive end have been really huge for us the last couple of games.”
— On what the UNC-Virginia rivalry meant to him as a kid growing up in Virginia:
“Virginia and North Carolina have a lot of history in terms of their matchups in the ACC, and me being able to watch them when my uncle was at Carolina, and me going to Charlottesville to see the Tar Heels play when I was growing up. So, I have a number of memories going into those games and really excited about the challenge [of] playing against a really good Virginia team [Saturday] afternoon.”
— On Ven-Allen Lubin’s bigger role and how he has developed:
“It’s a big transition. The reason why I say that is, I was traded three times in the NBA, and it’s an adjustment. There’s new personalities, new relationships, new coaching, new terminology, and now you throw in new surroundings and a new school, and you’re doing that with 18-, 19-year-olds. That is an adjustment. I think Ven has done a really good job of adjusting to coming here. He’s such a joy to coach and be around every day.
“Specifically over the last couple of games, just his consistency in terms of finishing around the basket, rebounding the basketball. He’s a really good on-ball defender, and his ability to post up, especially smaller defenders, and be able to score has been really key for us.”
— On the importance of playing with joy:
“I stress that all the time. I tell the guys all the time, you have to find joy and enjoyment of how hard it is to be successful individually and as a team. This is hard work. But you have to find joy in being able to do something that you love at a place that you love, with people that you love, and if that doesn’t bring out an emotion of joy in you when you step out there on the floor — irregardless if it’s a practice or shoot around or a game — you’re not meant to play basketball.”
— On how he decides when to deploy the press:
“Dead ball, full-court situations, that’s a good time for us to maybe try it. If we get a steal and are able to score, that’s also a nice time to be able to stay in it. And sometimes even after made baskets, just being able to put our guys in situations and positions, to be able to get those steals and deflections. It kind of gives them life out there, and it gets us to play at the pace that we want, even in the times that we didn’t create a turnover. I felt like at times we sped other teams up where they would take quick shots, and that would allow us to get the rebound, be able to get out in transition. It does a number of things for us, but I would say sometimes it’s planned on when we’re going to do it, and other times it’s a feel on when we’re going to do it.”
— On his relationship with Tony Bennett and if they have talked since he retired:
“No, but I look forward to speaking to him after the season. I do have a really good relationship with him, because we played against each other in the NBA. It’s very difficult to have those conversations during the year. But the way that he coached, the way that he was an example for the University of Virginia and for those players, I just have tremendous respect for him.”
— On why he doesn’t want to talk more about hiring a general manager:
“Nothing has changed, but I want to stay away from commenting about that position. I want to talk about basketball. That’s the only thing that’s on my mind right now is coaching and helping our team reach its full potential and be the best that it could be. And that’s just where my focus is right now. I addressed it during the radio show, but only thing on my mind now is — and it was only thing on my mind then, too — is this team and getting ready to be our best the rest of the season.
— On how the spacing changes playing a big lineup vs. a four-guard lineup:
“I don’t think it changes the spacing at all. We want a combination of ball and player movement, and we want to have tremendous spacing. From an offensive standpoint, one of the things that we always talk about is point five mentality [moving the ball in a half-second]. When you catch the ball, you got to shoot, you pass or drive it, and in order to do that, you have to have great spacing. And so irregardless [who is] out there on the floor, we have guys that have the ability to make impactful plays, whether it’s on the perimeter, around the basket, whether through the pass, the dribble, or shooting the basketball. And that’s one of the things that gives us that spacing on the offensive end.”
— On former players, including Harrison Ingram and Paxson Wojcik, speaking to the team:
“It was great having them back, just their presence. You talk about joy — those are two guys that played with tremendous joy — not just joy of playing basketball, but the joy of being here and being a part of a team. It’s something that has driven them individually in their careers, and it’s a huge reason why they’ve been successful as they’ve moved forward.”
UNC season statistics
Virginia season statistics
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | Virginia |
| Overall ranking | 45 | 102 |
| Offensive efficiency | 117.7 (38) | 111.1 (104) |
| Defensive efficiency | 101.3 (64) | 105.4 (128) |
| Effective FG% | 53.4 (73) | 52.7 (93) |
| Turnover % | 15.2 (43) | 16.5 (122) |
| Offensive rebound % | 28.8 (222) | 23.4 (342) |
| FTA/FGA | 34.6 (132) | 26.6 (341) |
| Strength of schedule | 21 | 65 |
Series: UNC 135, Virginia 35
Last 20 games
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Duke | 0–0 | 11–1 | 4 |
| California | 0–0 | 11–1 | 49 |
| No. 12 North Carolina | 0–0 | 11–1 | 19 |
| No. 23 Virginia | 0–0 | 10–1 | 29 |
| Virginia Tech | 0–0 | 11–2 | 62 |
| No. 11 Louisville | 0–0 | 10–2 | 15 |
| Miami | 0–0 | 10–2 | 35 |
| SMU | 0–0 | 10–2 | 40 |
| Stanford | 0–0 | 9–2 | 80 |
| Clemson | 0–0 | 10–3 | 36 |
| N.C. State | 0–0 | 9–4 | 32 |
| Notre Dame | 0–0 | 9–4 | 61 |
| Wake Forest | 0–0 | 9–4 | 54 |
| Georgia Tech | 0–0 | 8–4 | 185 |
| Syracuse | 0–0 | 8–4 | 95 |
| Pittsburgh | 0–0 | 7–6 | 156 |
| Florida State | 0–0 | 6–6 | 144 |
| Boston College | 0–0 | 5–6 | 178 |
* — Through Saturday games
Friday’s results
Florida State 96, Mississippi Valley State 49
California 97, Morgan State 50
Saturday’s games
No. 12 North Carolina 71, Ohio State 70
No. 11 Louisville 94, Montana 54
Georgia Tech 95, Lafayette 81
Virginia Tech 82, Elon 81, OT
Syracuse 91, Northeastern 83
No. 23 Virginia 80, Maryland 72
No. 16 Texas Tech 82, No. 3 Duke 81
Stanford 77, Colorado 68
Sunday’s games
Pittsburgh 80, Penn State 46
N.C. State 76, Ole Miss 62
No. 13 Vanderbilt 98, Wake Forest 67
Purdue Ft. Wayne 72, Notre Dame 69
SMU 99, Central Arkansas 82
Clemson 68, Cincinnati 65
North Florida at Miami, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Columbia at California, 5 p.m., ACCN Extra
Monday’s games
American at Virginia, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Jacksonville at Florida State, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Stonehill at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Fairleigh Dickinson at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
East Carolina at No. 12 North Carolina, 8 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 10 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 17 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 9 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. East Carolina | ACCN |
| 30 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Florida State | ESPN2 |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | 2:15 | at SMU | The CW |
| 10 | Saturday | 6 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 14 | Wednesday | 9 p.m. | at Stanford | ACCN |
| 17 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 or 2:30 | at No. 23 Virginia | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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