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UNC's Ian Jackson, Drake Powell and RJ Davis after the Tar Heels' win over SMU
Jan 8, 2025
UNC's Ian Jackson, Drake Powell and RJ Davis after the Tar Heels' win over SMU
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0:00
wasn't going for most of the first half
0:02
but you were still bringing a lot of
0:04
energy active getting a lot of rebounds
0:07
talk to talk about how your game
0:08
progressed um what not offensively you
0:11
mean yeah um just understanding that's
0:13
more the basketball than scoring um I do
0:14
more in floor to score the basketball um
0:16
the shots wouldn't fall in the first
0:18
half but it happens you know shots going
0:20
in shots don't and do something else on
0:22
FL impact winning what you guys have an
0:24
effort like this a lot of times there's
0:26
something in practice that leads to it I
0:28
mean was there anything that led to this
0:29
kind complete performance you guys had
0:32
um I just think we getting better you
0:34
know it was nothing to individually and
0:36
practice that kind of brought the side
0:37
of us kind of as a team mentality that
0:39
kind of brought us to this point um yeah
0:41
I just think it's l improving do you
0:43
think you kind of discovered the formula
0:46
that you've been searching for in a way
0:47
that you know allows you guys to win at
0:50
a high level um I feel like we we're
0:52
getting there you know um it's always
0:55
room to get better in every aspect uh so
0:57
we starting to get there but it's
0:59
definitely room for us as a team still
1:00
get better but we head in the right
1:02
direction Ian SMU came in as the top
1:05
offense in the league you guys under 24
1:07
points in the first half and 67 on the
1:09
game yeah 67 on the game do you feel
1:12
like front to back just sort of you know
1:14
pigy backing on P question you like
1:16
front to back this is your most complete
1:18
game at least in a long r as a team yeah
1:20
yeah absolutely absolutely I think on
1:22
defensive end we did a a great job um
1:24
towards the end we feel like we l f the
1:26
gas a little bit and they scored they
1:27
made some shots but I feel like as a
1:29
team we we did a great job on defense we
1:31
communicated we knew understood our
1:33
assignments and we got stopped andu came
1:37
out in the zone and played it a lot on
1:38
and off just throughout the game you
1:40
guys did a better job finding the soft
1:42
the middle finding Le or the corners I
1:44
guess what kind of improvements did you
1:46
guys you know did you see on that front
1:48
in terms of just attacking defense I'm
1:50
just watching film you know uh film
1:52
doesn't lie uh so we SE reatch them and
1:54
we understood that the middle of the
1:56
Zone was a weak spot and every time we
1:57
got it there we should attack it and
1:58
that's what we did I I know it's early
2:01
and you probably have to looked ahead
2:02
but uh your first chance at a rivalry
2:03
game coming up on Saturday you looking
2:05
forward to that n NC St your first
2:08
rivalry game here here UNC I rivalry
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um N is a great team you know um every
2:15
team in is a great team it's a hard
2:16
conference but we just want to go out
2:18
there and play our game you know we not
2:19
we not looking into it a r we just want
2:21
to go out there and win another game in
2:22
conference play but they're great
2:24
team so you're saying is
2:27
a um whatever you guys want to
2:31
you walked right into it you just I love
2:33
I love it you got you got the the
2:34
preface on how we handle that stuff
2:36
that's funny um defensively like they
2:40
had a lot of size and that's been an
2:41
issue for you guys tonight I mean what
2:43
was different in this matchup where that
2:45
kind of didn't work in their favor
2:46
worked in yours um we put a lot of heart
2:49
tonight man uh Size Doesn't Really
2:51
Matter us we go out there and compete
2:53
each and every night um in tonight
2:56
showed
2:58
it you RJ's given a lot of credit to
3:01
coach Paige for helping him develop um
3:03
as a player the last two years and Mark
3:04
has been on staff how has he helped you
3:07
U just develop as as a player um just
3:11
from his time being here and
3:13
understanding what it looks like and
3:14
understanding what it what it takes to
3:15
be a top level player here at the
3:17
University and the collegate level in
3:18
general um just giving him insights
3:21
watching film talking to him just
3:23
picking his brain so you definitely have
3:24
a lot yeah and it felt like nobody was
3:26
really trying to do too much everybody
3:28
was picking their moments well can you
3:30
speak a little to that um we're a team
3:32
you know um so when one guy got got it
3:35
go and we find him um we just look for
3:38
the best shot that shot that we all want
3:40
and that's what I gu we did that a great
3:42
job with that tonight how you like the
3:43
dynamic with uh with Seth back and you
3:46
playing four guards for a good number of
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minutes M how how did you like that
3:52
Dynamic how do you how like it it was
3:54
great man it was great uh it's always
3:56
great being being able to be take the
3:57
floor with with great players um and not
3:59
up is something that we've been testing
4:01
out over a few games we seen it a little
4:02
bit in UCLA um we didn't get chance to
4:04
see it recently cuz I was injured but
4:05
it's been great um it's been working we
4:08
got to keep getting better at it and
4:09
keep
4:10
going in a row now I think that was a a
4:13
big win over Notre Dame and uh I think
4:15
we just started out from the jump
4:17
against SMU I think that's what um just
4:19
propelled us
4:20
to do you feel like you guys kind of
4:23
discovered what you've been searching
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for as far as like a formula to kind of
4:27
play like you guys need to play to win
4:29
um not yet I thought I thought you guys
4:32
um were able to see like a little
4:33
sprinkle of it tonight but um yeah we
4:36
just want to continue to grow as a team
4:38
how about you with your shots it looked
4:40
to me like it was kind of like you're
4:42
like getting comfortable with the shots
4:43
you're getting in a game and you look
4:45
really confident at least from my
4:46
standpoint yeah um just my coaches keep
4:49
telling me to be aggressive um and just
4:52
um just to let the game come to me had
4:54
know it felt good to see those few first
4:56
few threes going to what were you
4:57
thinking early did it um it felt great
4:59
and just uh just to keep shooting um my
5:01
teammates were able to give me the ball
5:03
as well how much were those early threes
5:05
just a factor you guys attacking the two
5:08
three Z you had some pretty good off the
5:11
outside I thought it was great I thought
5:13
it um established our identity early in
5:15
what we were going to um you know how we
5:18
were going to you know be the rest of
5:19
the game and um yeah I thought it was
5:22
great some of you guys have talked about
5:24
the inconsistency with energy this year
5:26
the energy was there from the start
5:28
until late there was a little
5:30
dropped off but the energy was there the
5:32
first 30 minutes of the game when you
5:33
guys basically put them away yeah yeah
5:36
um I think like that little lapse that
5:39
we had I think that was just attention
5:40
to detail just um we just thought the
5:43
game was over but we wanted um just to
5:46
continue to you know be down on team but
5:48
you guys had the energy up to that point
5:50
to where that laps didn't hurt you they
5:52
cost you a game where it's cost you
5:53
games of times yes sir it has was that
5:56
something that was a point of emphasis
5:57
from Hubert or cuz you guys had energy
6:00
Saturday in South B too we did we did a
6:02
lot more than I would say consistently
6:04
at Louisville and some of the other
6:05
games yeah what is what has kind of
6:06
flipped that switch for him I think um
6:08
just our communication in the locker
6:10
room and on the floor and um uh I'd say
6:13
attention to detail as well and
6:15
defensively I'm sure there were a lot of
6:16
things on the bulletin board with them
6:18
because they do so many things well what
6:20
were some of the key things that you
6:21
guys wanted to do defensively and that
6:23
you did do uh we definitely wanted to
6:25
shut down their green light Shooters um
6:27
number 33 and uh
6:30
but um you know um their point guard
6:33
number two he was pretty good and um we
6:36
just wanted to to limit we just wanted
6:38
to limit them like the way we played
6:40
together uh we shared the basketball we
6:42
was going from good to great shots um it
6:44
was getting good stops uh defensively
6:46
and that was allowing us to get a
6:47
transition bucket so uh I do believe we
6:49
took a step forward kind just build from
6:51
L Dame game and then tonight's game
6:52
because s was a good team um but I think
6:55
we just came play ready to play today
6:57
what what happened there at the end he
6:59
just took from uh I had yeah I mean I
7:02
kind of stood my ground a little bit and
7:04
reached in and then his head um kind of
7:06
just like face plant into my nose so
7:09
that was disgus but I'm no I'm known for
7:10
like nose bleed so I got a lot of no
7:12
beds and then the the baked in three
7:15
tell me about
7:16
that um while I was com put he kind of
7:19
like put me in the bad spot uh had like
7:21
the seven foot on me was like two
7:23
seconds left so I just had to like just
7:25
heave a a prayer and hopefully went in
7:28
so it did and on the way bag tell me
7:30
that was
7:31
BS AR I was expecting you to look a
7:34
little more bloody out here based on
7:35
what we saw in the court what happened
7:37
um I just got hit in the face his head
7:39
uh kind of face planted into my nose um
7:42
I have a sensitive nose I bleed a lot
7:43
but uh thankfully it's not broken
7:46
anything so I'm good was this just like
7:48
you're was pretty quiet 26 or whatever
7:50
ended up being for you is that just kind
7:52
of like you know you were experien as a
7:54
score kind of showing how like Wily in a
7:56
way you can put up those kind of numbers
7:58
yeah I think I just did a good job as
7:59
kind of is taking what the defense gave
8:00
me tonight um was hitting my open shots
8:03
uh was more efficient tonight um and you
8:06
know I did a lot of good things other
8:07
than scoring I was able to kind of uh
8:10
penetrate and kick into the the when
8:12
they were playing Zone find open
8:13
Shooters and stuff like that so um was
8:15
really just more about just kind of just
8:16
playing my game not trying to uh overdo
8:19
anything so I think I did it tonight is
8:20
that the worst you've ever bled after a
8:23
foul yeah usually like usually it's when
8:25
you get fou that's what I'm saying
8:27
usually like I like my nose bead like if
8:29
it's hot in the room if it's hot on the
8:31
court um but I think today was like the
8:34
most blood I ever had because like it
8:36
was all over my hands and I look down
8:38
blood on the core so um by far yeah did
8:42
start n because I I I had no bed since I
8:46
was like seven so like this is nothing
8:47
new you've been here 5 years have you
8:49
seen the clip of hansboro when he got
8:51
elbowed and he was saw I was talking to
8:53
crazy he told me I should have um took
8:55
off the towel and like threw it and
8:56
started like in a crowd into it say like
8:58
this is my there's a photo there's
9:00
a photo of him in a little room I
9:02
actually saw him after the game the room
9:04
with the towel the towel is 3/4 blood
9:06
he's just holding it just Dy n I'm not
9:10
doing
9:11
that it make you feel better do you
9:14
think you guys kind of found your
9:15
formula that you've been searching for
9:18
the way you guys need to play to win
9:19
tonight yeah I think we did a good job
9:20
of kind of just sharing the wealth today
9:22
um moving the ball from good to great
9:24
shots and I think I'm really proud of
9:25
our defense uh we was communicating um
9:28
talking switches we had a low man today
9:31
we had gaps um so overall our
9:33
communication on the defensive end was
9:34
great and that allowed us to go up big
9:36
um in the first and second half so um
9:38
what stood out for me today was our
9:40
defense and that's we're going to need
9:41
more of that moving forward and their
9:42
their size like every we talking about
9:44
you guys size all year they had it it
9:47
wasn't a problem was that does that give
9:48
you confidence you can do that going
9:49
forward I mean yeah 100% I mean we know
9:51
we're a small team but one thing coach
9:53
Davis always talks about is heart over
9:54
height like we know we don't have seven
9:55
Footers um but we do have a heart and we
9:58
have a gitty team so um we found our way
10:01
we sometimes we fired in the post we
10:03
double team the post sometimes we left
10:05
our big men on the island because that's
10:06
what they're capable of and we know we
10:08
have confidence in them for them to kind
10:09
of get stops and I think was Vin with J
10:12
wit um JB when he came in they all did a
10:15
good job of kind of just um being
10:17
physical on the catch with the big man
10:18
cuz they're that's a tough assignment
10:20
they're seven feet so um they did a good
10:22
job of kind of meeting them at the rim
10:23
and boxing now and he was able to go uh
10:25
go convert on the offensive end quicker
10:28
do does communicating make you guys
10:31
defensively looks like you're a healthy
10:33
step quicker when you guys are doing you
10:35
have that yeah it feels like everybody's
10:36
like on the same string right so um one
10:38
guy talks it kind of just like a domino
10:40
effect and I think we did that today um
10:42
it kind of just carried on from uh
10:44
practice after nor day I think we all
10:46
just kind of just use that as a way to
10:48
kind of just stay positive and get this
10:49
thing going and we see like when we're
10:52
communicating we're talking like we're
10:53
able to get stops and when we're not
10:55
that's when teams score and they just
10:56
goore off our mistake so um yeah for
10:59
sure is that why there was so much more
11:01
energy it looked like the energy was at
11:02
a much higher level early than we've
11:04
seen in past games yeah 100% I think it
11:06
started another game like even the
11:07
locker room mus I just banging the
11:09
lockers like playing music um that was
11:11
definitely like um the most loud we ever
11:13
been all year um nor d game and today
11:16
it's just a lot of just communication
11:18
going from you know the from inside of
11:20
the locker room from halftime out into
11:22
the court and it carries on the long way
11:23
what did you guys what did you guys tell
11:24
Vin about the NC State rivalry he he's
11:26
fired up already by what have you told
11:28
him about that
11:29
Hoots does a good job of every time we
11:31
have a a recruit or just somebody just
11:33
come in um as a transfer as a freshman
11:36
he always just talks about um the
11:38
Rivalry game just for us to be prepared
11:40
um because obviously NC State is a good
11:42
team and um it's always been a back and
11:44
forth this history before us so um I'm
11:47
glad Vin fired up and it's going to be a
11:49
great atmosphere going on Saturday so
11:50
yeah and you're you're used to that
11:52
rivalry too I mean what what do you
11:54
remember about that rivalry yeah I mean
11:56
it just I mean I just remember playing
11:58
against DJ Burns for three four years so
12:01
every time he gets the ball The Crowd
12:02
Goes Wild um just fun matchups at the
12:04
end of the day you know they're up the
12:06
street and Raleigh and we're in Chapa
12:07
Hill so it's kind of just um know just a
12:10
lot of bickering going back and forth
12:11
but at the end of day is basketball so
12:12
I'm looking forward to it and I'm
12:13
looking forward to playing Tre so yeah
12:15
Drake had 17 tonight seems like he's
12:17
looking for a shot a lot more in the
12:18
recent games do you see the confidence
12:21
sort of building in him and what you
12:22
think is been the spark of that
12:24
confidence um we just been telling Drake
12:25
to be more aggressive like um we know he
12:27
can do all the little T things that he
12:29
does well for his team but um just being
12:32
aggressive when he has the ball um
12:34
whether that's you know driving to the
12:35
Rain knock it down threes which he did
12:37
tonight so uh when he gets the ball
12:39
don't be kind of just attentive just be
12:41
you and be be Drake pal so I'm glad he
12:44
did that tonight you can be a defensive
12:45
stopper too 100% yeah just with his
12:47
length athleticism he's able to recover
12:49
fast