By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — When No. 17 North Carolina faced adversity, and the outside noise got loud, the Tar Heels narrowed their focus to something much smaller.
“Just us.”
That phrase, repeated in huddles and conversations throughout the season, traces back to an idea Coach Hubert Davis introduced before the season. He handed each player a small handbook. Inside was a simple concept: every player’s name was placed in a circle, connected together.
“I said that this is a tight group and we have to stay together,” Davis told them at the time. “There are going to be sunny and clear sky days, but there are also going to be some windy and rainy days, and through those days we have to stay connected.”
That connection has been tested repeatedly this season. Road losses at SMU, Stanford, Cal and N.C. State fueled outside criticism. People questioned whether Davis was right for the job and criticized the players.
That created difficult stretches for the Tar Heels. Instead of splintering, the group leaned harder into the idea Davis laid out months earlier.
“We have to stay connected,” Davis said ahead of Saturday’s 6:30 rematch with No. 1 Duke in Durham. “The guys have really done that this year. I think that contributes to being able to still be successful with the adjustments, with the changes after losses, to be able to regroup and just continue to move forward.”
For the players, the “circle” has grown from a preseason message into a daily mindset.
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Center Henri Veesaar remembers Davis repeatedly returning to the concept as the season progressed. The meaning was simple, but powerful.
“I feel like he just kept saying all the time it’s like the center circle, like it has a lot of meanings, but he just meant like a team’s circle overall,” Veesaar said. “Everybody’s in it, we all fight for each other, and everybody’s equal. Being able to keep everybody on this team in the circle and not letting other people in. Don’t let anybody pull you out.”
That idea also serves as protection from the outside noise that comes with a high-profile program. Players hear opinions about their games, their roles, and what they should do differently. The circle reminds them whose voices matter most.
“It might be some other people telling you, ‘Hey, you’ve got to do this with your game, you got to do this in a game. Look for this; be more selfish,’ ” Veesaar said. “So, it’s more about keeping all the noise outside and keeping it inside the team and doing what’s best for the team right now and win as many games as we can.”
The culture behind that message began building long before the season started. Davis and his staff emphasized chemistry throughout the summer, including the team-building trip to the Outer Banks and activities away from basketball.
“I feel like, over the season, it kind of progresses, and it gets more meaning,” Veesaar said. “But already over the summer we were competing for roles and competing against each other but, at the end of the day, we’re all teammates, and we all want the same thing. We wanted UNC to be as good as it can.”
That collective mindset has shown up in moments when the Tar Heels needed it most. Players such as Zayden High have stepped into larger roles because of injuries, and teammates on the bench, including Caleb Wilson, have celebrated just as loudly as those on the floor.
“There’s nobody who [thinks], ‘I don’t want anybody to do too good because it might take my minutes; it might take my opportunity,’ ” Veesaar said. “Everybody’s just celebrating each other and wishing the best for all of us.”
Guard Seth Trimble, one of the team’s veteran leaders, said the phrase “just us” has become the team’s guiding principle.
“It’d be our number one stat,” Trimble said when asked how important the concept has been. “Keeping our circle just us, hearing only just us and relying on just us takes us such a long way.”
When the season became more difficult and outside opinions started piling up, the message became even more important.
“When things get hard and adversity starts weighing on you, you want to crumble and you start listening to the outside noise,” Trimble said, adding that it takes a toll. “But when you have something like that that you really live on as a team, it allows you to block out that noise and keep the main thing the main thing.”
The Tar Heels repeat the phrase often. It echoes in practice, in huddles and before games, serving as a reminder of the team’s foundation.
“We use it through all the adversity we’ve faced this year and through all the tough times,” Trimble said. “We have used it every single time. We say it every day to remind each other, and it’s very important.”
For Davis, that bond is what has stood out most about this year’s team. In a college basketball world filled with constant opinions and nonstop noise, he has watched his players focus on something far simpler: each other.
“There’s noise everywhere around them,” said Davis, remembering that he dealt with none of that when he was a player before social media became popular. “I’m so impressed with this group of how they have turned down and turned off that noise to be able to not just play, but to enjoy being together as a team.”
Although the noise has been overwhelmingly positive in recent weeks, the Tar Heels are trying to ignore that, too, as they head to Durham for a rematch Saturday against No. 1 Duke.
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday’s first round
No. 15 Pittsburgh 64, No. 10 Stanford 63
No. 11 SMU 86, No. 14 Syracuse 69
No. 13 Wake Forest 95, No. 12 Virginia Tech 89, OT
Wednesday’s second round
No. 7 N.C. State 98, Pittsburgh 88
No. 6 (No. 24 ranked) Louisville 62, SMU 58
No. 8 Florida State 95, No. 9 California 89
No. 5 Clemson 71, Wake Forest 62
Thursday’s quarterfinals
No. 2 (No. 10 ranked) Virginia 81, N.C. State 74
No. 3 Miami 78, Louisville 73
No. 1 (No. 1 ranked) Duke 80, Florida State 79
Clemson 80, No. 4 (No. 19 ranked) North Carolina 79
Friday’s semifinals
Virginia 84, Miami 62
Duke 73, Clemson 61
Saturday’s championship
Duke 74, Virginia 70
| Date | Month/day | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. 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. 17 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. 11 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 | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 9 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. 1 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at No. 25 Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 82–58 | at N.C. State | 20–6, 8–5 |
| 21 | Saturday | W, 77–64 | at Syracuse | 21–6, 9–5 |
| 23 | Monday | W, 77–74 | vs. Louisville | 22–6, 10–5 |
| 28 | Saturday | W, 89–82 | vs. Virginia Tech | 23–6, 11–5 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 67–63 | vs. Clemson | 24–6, 12–5 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 76–61 | at No. 1 Duke | 24–7, 12–6 |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte | |
| 12 | Thursday | L, 80–79 | Quarterfinals: vs. Clemson | 24–8 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 19 | Thursday | L, 82–78, OT | First round: vs. VCU in Greenville, S.C. | 24–9 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
