By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — During the first half of No. 12 North Carolina’s win against East Carolina, freshman Caleb Wilson turned the ball over four times, struggling to navigate double-teams that looked a little different.
But halftime brought a turning point, not with words but with video.
In the locker room, Assistant Coach Sean May pulled out an iPad. On the screen, Wilson saw what he couldn’t fully process in real time: where the pressure was coming from and why his spins toward the baseline were leading him straight into trouble.
The adjustment was immediate. Wilson didn’t commit a turnover in the second half.
UNC coach Hubert Davis saw a lot of double teams coming from the backside for the first time this season and wanted Wilson to understand what the Pirates were throwing at him.
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“Most of the time, they were coming from the top of the key or from the passer,” Davis said at a Monday press conference in the Smith Center ahead of Tuesday’s 7 p.m. ACC opener (ESPN2) at home against Florida State (7–6). “And, so, when Caleb spun baseline, there was a guy there. And so just being able to show him where the double team was coming from made a big difference for him.”
That moment wasn’t an accident. It was part of a deliberate shift in how UNC (12–1) approaches teaching and in-game corrections. Davis said that the program is using iPads more and more.
“I think it’s important to use it,” Davis said. “[When I was in the NBA], there were a lot of coaches that we used to watch film at halftime. So, at the beginning of the year, I talked to the staff and said, ‘This is something that I want to use, because I think it can help.’ ”
For Davis, the reasoning is simple. Explaining concepts is helpful, but showing video examples works much better.
“I’m a visual learner, and I think a lot of our guys are. If they see it, I think they can process it better than just telling them that,” Davis said. “That philosophy played out against East Carolina.”
During the CBS Sports Classic, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino could be seen watching a replay on an iPad during the game — and nearly throwing it back to a staff member in disgust.
Neither one is going to happen for Davis, who says he won’t be looking at an iPad during a game. But he says that his staff uses iPads on the bench to reinforce adjustments.
“I will lean on the assistant coaches in regards to challenging calls and different stuff like that,” Davis said. “But I do look at it at halftime, and I think it’s a valuable piece to be able to use.”
Has it made a difference? Davis didn’t hesitate.
“I think that is a reason why we watch so much film as a team,” Davis said. “Because when they see it, it really resonates with them rather than just telling them that.”
For a program steeped in tradition, embracing technology isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about clarity. And for Wilson, that clarity changed the way he operated on offense after halftime.
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 11–1 | 22–2 | 3 |
| No. 15 Virginia | 10–2 | 21–3 | 17 |
| No. 20 Clemson | 10–2 | 20–5 | 30 |
| N.C. State | 9–3 | 18–7 | 29 |
| Miami | 8–3 | 19–5 | 36 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 8–4 | 18–6 | 14 |
| No. 11 North Carolina | 7–4 | 19–5 | 26 |
| SMU | 6–5 | 17–7 | 34 |
| Virginia Tech | 6–6 | 17–8 | 55 |
| California | 5–7 | 17–8 | 57 |
| Syracuse | 5–7 | 14–11 | 71 |
| Stanford | 4–7 | 15–9 | 68 |
| Florida State | 4–7 | 11–13 | 95 |
| Wake Forest | 2–8 | 11–12 | 66 |
| Boston College | 2–8 | 9–14 | 148 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–9 | 11–13 | 151 |
| Notre Dame | 2–10 | 11–14 | 88 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–10 | 9–16 | 124 |
* — Through Tuesday games
Tuesday’s results
Miami 75, No. 11 North Carolina 66
No. 15 Virginia 61, Florida State 58
SMU 89, Notre Dame 81
No. 4 Duke 70, Pittsburgh 54
Wednesday’s games
Virginia Tech 76, No. 20 Clemson 66
Syracuse 107, California 100, 2 OTs
Wake Forest at Georgia Tech, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at Boston College, 9 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday’s games
No. 20 Clemson at No. 4 Duke, noon, ESPN
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame, noon, The CW
California at Boston College, noon, ACC Network
Pittsburgh at No. 11 North Carolina, 2 p.m., ESPN
Florida State at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Syracuse, 2 p.m., The CW
No. 24 Louisville vs. Baylor in Fort Worth, Texas, 4 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
Stanford at Wake Forest, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Miami at N.C. State, 4 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
No. 15 Virginia vs. Ohio State in Nashville, 8 p.m., Fox
Monday’s game
Syracuse at No. 4 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
Boston College at Florida State, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 11 North Carolina at N.C. State, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 24 Louisville at SMU, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Virginia Tech at Miami, 8 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 22 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. 9 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. 10 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at No. 25 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 | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 15 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 4 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 24 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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