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#UNC coach Hubert Davis after the Tar Heels' senior night loss to Duke
Mar 9, 2025
#UNC coach Hubert Davis after the Tar Heels' senior night loss to Duke
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0:00
you took RJ out early in the second half
0:03
said he had crabs game kind of flipped
0:05
at that point he got four five six I
0:07
think it just didn't seem like you guys
0:09
gained anything offensively after that
0:11
point what did you think yeah I thought
0:13
um I think we were up
0:15
six um wanted to give RJ a break I just
0:20
you know
0:23
he was given a lot of effort out there
0:26
and I wanted to give him a break and he
0:27
needed one um and during that stretch um
0:33
I I felt like
0:34
offensively
0:37
um just couldn't get to the basket I
0:40
felt like we took some quick jump shots
0:42
and um long shots led to Long rebounds
0:47
and they were able to get out in
0:48
transition but I thought I agree with
0:50
you I thought that was a key stretch we
0:53
were up by six about a time RJ and um
0:58
got back into the game um um I think we
1:00
were tied or down by two and so um that
1:04
was a very important stretch in the
1:05
second half H can you can you speak to
1:07
just the margin of error in this game I
1:09
mean I felt like defensive intensity
1:11
from your team was really impressive yet
1:13
any of the Little laps all of a sudden D
1:15
was back in the
1:17
Le well no I I thought um our energy our
1:22
effort was was on point um I felt like
1:26
defensively our pressure especially on
1:28
the ball
1:30
um either sped them up or created
1:32
turnovers and we forced them into 14
1:34
turnovers um just wasn't able to sustain
1:37
that uh Midway through the second half
1:40
towards the end of the game
1:44
um kept going back you know I think in
1:47
the first half Duke was up was it 13 or
1:50
15 and then we caught back up and then
1:52
we took the lead and then they caught
1:54
back up and it was just a really um high
1:57
energy um um competitive game out there
2:02
I guess what was the you know to go off
2:04
that the challenge of you know
2:05
containing D from a I guess from you
2:07
guys for from a defensive standpoint you
2:09
know as you know you know shots may not
2:11
going on your end and do kind of get
2:13
some that they do what's the challenge
2:14
of it against containing them and kind
2:16
of quing their their running well I felt
2:18
like um you know I I I I thought Malik
2:21
Brown was a huge key um I thought um him
2:27
defensively he's their best defensive
2:30
big I know they have others that can
2:33
block and alter shots but his ability
2:36
to guard on a perimeter guarding a post
2:40
defend without fouling get Steals and
2:42
deflections is at an elite level so I
2:45
think them getting him back in the
2:48
lineup really helped and then I think
2:51
prior to today he had only hit two
2:53
threes and he hit two threes today and
2:57
so that hurt too and so I I felt like
3:01
how many minutes he played you know
3:03
almost 16 minutes I thought those were
3:05
really impactful um for them what would
3:08
you say in your opinion are the keys to
3:11
not allowing this loss to stop positive
3:15
momentum that you all have built over
3:17
the second half of the conference season
3:19
here to to not let it you know sort of
3:21
steer you the wrong way going into
3:23
Charlotte yeah you know after uh in the
3:25
locker room and and this is the same
3:27
message that I've given before you know
3:29
you really
3:30
only
3:31
have you're only in control of really
3:34
two things how do you react and how you
3:36
respond I've been proud of how this
3:39
group this team has reacted and
3:41
responded all year specifically over the
3:44
last month them staying connected and
3:47
staying the course
3:49
and I don't think that's going to change
3:52
at all um you know we'll regroup and be
3:57
ready to go in our preparation our
3:59
practice and our play will be on point
4:01
on Wednesday when we play any missed
4:04
opportunities at all trying to go at
4:06
flag in the second half and get a fourth
4:07
foul on him or hit easy basket if was
4:10
point to back on no we weren't
4:12
specifically trying to get a fourth foul
4:14
on him we
4:15
were for us to be successful we have to
4:19
attack the paint and try to dominate
4:21
points in the paint through post
4:22
penetration offense of rebounding um we
4:26
didn't do as good a job offensive
4:27
rebounding today when we got into the
4:29
lane um that's where we generate uh
4:33
drawing Defenders then being able to
4:35
pass it out and shoot wide open threes
4:37
we weren't able to do that that's
4:39
something over the last month that I
4:40
think we've been really good at and it's
4:42
contributed to us shooting the ball
4:43
really well from
4:45
three they're long they're athletic and
4:48
I think that really bothered us and
4:49
they're long and athletic and not just
4:52
one or two positions at all five and I
4:55
felt like their length and their
4:56
physicality at times wore us down in the
4:59
second half and as a result we really
5:01
struggled offensively how much was
5:02
heightening the physical piece of it
5:04
part of the game plan today versus the
5:07
first meeting well it was definitely an
5:09
emphasis um of pressuring the ball and
5:13
um I thought we did a really good job of
5:15
that um whomever had the ball I felt
5:17
like we were in their space and um
5:22
making it tough on them to connect the
5:24
dots in regards to how they're trying to
5:26
execute on the offensive end and as I
5:28
said before I think that helped us
5:31
resulting in turning them over 14 uh
5:34
times today and so I thought that was
5:36
good that was something that we talked
5:37
about and it was an emphasis going into
5:39
this game to pass more to pass point you
5:43
guys did draw three fouls on Cooper and
5:45
once he had that third one you guys took
5:46
off I think it was a 10 two run to end
5:48
at the first half going into halftime
5:50
were you more satisfied with the way you
5:51
guys defended him and tried to sort of
5:53
limit his effectivess yeah I do I I
5:55
thought I mean he's
6:01
you know there's a good chance he's
6:03
going to be player of the year I mean
6:04
he's he's an elite player and I I
6:08
thought
6:10
defensively we guarded him well in in
6:13
regards to making his catches and and
6:17
making his points tough and I thought we
6:19
did a really good job of that well we
6:21
kept him off the free throw line
6:27
um and so yeah I thought we did I
6:30
thought we did a good job against him
6:32
but you know it's it's more than just
6:34
Cooper that's why they're a good
6:35
basketball team because they've got a
6:37
number of parts that step up and
6:39
consistently make good
6:41
plays anybody
6:43
else going into the what's your guys'
6:47
motivation you know go going into the
6:49
ACC tournament because as your your
6:51
player said um in post game interviews
6:54
you guys are perfectly capable of making
6:56
a Deep Run and getting deeper into March
6:59
well the motivation is always there I
7:02
mean if you don't have motivation for
7:04
having an opportunity to compete and
7:06
play then um I just don't think
7:10
you should be playing um the opportunity
7:13
to uh play in the ACC tournament is
7:19
um is a great opportunity and uh we're
7:22
excited about the challenge of going up
7:24
to Charlotte and um competing and doing
7:27
the best that we can last one Adam hbert
7:30
will you approach the ACC tournament
7:33
like you have to win the whole thing to
7:34
get in the NCA tournament will that be
7:36
the mindset no I you know I you guys
7:39
know me I don't look at like I've never
7:41
looked at it that way I I
7:44
think I think it's most important to
7:47
focus on what is real and what is real
7:49
is the game in front of you and we play
7:52
on Wednesday and our job and our
7:54
responsibility is whomever we play to be
7:57
prepared to play our best game on
7:59
Wednesday and if we play well enough and
8:02
we get to play on Thursday then our
8:04
preparation will be focused on on that I
8:08
think you control what you can control
8:10
and what we can control is is our play
8:12
and our preparation uh for next week on
8:15
Wednesday in ACC tournament thanks coach
8:17
thanks everybody
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