By R.L. Bynum

There’s one big difference between the defensive philosophies of Roy Williams and Hubert Davis. Williams preferred that defenders fight through screens and stick with their assigned man. Davis is more willing to switch, even at the risk of occasional mismatches.

With a taller, more versatile lineup this season, No. 17 North Carolina has leaned into the tactic more frequently. The Tar Heels’ ability to guard multiple positions is a key reason.

Davis said on the “Hubert Davis Live” radio show Monday that the switches are effective “if you have the personnel to be able to do it.”

He noted that UNC’s current roster provides that flexibility because “our bigs can guard guards out on the perimeter, and our guards can guard bigs down low on the post.”

In his view, switching often disrupts opponents’ rhythm by taking them out of their offense and forcing them to play more isolation basketball.

He added that Carolina isn’t locked into switching every action. Davis explained that his staff adjusts on the fly depending on matchups and game flow, pointing out that there are “tweaks and pivots that we make” and that there are specific situations “where we don’t switch.”

UNC didn’t switch on defense in the win over Kansas. Davis said they sometimes keep certain players, such as Caleb Wilson, out of switching scenarios so he can stay with the opposing team’s four, and Kyan Evans doesn’t have to guard a big man.

Those variations reflect a strategic trust in the roster’s defensive versatility — something Davis said he values. With the combination of length, quickness and athleticism on this year’s team, he said, “I do like the versatility,” noting it allows UNC to deploy different defensive looks within the same game.

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That versatility was tested Saturday during SMU’s win over the Tar Heels. For most of the afternoon, guard Seth Trimble was assigned to Boopie Miller, who scored 27 points and three 3-pointers.

But Trimble often switched with teammates within the defensive scheme. The Tar Heels — switching one through four for the most part — struggled with coverage overall, particularly in the second half when SMU shot 70.6%.

Davis said the issues went well beyond switching, emphasizing that their “presence on the ball wasn’t very good” and that the team needed better communication, rotations and closeouts.

Davis reiterated his belief in switching as part of UNC’s evolving defensive identity. While acknowledging the breakdowns against SMU, he said that “absent of SMU, we’ve been pretty good defensively,” underscoring that this year’s roster gives the staff the flexibility to “do different things throughout a game.”

As the Tar Heels prepare for Wake Forest on Saturday, Davis said defensive growth remains the priority. He noted that the team would continue working this week on adjustments to ensure their switching — combined with improved on-ball pressure and physicality —becomes more consistently disruptive.

UNC season statistics

Team	League	Overall	NET*
No. 6 Duke	3–0	14–1	5
Clemson	2–0	12–3	33
Miami	1–0	12–2	34
No. 24 SMU	1–0	12–2	25
N.C. State	2–1	11–5	36
California	1–1	13–2	59
No. 17 North Carolina	1–1	13–2	21
No. 23 Virginia	1–1	12–2	26
Stanford	1–1	12–3	77
Virginia Tech	1–1	12–3	57
Notre Dame	1–1	10–5	67
Syracuse	1–1	10–5	84
Wake Forest	1–1	10–5	61
No. 20 Louisville	1–2	11–4	15
Georgia Tech	1–2	10–6	153
Boston College	0–2	7–8	193
Florida State	0–2	7–8	114
Pittsburgh	0–2	7–8	111

* — Through Tuesday games
Tuesday’s results
No. 6 Duke 84, No. 20 Louisville 73
Syracuse 82, Georgia Tech 72
N.C. State 79, Boston College 71
Wednesday’s games
Miami at Wake Forest, 6 p.m., ESPNU
Stanford at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m., ACC Network
California at No. 23 Virginia, 8 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Clemson, 8 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday’s games
Boston College at No. 20 Louisville, noon, The CW
Georgia Tech at Miami, noon, ESPN2
N.C. State at Florida State, noon, ACC Network
No. 24 SMU at No. 6 Duke, 2 p.m., ESPN
Syracuse at Pittsburgh, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at No. 23 Virginia, The CW
California at Virginia Tech, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at No. 17 North Carolina, 6 p.m, ACC Network
Clemson at Notre Dame, 6 p.m., ESPN2
Tuesday’s games
No. 23 Virginia at No. 20 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Miami at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Boston College at Clemson, 7 p.m, ACC Network
Florida State at Syracuse, 9 p.m, ACC Network

Date	Month/day	Time	Opponent/event (current ranks)	TV/ record
	October
24	Friday	L, 78–76	vs. No. 9 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. 22 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. 12 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	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 No. 24 SMU	13–2, 1–1
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 p.m.	at No. 23 Virginia	ESPN
31	Saturday	2 p.m.	at Georgia Tech	ACCN
	February
2	Monday	7 p.m.	vs. Syracuse	ESPN
7	Saturday	6:30	vs. No. 6 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. 20 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. 6 Duke	ESPN
10–14	Tues.-Sat.	ACC tournament	Spectrum Center, Charlotte