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Hubert Davis press conference, statement from AD Bubba Cunningham after #UNC win over #Duke
Feb 8, 2026
Hubert Davis press conference, statement from AD Bubba Cunningham after #UNC win over #Duke
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0:00
to be the one that in the end hits that
0:02
shot.
0:03
It's perfect. He was the one
0:06
that uh because
0:08
um during this time of NIL and transfer
0:11
portal um having a kid as as
0:14
accomplished as Seth to stay at one
0:17
school for four years.
0:22
That shot was made by the perfect person
0:24
at the right time.
0:26
He's deserving of being remembered
0:28
forever.
0:30
Um, of the commitment and the devotion
0:35
that he's made
0:37
to his teammates, to this program, to
0:39
this university, and to this community.
0:42
Couldn't couldn't have gone to a better
0:44
person, and I'm so proud and so happy
0:46
for him in this moment.
0:47
Andrew, then Aaron,
0:49
down 12 at the half. Uh, 11 minutes into
0:51
the second half. Uh the numbers didn't
0:54
look good for you guys, but you still
0:56
found a way. How did you find a way?
0:58
What was maybe something some kind of
1:00
common thread in there that you guys
1:02
were able to find?
1:02
Yeah, we continue to fight. You know, we
1:05
were down, but I I think one of the
1:07
things that we were missing is, you
1:09
know, we we we didn't join the fight.
1:11
Every 50/50 loose ball they were
1:14
getting, whether the ball was going up
1:16
in the air on the ground, they were the
1:17
first ones to get it. And
1:21
we just continue. excuse me, we just
1:22
continued to stick to it. Um, even time
1:25
every time that we got knocked down, not
1:27
only did we get back up, we kept taking
1:29
a step forward. And as we continue to
1:33
cut into the lead, um, our confidence
1:36
just got better on both ends of the
1:39
floor. Um, our execution got better, our
1:42
stops got better, our communication on
1:44
defense got better, our rebounding got
1:47
better, our simple and sound plays on
1:49
the offensive end got better.
1:51
And then Henry stepped up. I mean, he
1:54
had zero rebounds, defensive rebounds in
1:56
the first half. He had a double double
1:58
in the second half. And so his ability
2:00
to dominate points in the paint for us
2:02
was huge. And um you know, Caleb kept us
2:06
around in the first half and then you
2:10
know, Henry,
2:12
Derek hit some threes, Seth, other guys
2:15
joined the party and it was um a team
2:18
effort
2:19
there. And then Brendan
2:20
Hubert, what uh um what were you hoping
2:23
on that last sequence? What was the
2:25
primary option on that shot? And I don't
2:27
know if turbo was a primary option or if
2:29
that was sort of the release valve.
2:30
No, there were there um there were a
2:32
number of options. It was a play that we
2:34
can run side out of bounds and we can
2:37
also run half court. It's usually half
2:38
court but we can run it side out of
2:39
bounds. And so um you know wanted to get
2:43
something to the basket. Derek was able
2:45
to do that. Um, we love putting Caleb up
2:49
in ball screens and rim running and
2:52
rolling towards the basket. It's a nice
2:55
luxury to have a big like Henry that can
2:57
pop in those situations.
3:00
And um, we work on this. One of the
3:03
options is if if the defender comes in,
3:06
it's skip to the corner, opposite
3:08
corner. And Derek's pass was amazing. um
3:12
he looked checked down all the options
3:14
and the one option that was open his
3:16
defender came over and helped and he
3:17
skipped it to the corner and we work on
3:20
that every day. So it it was one of the
3:22
options um in that play and Seth stepped
3:26
up and knocked down the shot.
3:27
I've got about eight in the queue so
3:29
just don't hold your raise your hand
3:30
right now. Brendan then Rod. Yeah. Uh
3:33
yesterday when we asked Caleb about his
3:35
legacy and the mark he wanted to make in
3:37
this rivalry he said nobody cares unless
3:38
you win. Um, what did you think of his
3:41
performance overall and what he sort of
3:43
said about himself and where he deserves
3:44
to be in this round?
3:46
Yeah, I mean, you know,
3:50
he basically put us on his back in the
3:52
first half. You know, I felt like
3:56
for whatever reason, I just felt like we
3:58
were a little tight or a little too
4:00
amped up. There it is. A little too
4:02
amped up. And as a result of that, I
4:05
felt like we were making mistakes on
4:07
both ends of the floor. make mistakes on
4:09
switches that we've done not just
4:11
against Duke but number of teams and so
4:14
we were giving up layups putting them on
4:15
the free throw line wide open threes
4:18
and he's the one that kept us close and
4:22
you know his confidence his ability like
4:25
you talked about him wanting to like he
4:28
he doesn't talk about me
4:33
he he he he never talks about me he's
4:36
always talking about we and he's always
4:40
talking about the which is the
4:42
University of North Carolina men's
4:43
basketball program and that's what
4:46
drives him. And so when you have that
4:50
with the giftedness that he has out
4:52
there on the court that's something
4:55
that's pretty good and um I'm really
4:58
happy for him too. Rod,
4:59
he was here last two years ago um the
5:02
last time we won it was on his
5:04
recruiting trip um with uh Cormarmac
5:07
Harrison, Armando, and RJ and he was
5:09
here and he wanted to be a part of that
5:14
and so to see him out there on the court
5:16
and to be able to experience it himself
5:19
um very happy for him.
5:21
Rod Brian Gubbert Seths is your
5:24
four-year player, your first one.
5:25
Yeah. with him, he he got emotional
5:28
saying he wanted to be a part of these
5:29
moments. With him making that final
5:32
shot, I mean, how fitting is that? And
5:34
what was the celebration like? What was
5:36
going through your mind when it left his
5:37
hands?
5:37
Yeah, I'm still a little numb right now,
5:39
you know, I was looking at something on
5:41
Instagram. I just wanted to see the last
5:43
shot and see what happened here, you
5:45
know, cuz it was wild to hit the shot.
5:49
People storming the floor,
5:52
family members on the floor. 04 on the
5:56
clock trying to figure out how to
5:58
defensively stop because a lot of things
6:00
can happen in 04 seconds and then storm
6:03
the floor again. And so, um,
6:08
as I said before, like it couldn't it
6:11
happened to the perfect person and he
6:14
should be celebrated.
6:19
What he's meant to me, um, what he's
6:22
meant to this team in this program, the
6:25
commitment that he has for this place.
6:27
He's another person that, um, wanted to
6:30
be a part of the Wii and the the
6:34
and um he'll be remembered for the rest
6:38
of his life in Carolina history and I
6:42
couldn't think of a better person to
6:44
have that with him.
6:45
Murf, then Beckett,
6:47
two quick ones. How often does when when
6:49
you run that play in practice, does it
6:50
get skipped to the corner? And then
6:52
secondly, I know we've asked a lot about
6:53
Seth, but to suffer that injury that he
6:55
suffered earlier this year looks like a
6:57
pretty gnarly, you know, scar that he's
6:59
got on that arm. Did you think his
7:01
career was over at any point?
7:02
Not at all. I didn't think his career
7:03
was over.
7:04
Did you think he could get back and
7:05
really help you?
7:05
100%. Yeah, 100%. Knew he would be back
7:09
and while he was out, other guys would
7:12
step up and it would make us even
7:13
deeper. And so when he came back, it's a
7:16
luxury to have that experienced type of
7:18
player who can make elite plays on both
7:22
ends of the floor. And
7:24
honestly, we make that play a lot in
7:26
practice. We really do. I mean, that
7:29
play, that pass and that shot is
7:31
literally something that we work on
7:34
every day. And so, there's a reason why
7:38
Derek threw it there because he knew a
7:39
player, a teammate was going to be there
7:41
and Seth was in the perfect spot.
7:44
Three more. Becket, then Sarah, then
7:45
Michael Co. Oh, I'm sorry, Katie. You
7:47
were or Spencer, you were like four
7:48
more. Go ahead,
7:50
Becket.
7:50
I don't know if you were playing at that
7:52
one that foul, but seemed like maybe he
7:55
was asking to stay in the game. if
7:57
you're comfortable sharing like what
7:58
that conversation was like.
8:01
Um
8:03
well, I mean obviously I want Seth out
8:05
there on the floor and um um also I was
8:10
trying to give him a little bit of rest
8:11
as well. I mean he does so much for us.
8:15
Um just give him a little bit of rest. I
8:17
was trying to find time to give him
8:20
Henry Caleb rest. I don't want to play
8:23
40 minutes but I don't want to take them
8:25
out either. Okay. And so, um, Seth and I
8:29
have a great relationship. It wasn't
8:30
anything in depth. It was just I knew
8:32
that, uh, wanted to make sure that he
8:34
stayed out of foul trouble and wanted
8:36
him to give a little bit of rest so that
8:37
he can finish the game.
8:39
Sarah, then Michael
8:40
Hubert, was there anything that you said
8:42
during halftime that you think helped
8:43
lead the team to that second half?
8:46
No, it's all them. It's not nothing by
8:48
me. Nothing. The wins go to them and the
8:52
losses go to me.
8:54
It is what it is. and it's all them. Um,
8:58
and so, uh, it it it was great. You
9:01
know, we talked about the mistakes that
9:03
we're making that we can fix those
9:05
mistakes and we have the ability to make
9:07
th make changes. And so, that's that's a
9:10
good thing. You know, when you have
9:11
problems and you can't fix them, you
9:13
don't have the ability to fix them, then
9:15
you're reeling problem. That was exact
9:16
opposite for us. And if we just started
9:19
to execute on both ends of the floor, I
9:21
felt confident that we can get back in
9:23
the game. I was interviewed by ESPN and
9:25
they asked me the same question and I
9:26
gave them that answer and I said if we
9:28
do that we'll get back in the game and
9:30
they did not me they did.
9:33
Michael and then Spencer
9:35
Hubert what does it say about this
9:36
team's grit and its toughness where
9:39
you're trailing for 38 39 minutes you're
9:41
down by six with two and a half to go
9:44
and yet you're sitting here with the
9:45
guys making their way to Franklin
9:46
Street.
9:47
Yeah. It's um it's great uh ammunition
9:50
for me
9:52
to let them know how what it looks like
9:56
um what perseverance looks like, what
9:59
toughness looks like, what staying and
10:02
sticking together looks like, what um
10:06
being a team looks like. And so, um,
10:10
great examples of all that for these
10:13
guys that we can pull from, cling to,
10:16
lean on to allow us, um, to reach our
10:19
full potential as a team. And, um,
10:23
really happy for him.
10:24
Last one for coach Spencer.
10:26
Yeah, Hubert, you tal you talked to us
10:28
about how as a freshman, you know, you
10:29
didn't even want to talk. You didn't
10:30
want to open your mouth. Tonight, you've
10:32
got, you know, two of the your most
10:33
important players being Derek and Caleb
10:35
out there making those final plays. Can
10:37
you kind of just talk to their first,
10:39
you know, Duke Carolina and the ability
10:41
to step up in the moment as a freshman?
10:43
Yeah, I mean, they're just, you know,
10:45
um, obviously being at this level, being
10:48
at North Carolina and playing in these
10:50
type of games, the light is bright and
10:53
there's nowhere to hide. And, you know,
10:57
Caleb and and Derek, they don't run from
11:00
it. They run towards it. and
11:04
you know for them
11:06
uh to be able to have that experience
11:08
even though that I didn't want to go my
11:10
freshman year. I actually did go in my
11:13
uh coach Lebo twisted his ankle. I was
11:15
out of the rotation. He twisted his
11:17
ankle before the first game that we
11:18
played against Duke at Cameron and then
11:21
I was in the rotation and I had to play
11:24
and we ended up winning. Duke was like
11:26
number one team in the country and I got
11:29
to experience that and got to experience
11:31
Franco Street for the first time and
11:32
that's what I want for our guys too.
11:35
Thank you, Coach Davis.
11:37
Okay.
11:37
Bubba has a comment that he wants to
11:40
talk about. So, let Bubba jump in here.
11:42
Okay. Okay. I got you, Bubba.
11:44
Thank you, Coach Davis.
11:46
Franklin Street. No, I'm
11:51
Hey, just very quickly, um I was here
11:53
for coach SH and I apologize to coach um
11:55
before he came in here. You know,
11:57
rivalry,
11:58
pardon me.
11:59
You need to stay.
12:00
No, you did. Rivalry games are
12:02
tremendous. Court storming as he
12:03
mentioned, absolutely fabulous. And it's
12:05
really tough and I feel for our event
12:07
staff when they rush the court. I mean,
12:09
a number of people got knocked over, but
12:11
then we had to clear the court again. So
12:13
when we normally have something like
12:15
just rushing the court and the game is
12:17
over, we do have a line by the benches
12:19
to get people off safely. So again, I
12:21
apologize to coach, his family, and
12:24
obviously if somebody got injured,
12:25
that's just really, really
12:26
disappointing. But we'll do the best we
12:28
can to make sure that doesn't happen,
12:29
but again, my apologies to Duke for
12:31
that.
12:32
Were things thrown at Boozer? It looked
12:34
like there were some things being
12:34
thrown.
12:35
No, and you thanks for bringing that up.
12:36
Um, when the shot went in, I was
12:38
actually on the court. He was standing
12:40
on the court and he said, "I think time
12:42
is left." And I said, "There may be, but
12:44
would you mind standing right by the
12:45
basket?" He moved over and I actually
12:47
thanked him after the game. Total class
12:50
act did and stood there motionless and
12:52
people were saying stuff and taking
12:54
pictures and that. He was terrific. So,
12:56
ton of credit for the way their players
12:58
handled it. Didn't react, but you know,
13:00
again, bad unfortunate things happen
13:02
when so many people rush like that. It
13:03
was just unfortunate and hope it doesn't
13:05
happen again.
13:06
Are you guys going to look at any video?
13:08
Yeah, we will. We'll look at that. Make
13:09
sure we understand what happened.
13:10
Somebody did get injured and that's
13:11
that's very unfortunate. We'll have to
13:13
figure out how that happened.
13:14
Who?
13:15
Um, somebody. I'm not sure yet.
13:18
Okay. Thank you guys. Thanks. Thank
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