By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Hubert Davis summed up the problems that he must fix after the loss at SMU in one word: defense.
That was the starting point for everything the No. 17 Tar Heels focused on last week, as Davis said they “worked on us” for most of the week before preparing for Saturday’s 6 p.m. home game (ACC Network) against Wake Forest.
The week off enabled extended video study, which Davis considers essential for a generation of players who need to see it to improve.
“We basically watched an entire game and just talked about what allowed us to do some of the things that we did, and how we can’t get there again,” Davis said Friday at a Smith Center press conference. “It was really great also to be able to have individual meetings with each one of the players as well after the film session to talk about things and get their perspective.”
Davis said the staff and players were all “disappointed defensively,” noting that going into the game, UNC had been performing well in field goal percentage defense and points allowed. But SMU’s efficiency changed that to “unacceptable” levels.
Davis said it came from “a number of things,” pointing to “transition one on one, not boxing out at times, not talking and communicating the right way,” and lapses in discipline, including going up on shot-fakes and putting guys at the free throw line.
There was a common thread in the SMU loss and the other loss to Michigan State in November, Davis said, with the Tar Heels allowing high-percentage shooting.
“I didn’t think we executed very well,” Davis said. “From an offense standpoint, against SMU, things were difficult, hard, and we still scored 83 points. It just goes back to defending and rebounding, and that’s something that just has to show up. We’ve just got to continue to grow and get better.”
The rare stretch without a midweek game arrived at the perfect moment for a team that needed time to recalibrate. Davis said the focus was to get back to “fundamentally, just the things that have allowed us all year to be a pretty good defensive team.”
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Players responded the right way, he said.
“Yeah, 100% I mean, these kids are great, and we’re all on the same page,” Davis said, reminding his players of non-negotiable areas. “For us to be successful, number one is defense, number two is rebounding, and number three is taking care of basketball.”
While he felt the team had protected the ball well, Davis said the defense and rebounding left much to be desired.
With Wake Forest looming, Davis emphasized that its style would test the work UNC had done all week. He praised the Demon Deacons’ ball and player movement, athleticism, and size, saying that defending them will require strong communication and for the Tar Heels to be locked in.
Carolina goes from the challenge of stopping SMU’s Boopie Miller (which didn’t go well as he scored 27 points) to stopping Juke Harris, who is having a career year for Wake Forest, scoring 19.9 points per game. Davis praised Harris, calling him a four-level scorer who is really talented and has good size.
The loss at SMU had bright spots, including Jarin Stevenson’s shooting performance.
“He’s always confident,” he said, adding praise for his intangibles. “He’s our connector on both ends of the floor. [It was] nice to see him get into a rhythm from the perimeter.”
Davis also touched on lineup flexibility. He reiterated that he prefers multiple playmakers on the court rather than one traditional lead guard, saying, “I want a number of guys that can handle the ball, make plays, shoot, score, penetrate, distribute, get us into our offense.”
Several opponents have been physical with Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, but the Mustangs may have laid out a template for taking that to the next level. Davis said SMU was physical, even off the ball, and that one first-half play stood out: when he was trying to get Veesaar positioned on the low block.
“He was crossing through the lane and got chucked twice,” Davis said. “Those are things that teams are doing, one to try to keep the ball out of the hands of Caleb and Henri, but also make them catch the ball a little bit further out and wear them down throughout the game. And those are things that we’re learning and adjusting and growing on.”
Davis will find out Saturday how much his Tar Heels have learned from that intense week of practice.
| 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 |
Photo by Adam Hagy/Intersport
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