By R.L. Bynum
After North Carolina dropped three of its last four games, Coach Hubert Davis emphasized one theme above all: accountability, on both ends of the floor and in every phase of the game.
Davis leaned into the areas he believes have slipped and must be sharpened immediately. When asked how lessons from recent video study failed to carry over against Stanford and in the first half at Cal, Davis pointed to both sides of the ball.
“I think, at times, our offense doesn’t help our defense,” Davis said Monday during the weekly ACC coaches Zoom press conference, citing execution, shot selection and missed free-throw attempts as leading to sequences that often lead to breakdowns in transition.
Davis returned repeatedly to defensive standards. As No. 22 UNC (14–4, 2–3 ACC) prepares for Wednesday’s 7 p.m. home game (ESPN2) against Notre Dame (10–8, 1–4), he said the staff will spend practices revisiting foundational principles.
“The number one thing is we have to be a good defensive team, a good rebounding team,” he said. “[Last week], we didn’t play up to the standard which we needed from a defensive standpoint.”
That has led to troubling opponent numbers in the last four games, with the:
— Highest point totals this season: 97 to SMU, 84 to Wake Forest, 95 to Stanford and 84 to California.
— Top three 3-point shooting percentages: 57.1% by Stanford, 53.8% by Cal and 51.9% by SMU.
— Top four effective field-goal percentages: 71.6% by SMU, 71.4% by Stanford, 62.1% by Cal and 59.4% by Wake Forest.
Davis also emphasized that any adjustments being considered are part of ongoing evaluation rather than a dramatic overhaul. When asked what changes were coming after the rough stretch, Davis clarified that more changes were possible.
“Obviously, we want to be the best defensive team possible,” he said. “And so just always taking a hard look whether, and it’s no different than after wins. Always looking to improve, always looking to get better as a team.”
Accountability extends to late-game execution as well. When questions arose about shot selection in crunch time during the Cal loss, Davis acknowledged the inconsistency was throughout the game rather than isolated to the final possessions.
“There are times, from an offensive standpoint, that our shot selection isn’t great, our execution isn’t great, and obviously we struggle with free throws at times,” he said.
Davis noted that UNC’s comeback push at Cal faltered because “we just didn’t make the shots that we needed to make and get the defensive stops that we needed to be able to catch back up and take the lead.”
Davis also dismissed the notion that travel or different time zones contributed to the team dropping both games on the trip, saying it “had no effect on the way that we played last week.
“The reason that we lost is we didn’t play well, and Stanford and Cal did,” he said.
Davis repeatedly returned to the idea that urgency must originate from within the team and extend through every possession. Asked whether more pressure defense could manufacture that urgency, he said the mindset shouldn’t depend on scheme.
“I think a sense of urgency should be there all the time, when you get an opportunity to be out there on the floor,” he said. “[You] have a chance to compete, that should trigger the sense of urgency.”
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 Duke | 6–0 | 17–1 | 2 |
| No. 18 Clemson | 6–0 | 16–3 | 25 |
| No. 14 Virginia | 5–1 | 16–2 | 14 |
| Miami | 4–1 | 15–3 | 31 |
| N.C. State | 3–2 | 12–6 | 34 |
| Syracuse | 3–2 | 12–6 | 75 |
| Stanford | 3–3 | 14–5 | 69 |
| Virginia Tech | 3–3 | 14–5 | 54 |
| No. 23 Louisville | 3–3 | 13–5 | 16 |
| No. 22 North Carolina | 2–3 | 14–4 | 29 |
| SMU | 2–3 | 13–5 | 33 |
| Wake Forest | 2–3 | 11–7 | 57 |
| California | 2–4 | 14–5 | 59 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–4 | 11–8 | 141 |
| Notre Dame | 1–4 | 10–8 | 78 |
| Boston College | 1–4 | 8–10 | 165 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–4 | 8–10 | 114 |
| Florida State | 0–5 | 7–11 | 134 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
California 84, No. 22 North Carolina 78
No. 14 Virginia 72, SMU 68
Virginia Tech 89, Notre Dame 76
Georgia Tech 78, N.C. State 74
Boston College 81, Syracuse 73, OT
No. 18 Clemson 69, Miami 59
No. 5 Duke 80, Stanford 50
Wake Forest 69, Florida State 68
No. 23 Louisville 100, Pittsburgh 59
Tuesday’s games
N.C. State at No. 18 Clemson, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Florida State at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPNU
SMU at Wake Forest, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Wednesday’s games
Notre Dame at No. 22 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Pittsburgh at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia Tech at Syracuse, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Saturday’s games
No. 18 Clemson at Georgia Tech, noon, ACC Network
N.C. State at Pittsburgh, noon, ESPN2
No. 22 North Carolina at No. 14 Virginia, 2 p.m., ESPN
Miami at Syracuse, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia Tech at No. 23 Louisville, 3:30, The CW
Florida State at SMU, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at No. 5 Duke, 5:45, The CW
Boston College at Notre Dame, 6 p.m., ACC Network
California at Stanford, 8 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 13 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. 19 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 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 | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at No. 14 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. 5 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. 23 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 18 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 5 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via @CalMBBall
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