By R.L. Bynum
When UNC coach Hubert Davis watched video of the No. 17 Tar Heels’ 97–83 loss Saturday at SMU, the defensive breakdowns jumped out for him.
Davis said that several things went wrong that allowed the Mustangs to shoot 60% from the floor and 51.9% from 3-point range.
“It came from every direction, in regards to, one on one, whether it was on the perimeter of the post transition, pick and roll close-outs, middle drives,” Davis said Monday morning during the weekly ACC coaches Zoom press conference. “Just different things defensively that contributed to them to shoot such a high percentage in the second half.”
SMU shot 71.4% after halftime, and Davis called that “just unacceptable.” He stressed that while offensive execution matters, the inability to get stops was the bigger issue.
“When you give up 70% shooting in any half? To me, that’s a bigger issue,” he said.
Still, Davis acknowledged offensive areas that need improvement, singling out shot selection, execution and getting to the offensive glass, saying that UNC’s 29% offensive rebounding percentage was “nothing close to where we need to be.”
The loss was UNC’s second of the season, both coming when the Tar Heels struggled to score for long stretches. Freshman Caleb Wilson went through a 20-minute drought against Michigan State and another extended dry spell at SMU.
That is a concern, but Davis said the team needs touches from everyone, not just one player.
One offensive wrinkle that stood out in Dallas was Seth Trimble playing extended minutes at point guard. Davis explained that he doesn’t necessarily have rigid position definitions for his guards.
“I don’t determine this guy is a point guard, this guy’s a two guard, he’s a small forward,” he said. “I want basketball players who can handle the basketball.”
That philosophy has shaped UNC’s guard rotation all season. With Trimble healthy again, Davis has more flexibility alongside junior Kyan Evans and freshman Derek Dixon.
“Just having multiple ball handlers out there against teams that pressure, like SMU, that they don’t dictate and decide how efficient we play on the offensive end,” he said. “We’re able to get to our sets, get into scoring positions, and just finding different combinations that give us multiple players that are able to do that.”
Who is the point guard, Davis suggested, is less important than having multiple ball-handers on the floor to get UNC’s offense going.
“It could come from many different directions, just like I said, when Caleb gets a rebound, he brings up the basketball, because he has the ability to do that,” Davis said.
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As UNC prepares for Saturday’s 6 p.m. home game (ACC Network) against Wake Forest, Davis hopes the SMU game “is a one-game thing” in terms of poor play on defense.
“Those are things that we’ll talk about [Monday] at practice and in the film room, and make sure that that was a one-game thing and not something that will consistently happen in games,” he said.
With a full week of practice and a healthy roster, Davis sees an opportunity to reset.
“Because we don’t have a midweek game, we can have some practices where we’re working solely on us and getting us right on both ends of the floor,” he said.
UNC season statistics
Non-conference schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| January | ||
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
ACC opponents
Home and away: Duke and Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Don’t play: Clemson
Photo via smumustangs.com
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