By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said Tuesday that the Tar Heels have spent the days since the ACC tournament sharpening their mindset with some chippiness, embracing the competitive edge they will need when they open the NCAA tournament Thursday night against VCU.
He said that No. 21 UNC recalibrated after the frustrating effort in the loss to Clemson in practice heading into Thursday’s 6:50 p.m. NCAA tournament first-round game (TNT) against VCU in Greenville, S.C.
“The mindset is there. It has been good to get back to practice and work on consistency,” he said, lamenting that recent losses exposed familiar issues. “It just felt like the last couple of games, it was a number of different areas.”
In the regular-season ending loss at Duke, Davis pointed to the Blue Devils’ 24 points off 14 turnovers, the lack of rebounding, and not getting to 50/50 balls.
“Against Clemson, I felt like at times their physicality bothered us,” Davis said. “We made multiple mistakes on consecutive possessions where we didn’t box out defensively, then turned the ball over. Took a bad shot and then had a defensive mistake.”
Davis added that lapses at the free‑throw line and stretches of unfocused play disrupted the rhythm that carried UNC through the regular season.
“You wish you could play perfect, but you can’t,” Davis said. “Just the consistency that has allowed us to be successful this year is what we have to get back to against VCU.”
If consistency is the priority, fire is the fuel. Davis smiled as he described Monday’s practice.
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“We had a really competitive practice [Monday], a little chippy, which I am fine with,” he said. “I would like to bring that chipiness to Greenville.”
He does not want the Tar Heels dwelling recent setbacks, but he insists they must absorb the lessons.
“There are lessons learned over the last week, and they are things we have had to work on all season. It was nothing new,” Davis said. “Just refining the things that have allowed us to be successful on both ends of the floor. You just can’t get around it.”
Asked how UNC can ensure the right tone from the opening tip, Davis was clear.
“I poke at them a lot and get ’em going,” he said. “The aggression will be there. The sense of urgency of a one‑game scenario is real, and I am confident the guys understand what is at stake.”
Here are some of the other topics Davis covered on Tuesday at a Smith Center press conference before the team practiced in Chapel Hill, then took a bus to Greenville.
VCU’s tempo and versatility
Davis said his staff began studying VCU as soon as the bracket was announced, and he was impressed by what he saw.
“[VCU is] athletic and versatile, which allows them defensively to do a number of different things,” Davis said. “Every one of their guys can guard one through five. They get steals and deflections — very active, fast pace.”
VCU’s speed and pace, with an average possession length of 16 seconds, does not bother him because the Tar Heels like to play at a fast pace as well.
“That is a style we like and have been consistent with all season. One of the things I say is to never let a team dictate how efficient you are on both ends of the floor,” Davis said.
Davis said the Rams’ defense, which throws bodies at the ball with lots of double teams, demands discipline.
“I always tell the guys to be simple and sound,” Davis said. “We do not need home runs. We need singles — two‑hand passes, two‑hand catches. Simple works.”
He said VCU’s defense has traits of many teams that UNC has faced, getting steals and deflections with athleticism like N.C. State, physicality like Clemson and good one-on-one defenders like Duke.
Bus ride benefits and Greenville memories
Davis welcomed the short trip to Greenville.
“I like bus rides. I am not a huge fan of flying,” Davis said. “I’m a good flyer, unless it’s thunderstorms.”
When Davis played at Carolina, bus trips were the norm.
“We bused everywhere,” he said. “There were only eight in the ACC. We bused to Maryland. We bused to Clemson. The only time we flew was in a midweek game. It was a 9 p.m. game, and Coach Smith wanted us to get a charter so we could get back to go to class the next day. But the only time we actually had to get on a plane was my senior year. We had to go to Florida State. And so I like the bus. I wish we could take the bus or train everywhere. That would be fantastic.”
Davis said that proximity will help UNC’s fans travel, and he still feels the program’s history in Greenville.
“That is huge for us,” he said. “A huge contributing factor to being undefeated at home this year was the fan support. To be close enough for fans to come is a huge benefit for us and also the history of 2017 playing there and the success we had there.”
On its way to the 2017 national championship, UNC beat Texas Southern 103–64 in the first round and Arkansas 72–65 in the second round at the same Bon Secours Wellness Arena where the Tar Heels will play this week.
Pressure and magic of March
Davis acknowledged the tournament’s unique stakes.
“The unique thing about this tournament is it is a one‑game scenario,” Davis said. “In any other setting that we play throughout the year, you always have another game coming. This one, your season is over. This team will never be together again forever, however the year ends, and that’s the sad part. You want to stay together as a team as long as possible, and a one‑game scenario brings out that magic.”
He does not want senior Seth Trimble dwelling on the finality.
“I do not want him thinking about that,” Davis said. “I think those are the types of emotions and feelings that come after. I want him thinking about VCU, getting downhill, dunking everything, stealing every ball and getting every rebound. I want him focused on enjoying the moment and playing at his best.”
NCAA bracket
South Regional
FIRST FOUR
Wednesday’s game
No. 16 Prairie View A&M 76, No. 16 Lehigh 55
FIRST ROUND
Thursday’s games
Oklahoma City
No. 4 Nebraska 76, No. 13 Troy 47
No. 5 Vanderbilt 78, No. 12 McNeese State 68
Greenville, S.C.
No. 11 VCU 86, No. 6 North Carolina 78, OT
No. 3 Illinois 105, No. 14 Penn 70
Oklahoma City
No. 10 Texas A&M 73, No. 7 St. Mary’s 50
No. 2 Houston 78, No. 15 Idaho 47
Friday’s games
Tampa, Fla.
No. 9 Iowa 67, No. 8 Clemson 61
No. 1 Florida 114, Prairie View A&M 55
SECOND ROUND
Saturday games
Oklahoma City
Nebraska 74, Vanderbilt 72
Greenville, S.C.
Illinois 76, VCU 55
Oklahoma City
Houston 88, Texas A&M 57
Sunday game
Tampa, Fla.
Iowa 73, Florida 72
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
Houston
Thursday, March 26
Iowa (23–12) vs. Nebraska (28–6)
Illinois (26–8) vs. Houston (30–6)
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Houston
Saturday, March 28
| 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
