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UNC's Seth Trimble, Jae'Lyn Withers, Ven-Allen Lubin and RJ Davis after win over Deacs. #UNC
Mar 13, 2025
UNC's Seth Trimble, Jae'Lyn Withers, Ven-Allen Lubin and RJ Davis after win over Deacs. #UNC
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0:01
Seth you guys came out hot in that
0:02
second half what was kind of the motto
0:04
coming out of the break won the punch
0:05
first uh simple as that uh me I feel
0:08
like we ended the second half in a good
0:09
way they punched first to start the game
0:10
off so we want just to get that first
0:12
punch out the way and I'm going just
0:14
give a good boost for our team in the
0:15
second half round three tomorrow Duke
0:17
Carolina what's your
0:20
assessment another game I mean this game
0:22
means everything for us we get a chance
0:23
uh to recover from from a sweep this
0:27
this past regular season so this game I
0:29
mean it means everything for
0:31
our prep tomorrow during uh our pregame
0:34
warmup the game everything will be very
0:36
intentional uh we'll be locked on
0:38
everything cuz you know we really want
0:39
this game you speak to the physicality
0:41
of this game it seemed really phal yeah
0:43
I mean the rest was let this play I
0:45
think like I said earlier everybody kind
0:46
of felt uh the situation at hand it was
0:48
elimination game I think everybody
0:50
understood that so they allow us to be a
0:52
little bit more physical and play
0:53
through it all so I think both ways a
0:55
lot of things were missed a lot of
0:56
things weren't called is what it is but
0:58
I'm just really proud of our team able
1:00
to persevere uh through a lot of
1:01
adversity and we just overcame some
1:03
struggles and got the
1:07
win then he's been extremely incredible
1:09
I mean his two dunks at the end of the
1:11
game uh really put us over the hump kind
1:13
of kind of say good night to it TS so I
1:15
mean then just his performance in the
1:18
last little quarter of the regular
1:19
season in this ACC tournament so far has
1:20
been
1:21
incredible we have to uh our way through
1:24
this to the adversity with the cause
1:28
controversial cause at times or whether
1:30
that be you know us turning the ball
1:31
over not getting rebound like we have to
1:33
fight well there round three between you
1:36
guys and Duke again um how are you um
1:39
how do y'all feel about that uh like I
1:42
said the past game or the Past after the
1:46
past game like we kept receipts like you
1:48
know we took this in personal like made
1:50
sure to talk their junk and you know we
1:52
talked to ours today not as efficient as
1:55
a day today how do you plan to bounce
1:57
back tomorrow uh stay confident keep
2:00
letting them fly
2:01
and I don't know think about the next
2:03
game not let the last one effec yeah but
2:05
I would argue that your your last
2:07
three-point shot was one of the most
2:08
important Shots tonight you really got
2:10
Carolina going down the stretch talk
2:11
about that a little bit I definitely
2:12
think that uh you know that gave us a
2:14
slight boost that we needed to finish
2:16
out the game how physical
2:19
was it wasn't the most physical game
2:21
that we played this year but it was
2:23
definitely one to one how much did the
2:24
fact I don't want you criticize
2:26
officiating for you guys but I was like
2:27
both ways they let a lot of stuff go for
2:30
sure for sure it seemed like it sort of
2:31
fed into the game later on for sure I
2:33
definitely think that like uh you know
2:35
the either the no cause you know them
2:37
letting us play or the the tough ones
2:39
like the Tic Tac ones like you know it
2:40
was It was kind of tough to really uh I
2:43
guess get a feel for you know how
2:45
physical we could be and how physical we
2:46
couldn't be you know because like you
2:48
know just how the calls were going so
2:50
yesterday you guys kind of shoot your
2:51
way to a win you went N9 minutes today
2:54
without a field goal and we're still
2:55
ahead and ended up winning what does
2:57
that say about you guys um it says that
2:59
you know we can dig deep on the
3:01
defensive end and and hold hold down the
3:02
lead that we have took you guys down in
3:05
the regular season how much is this team
3:07
grown since that regular season match up
3:10
extreme amount I think that um again you
3:12
know through the adversity of the the
3:14
stretch of you know losses that we've
3:16
had or the the tough losses to High
3:18
Caliber teams you know I think that each
3:20
of those losses and those hardships and
3:22
adversity that we've hit you know we'
3:24
grown closer together and gotten better
3:26
as a team we got each other to a higher
3:28
standard out each small
3:30
talked a lot about the receipts with the
3:32
Wake do you have them with Duke as well
3:34
or was the Wake kind of a specific
3:37
single game for sure I definitely think
3:39
that uh you know any of the North
3:40
Carolina teams you know we kind of take
3:42
personal you know just with it being you
3:44
know who who's going to run north some
3:47
of you guys talked Saturday after that
3:48
game that you have grown since the first
3:51
PUK game how do you think you guys are
3:53
now five days later going into a game
3:55
six days later going into a game with
3:56
them
3:57
again I think they wear in a pretty good
3:59
mindset you know I think based off of
4:03
the score score difference from the
4:05
first to the second game you know is
4:07
it's progress I think that you know the
4:09
third time that we see him it should be
4:11
a lot lot a lot closer are are you aware
4:14
that Cooper's out so uh yeah we we got
4:17
wor from we got worri about it was the
4:19
challenge you mentioned obviously but I
4:22
guess as their as the you know Miss
4:23
shots for both teams starting to pile up
4:25
what was the challenge of kind of you
4:26
know staying in it and you know obious
4:28
you guys were getting some
4:30
what was the challenge of navigating
4:31
that stretch um I would say the
4:34
challenge was you know not really
4:36
worrying about uh the fish in or you
4:40
know them knocking down shots you know
4:42
just really honing in the you know us
4:44
like the five players on the court and
4:46
the the 10 on the bench you know you
4:48
know and the cach style I think like as
4:50
honing into that you know kind of helped
4:52
us you know real ourselves back against
4:53
stos you mentioned obviously you know
4:55
wed to win after the the last what about
4:57
the last game against w specifically did
5:00
you not like that Mak what was the
5:02
aspect of the last time you
5:04
played a lot of heck I say that um not
5:08
only from their their team but from
5:09
their their uh student session you know
5:11
their fans etc etc was a lot of heck
5:14
throughout the entire game how would you
5:16
at this point in the year how would you
5:18
describe the difference in intensity
5:19
knowing that any
5:22
games um the intensity level is
5:25
extremely high that's what I can say um
5:27
I would say going into e we understand
5:30
like it's when to go home regardless of
5:33
where we're at within the season it's we
5:35
playing it as if you know it's going to
5:37
be our last one did you talk about it
5:40
this being like an elimination game for
5:42
sure uh throughout each of the timeouts
5:45
you know we brought that up like you
5:46
know like before the game even started
5:47
we were saying like you know at the end
5:49
of the day regardless of how this game
5:51
goes or what they do or how the r call
5:54
or how you know we end up playing
5:56
offensively this is the last game like
5:58
so let's play it as if is if it could
6:00
possibly be the last game What's that
6:01
the coaches or the players what's up
6:03
what's that the coaches say that players
6:06
yeah jayl what's as choppy as it is and
6:08
you got like 11 straight minutes with
6:09
only free throws I mean how do you go
6:11
about dictating a game like that and
6:13
making it physical without fouling and
6:15
touch F that um I would say we uh really
6:18
honed into the defensive end I mean the
6:21
the biggest thing for us was the biggest
6:23
thing for us right now is defending
6:24
without fouling I think that whenever we
6:27
we hold teams uh to tough midies and
6:31
tough floaters you know I think that
6:32
that that kind of goes in our favor just
6:34
with us being able to you know rebound
6:35
and run so I think if we get stops you
6:37
know we don't fou we can test they hit a
6:39
tough one I mean we can live with it but
6:41
they got to run back in transition think
6:44
you guys show today coming out on top of
6:46
such a physical game with so much on the
6:47
line uh just toughness and just playing
6:49
smart you know we know that you know a
6:51
lot of calls weren't going our way was
6:53
kind of a littlefair you know uh it kind
6:56
of we just kind of just know it's going
6:57
to be like that so we just show some
6:58
toughness and know that play through it
7:00
you know stay together and just play
7:01
smart you know don't let anything on the
7:03
outside no affect us and really stay
7:05
present so many guys you guys scored
7:07
today how good was it to get that true
7:08
team win it was great you know everybody
7:10
contributed and just you know an
7:12
offensive end you know it's the way that
7:13
we move the ball we share the ball and
7:15
we got good looks you know we capitalize
7:16
on that so uh it was really great for a
7:18
team went today how are they getting you
7:20
the ball there the last few minutes when
7:21
you scored those big buckets I know the
7:23
all you but how were you getting the
7:24
ball I just really trying to serve
7:26
myself you know really just you know
7:28
trying to find open areas what a guard
7:29
can see me and just to pass the ball
7:31
order for me to find open opportunities
7:33
to score at The Rim and uh you know just
7:35
the way the guards you know the way they
7:37
can you know create you know plays like
7:38
that for me and the other guys on the
7:40
floor how much do your comfort within
7:42
yourself and within the team just
7:44
increase you know as a like maybe the
7:45
beginning of oh very we we know our role
7:48
you know we know how we you know we play
7:49
we trusting each other you know making
7:50
the right plays and just know who we are
7:53
you know so just our a comfortability
7:55
for you know each other and just know
7:56
that the confidence that we have with
7:58
each other is just
8:00
it just really improveed you over time
8:02
just know that we can play think there
8:04
was 10 the second half where you guys
8:06
make I mean does that kind of show the
8:09
growth of this team that feels like
8:10
would have lost at the year when you had
8:12
that kind of I guess was able to get
8:14
those two put on so that was good there
8:16
still some uncertainty with this team
8:17
maybe from the outside about if it's a
8:18
tournament team or not I know you have
8:20
more to play for do you think this is a
8:22
tournament team I mean 100% I think we
8:23
shown that these past couple of weeks um
8:26
obviously you know PS are opinions and
8:29
and whatnot but one thing I feel like
8:31
with this team we show our resiliency we
8:33
show our perseverance and the way we
8:34
battle through um adversity and overcome
8:37
it I think I mean that's what marks is
8:38
about and um that's what tournament
8:40
teams are so I think we're more than
8:42
capable of being not too long ago you
8:44
guys would have gone 9 minutes without a
8:46
field probably wouldn't won yeah but you
8:48
did it today why I mean it's March at
8:49
the same time um our maturity um a level
8:52
of experience has improved and um just
8:55
the little details have um enabled us to
8:58
go on these runs and obviously like
9:00
early on the year we wouldn't have made
9:01
that um type of run we did in the second
9:03
half like we did today so uh we did our
9:06
mentality every time it was media
9:07
timeout was you know stop score stop get
9:09
stops and um we get on the off execute
9:13
well so I think we did that today slow
9:15
start R you guys haven't started slowly
9:16
in a while maybe Clemson was the last
9:19
one but you overcame M yeah it was an
9:20
ugly game I just think uh just the level
9:22
of physicality um you know refl guys
9:26
play so a lot of just up and down and a
9:28
low scoring first have but uh we
9:31
finished out strong do you think if hum
9:32
was ever going to that uh probably like
9:36
one time yeah um I think we got a tech
9:39
too so that was coose oh I mean it just
9:42
shows like the the level of intensity
9:44
and just like wanting to win um from
9:47
everybody think sometimes when things
9:49
don't go your way a lot of just you know
9:51
just miss calls or just miss
9:53
opportunities for us to capitalize off
9:54
of no tensions clear but RJ do you think
9:57
that that leg technical against coach
9:59
Fred not Hubert as he told me do you
10:01
think that that really sort of catalyzed
10:03
that late run for you guys sort of fired
10:04
you up a little B yeah I mean think
10:05
sometimes Texs are good like um and I
10:09
think we were able to I think that Tech
10:11
was good for us because obviously we
10:13
were frustrated throughout the whole
10:13
game and then we kind of just use that
10:15
as a way to uh for motivation like all
10:18
right things not going our way um we
10:19
feel like you know people are against us
10:21
and whatnot um let's use this as a way
10:23
to get on the run and um just stack each
10:26
possession possession and get stops and
10:28
then being able to off to get score so
10:30
shout out to coach get the T how's your
10:32
ankle how's your ankle feeling it's good
10:34
I'll be good tomorrow was there a lot of
10:35
talk was there a lot of talk about this
10:37
being an elimination game down the
10:38
stretch during timeouts and just talking
10:40
to them in the you players an
10:42
elimination game talking about it being
10:44
like an elimination game um I mean n for
10:46
us it was just like just go out there
10:49
and hoop and um not really having the
10:51
back of mind like this is the
10:52
elimination game more about just staying
10:54
composed through it all and um going out
10:56
there play our basketball like this was
10:57
the a game that we wanted back we lost
10:59
them early on the year so that was
11:01
really our main uh mindset is more about
11:04
just like Redemption game you you got
11:05
one more game with Duke here RJ your
11:07
last season one more shot at them
11:09
potentially tournament spot on the line
11:10
a race all doubt I mean what are your
11:12
thoughts going into a game like that I
11:13
mean excited I mean what's not to like
11:16
have another opportunity against a
11:17
really good Duke team um it's just
11:19
another shot to just you know prove
11:21
everyone wrong obviously lost them twice
11:23
but I think we have shown um just our
11:26
Improvement throughout the year so third
11:28
time to ch the way that wake force was
11:30
guarding you obviously was a lot of you
11:31
know trying to ice scream a lot of face
11:33
guard and things like that you still
11:34
were able to get your looks off but what
11:35
was the experience for you kind of
11:37
navigating the defense yeah I mean it's
11:40
hard it's like it's difficult but I
11:42
think one thing about me that I've um
11:44
gotten better at throughout my career
11:45
and just throughout this whole years
11:47
being patient like don't try to force
11:48
anything that's not there don't try to
11:50
take any wild shots that's not there
11:51
just let the game come to me CU
11:52
obviously they were playing me a lot
11:54
different they up on the ball screens
11:56
double teaming half the time blitzing so
11:58
um was really about being patient
11:59
um and just understanding the flow of
12:01
the game and I think that just speaks to
12:03
my maturity level and just playing a lot
12:05
of basketball games and experience so um
12:08
that's why I was allowed to kind of just
12:09
get the open looks um and still get my
12:11
mind at the end of the day you playing
12:12
with more of a sense of urgency right
12:14
now and if if you are do you feel like
12:15
it's kind of carrying over to your
12:16
teammates yeah 100% I mean I think just
12:19
for me um experienc the things I've
12:21
experienced and you know playing in the
12:23
college bask for a long time like um I
12:25
know March is about I know what what it
12:28
takes to get there in the tour and um
12:30
this is the time where our foot needs to
12:31
be on the gas and not take any any
12:34
breaks and um use all momentum against
12:37
uh for us so um and I think that just
12:39
carries on over to the team we're having
12:40
fun with it um we're competing so that's
12:42
all you can ask for it was a tough start
12:44
shooting wise for V from the floor
12:46
normally a guy who shoots it pretty well
12:47
but he makes some huge plays at the end
12:49
blocking Hunters layup a couple of dunks
12:51
what can you say about his performance
12:53
against pretty good defense I me I'm
12:54
just I'm just Ben you know he was the
12:57
reason why we won today I mean just like
12:59
you said his block against Alas and then
13:01
um Ellie threw a tremendous pass to him
13:03
to go out there and get a top and a put
13:05
back done from J Miss so I mean that
13:08
just that just you know spread out and
13:10
expanded the lead for us a little bit um
13:12
and H reason why for that how tomorrow
13:15
nights G be different without
13:17
flag um I mean I don't think I mean
13:20
obviously Cooper is a big key for them
13:21
he's a big factor for them but at the
13:22
same time like they're still a good du
13:24
team and um whether he plays or whether
13:26
he's not we still have to have our
13:28
preparation ready um and just understand
13:30
that they're still a good team with or
13:32
without them so we just got to come
13:33
ready to play at the end of the day what
13:34
was the Battle like what positives did
13:36
you guys
13:37
learn tomorrow because you were more
13:39
competitive with them the first day um
13:41
when we pressure them the pressure
13:42
bothers them and um just our ability to
13:46
make shots and our spacing was a lot
13:47
better that's what allowed us to um make
13:51
a run uh extend the lead and you know
13:53
staying within the game so those are the
13:55
positive that came out from that game
13:56
what was the Battle like with Hunter out
13:57
there for w I mean it was I mean just
13:59
for I mean that's just the game of
14:01
basketball when you have the ability to
14:02
go against another great caliber of a
14:05
per of a player um and just that's a lot
14:07
of back and forth scoring and the fact
14:09
that you know me and him guard each
14:10
other I think that you know speaks to
14:12
just our competitive spirit in Edge so
14:14
um I mean I loved it how painful was how
14:17
painful was that with the ankle and how
14:19
are you feeling now I mean it was it was
14:21
a little bit painful cuz it's the same
14:22
like an angle that I've been battling
14:24
with all year so um but I I'll be good
14:27
I'm a tough kid RJ what goes through
14:29
when you look behind you and see Duke
14:30
and Carolina matched up dur in the yeah
14:33
it kind of feels like another final four
14:35
uh game um but just in the ACC
14:37
tournament so I'm just super excited to
14:39
you know play them again and uh get
14:40
another crack at them what's this
14:41
building going to be like just you know
14:43
having 19,000 Duke Carolina fans PED in
14:45
here it's going to feel like another uh
14:47
game whether we're at the Cameron
14:48
Stadium or whether at Dean Smith so you
14:50
know we're right there in Charlotte so
14:51
you're going to have both Duke and un
14:53
fans uh you know split up so it's going
14:56
to be packed and looking for a lot of
14:57
energy you receipt again