#UNC coach Hubert Davis and guards RJ Davis and Seth Trimble ahead of Tuesday's First Four game

and our friends in the media uh we just ask that you please silence your cell phones also if you're asking a question

to a coach student athletes to provide your name and affiliation for each

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really excited to Welcome to the stage in North Carolina Tower heels 22 and 13

13- 7 in the ACC is RJ Davis with second Team all conference this year and Seth

Trimble also joining us RJ uh before we

open up questions to the media uh just your excitement and last night and and

seeing your name on the board um um I was very excited uh seeing our name

pop up on the screen and being in the playing tournament just get an opportunity to play uh it's March

Madness I mean this is what you play for you set a goal at the beginning of the year to um be in this tournament and

succeed so just to see our our name pop up on the screen I was just overly excited I have my had smile across my

face and I was ready to hoop Seth the same question uh super super grateful

super blessed I didn't have the most uh expressing reaction but I was just kind

of really locked in on the show uh and just saw our name really quickly and then I saw that we'd have a chance to be

able to play Milwaukee uh where I'm from so it was a bunch of emotions for me but

like RJ said just to get a chance to play in this tournament uh and succeed here what you want to do is I mean it's

just a real experience and I mean something that only a few people can you know accomplish so we're grateful for

those that are here um if you have a question raise your hand we'll get you a microphone let's start in the first row

on the end Illustrated you mentioned your reaction on that that video that that

went viral what was going through your mind mind and what's what have you heard about your reaction what somebody said to you that kind of uh I was shocked I

mean I expected ourselves to make the tournament but the show had literally like just started so I was kind of just

like zoned out a little bit or locked in whatever you want to say uh and then I

just it it was a crazy full circle moment for me because my dad and I two days ago were just talking about you

know how we could like get the opportunity to play Milwaukee and you know I always

talk I always joke about what coach Davis bringing the team to Milwaukee playing the game against Marquette whatever it is but now we actually get

the opportunity so a bunch of things are going on my mind but that was definitely the biggest one then I've seen a lot of people say uh I don't know if you're

familiar with this clip farming or or or Ora farming that's that's that's what we

say in this generation so uh I've seen a lot of jokes from it but I was really

just locked in on the show I mean super excited in the moment

yeah saw

I mean yeah I mean just think cuz Louisville had a really good year and um

I feel like a eight seed was kind of disrespectful to them so um but then I

didn't really know where we were going to end up at so uh it was kind of just like a uh a guessing game like what SE

were going to be so yeah I just took before you answer that set ju just a question for some of the folks that

weren't able to hear it it was the thought of Louisville opening up as an eight seed and where that was in their

minds and playing in the same conference go ahead Seth sorry uh I just took it as

a sign of disrespect to our conference honestly I know we've had somewhat of a Down year this year in the ACC but I

feel like every single year uh once it comes to March the ACC does a does a

great job uh but I think I think it was just a little bit disrespectful you know Louisville had a

great year uh you know they had a really good tournament run in AC tournament so that's all I really saw it as you know I

wasn't I wasn't worried about for us on the other side of the aisle in the first

row it's been a whole lot of anticipation I feel like you know the

we we we had practice yesterday and you know we practiced around 4:00 I think and while we were practicing you know we

had uh no idea coach Davis GA us around and told us as of right now he doesn't know but you know we're going to

practice and we're going to we're going to we're going to focus like like we're playing you know in the next couple days

he said most likely be playing Tuesday or Wednesday and you know we all knew that was a deal but a whole lot of

anticipation uh you know we watched the show as a team as y'all saw so it was F we were finally able to just

to releasee that excitement you know when we saw the good news

so RJ want to come in on it um I agree with what SE said uh I think uh it was a

a quick turnaround for us obviously things happening so quick um you find

out that you're playing either Tuesday or Wednesday we found out last night that we were playing Tuesday so we had to hop on the plane um just didn't know

what time we were leaving yet and then um just overly just mentally getting

ready to um play our best game um because obviously travel uh happens and

you got you know pack and understand that you're going down there to play a game and then hopefully God willing uh

be ready to fly the next day or the next night I mean the same night over to Milwaukee so it's really just like a

mentally preparing yourself for um traveling but at the same time going to win some games so uh quick Turn Around

from practice to watching the um selection show Sunday um and then just

going going back to your apartments and I'm just getting ready for a road trip second row on the

end Adam Smith with inside Carolina guys hello uh just wanted to ask if you think

about this season as a whole all the way back to Kansas Maui I mean so much has

happened and gone on uh the ups and downs do you in any way look at getting

into this tournament as sort of like a clean start or a clean slate um

given the the ride that this thing has has looked like this season RJ yeah 100%

I think anytime you enter March it's a new season and given the way our season

went it's been an up and down year but uh been very fortunate and grateful for

the opportunity we've had to um be in this tournament and kind of have like a

clean slate it's z0 um what happened in regular season what happened in AC

tournament is now in the past and we're focused on winning um some games in March so you got to have that mindset

and that mentality going into it because it could be anyone's games and I think that's been shown previously throughout

the whole years of March mandis so um but it's a fun time and at the same time it's just like one game at a time and

you got to have that approach you got to have that preparation going into each game each practice um because it could

be anyone's game so uh it's a clean slate for sure Seth uh I agree

absolutely well said it's a clean slate uh we're not looking back on what went wrong this season and what went right

for us this year CU if we do that we know we get left behind you there's no time for that so we're looking on to San

Diego State today uh and then we go from there so it's z00 uh but yeah there's no

time to look to look back into the past third row in the middle uh will Martin

University of day and media uh in the past Seasons teams have talked about the Do or Die um feeling in the first four

how do you stay calm and confident in that kind of environment it's been do it's it's been do or die for us for the

last month so we're good we're good simple as

that RJ Do or Die mentality I agree with with SE

said other questions for our student athletes let's go to the back row here

Paul Chu University of D media uh for RJ this is your fifth year with the atar heel showing your loyalty and commitment

towards the team how are you going to use your experience and knowledge coming into the first four

tournament that's a great question um really just rely on my teammates and

my coaching staff um obviously being in college for a long time five years but

then um experiencing what I what I experienced in March Madness in NCAA tournament it's a one to the lifetime

opportunity um you know from playing the final four national championships to sweet 16s to lead eights like

those is what you dream of and um it's it's a hard route to get there

so my Approach my mentality is kind of just you know stay confident stay

composed uh one game at a time and understand that you know we have a team behind us that can really do a lot of

great things and um like SE said it was a Do or Die situation for us for the past month and whether we realize that

or not we performed at a high level so uh I think that's a good sign for us knowing that when our backs against the

wall when pressures on us we're able to perform at a high level and um we don't really see it as pressure and I think

that's what uh will be my message to the team it's really about the opportunity and what

are you going to do with the opportunity what are you going to do with you know are you going to take advantage of it and I feel like we did it the past month

and we just got to carry this over um into this stretch and just additional thing so you

posted earlier like about a day ago that you're very blessed to have this opportunity what do you can you like further explain what you meant by that

by that post yeah I mean I just rely my relationship on with God and um put in

all my faith and trust into him and uh he doesn't make any mistakes you may

always have questions of why things are happening to you and um why things may not go your way but uh I lean on him

when times are are rough and even when they're going well for me and um what I meant by that is just I'm blessed

blessed to be in another position to to uh put on this jersey one more last time CU this is my last year playing

basketball so I want to go out with a bang and um God just told me he wasn't done with me yet so I'm just really just

take full advantage of it other questions for Seth and RJ let's go to the third row on the back

hey uh Patrick sausy from University of Dayton um you guys coming in as 11 seed

last team in the field it's the lowest unc's ever been seated do you feel as if you have something to prove this

tournament Seth uh absolutely absolutely uh I think we've all kind of felt the the hate the

disagreement uh all that from from everybody outside of the Carolina family

in fan base so I mean we're just running with it we definitely feel like we got something to prove uh we wanted to be

better this year uh but you know we deal with the cars at hand so absolutely RJ

yeah 100% I mean for us to know be considered 11 team and

you have you know people asking do you guys think you're a tournament team like that irks my soul um cuz I know we are

and I know what we're capable of so it's really just about proving ourselves right rather than people

wrong RJ when the Tar Heels are at their best what does that basketball look like

when the taros are at their best um that basketball is is so much fun

watch you you watch us get up and down in transition you watch us for a full 40

minute game um executing our defensive game plan really well um we're sharing

the basketball like it just it goes down the list you have multiple guys that can score double figures any type of night

and we we lay our hat on whatever it takes and that's been a a huge emphasis for us coach Davis came up with that

model and um each game we always ask ourselves like whatever we always tell ourselves whatever it's takes to win

this game and um that's Carolina basketball for you and that's when uh we're moving the right path and

succeeding and then Seth the best quality of this basketball team

uh I think just the heart and the passion that that we've shown in in spurts throughout the year

that is absolutely there uh you know we haven't shown it every single minute of the uh of the Season we haven't shown it

every game but when it's there uh you just feel and see kind of how much it it

just it it raises the the the whole just level of this team so let's go to third

row on the aisle Luke decock from the r news and observer for for either of you guys wanted to to to talk a little bit

specifically about sort of Saturday uh Friday night and kind of after the Duke game you've got a day and a half till

the selection show everyone's saying you're you're still in now you're out how did you guys sort of manage those

emotions obviously you go ahead and practice but you know that there's so much uncertainty and it's out of your

control now how do you how did you guys kind of deal with that and what what were those emotions like

Seth uh for me personally I was able to control myself you know I was okay I was

confident when I was talking to the media and they were asking all these questions after the game I was uh very

confident that you know we put ourselves in a good enough position uh just to

just to get a bid in this tournament and then uh you know I didn't worry because uh my dad always tells me I mean what

what God has for you no man can be against so you know if he puts us in the tournament uh we're in the tournament if

if if he doesn't put us in the tournament then we're not you know whatever happens is it's because of him

and you know it's just the right thing whether whether we appreciate it or not so I was able to be at peace with it AR

yeah I mean I completely agree with what SE said I just think after the game uh

Friday going into Saturday you have like a lot of emotions and feelings thoughts about you know what's next what's going

to happen the uncertainty level but I think worrying about it um is out of

your control like we have no control of whether we're going to make the tournament or not and it was all up in

the air it was all in God's hands and um that's when you lean on him the most and

that's where you know where Seth is saying and what I'm saying like all of our our faith and confidence was leaning

on the on the Lord and um like yes we we're mad about about the

game but at the same time um we still had prep and we knew we understood that

we could be possibly playing Tuesday so um it was kind of just like a you know deal with your emotions now but then be

ready and be prepared to play Tuesday so um that was really just everything that happened within the next you know 36 48

Hours any more questions for our student athletes

RJ Seth we really appreciate your time we're really excited to watch you play tomorrow night thank you sir appreciate appreciate y

all right this time we're really excited to welcome Hubert Davis the head coach to the North Carolina Tar Heels and his

fourth season as the man in charge and coach before we open up questions for

the media I do want to ask a question personally and just your excitement last night and Senior name

called well yeah I mean it's um the excitement was seeing the reaction of the guys um when they saw our name uh

being selected to the NCAA tournament as a coach um that's what drives you that's what

gives you Joy is to see the reaction and the happiness and the Joy from the

players and um to see how excited they were to be a part of this and um was

something that will remember for the rest of my life and something that always brings joy to my heart open up the floor for questions

let's go to the third row on the end here at Luke deck from the news and

observer I'm just curious you know you're you come off a tough loss Friday night you have time to wait for the seel

selection show um how did you sort of try to manage their emotions and and and

sort of kind of get to the point where you'd find out the the the the answer on Sunday like that's a difficult time for

for kids uh and athletes to to sort of deal with that uncertainty well I I I never looked at

it in regards to managing their emotions I mean one of the things that uh you

know we were all frustrated um of how you know Friday uh night

turned out and the game versus Duke my concern was with the players in regards

to basketball um I thought I was so proud of their fight being able

to come back down from 24 in the second half and to put ourselves in a position to possibly win that game and so um it

was a dramatic ending and so my focus was on the players and um supporting

them and encouraging them from A hardfought

Loss let's go to the third row on the end Patrick zusy from the University of

Dayton what's your preparation look like having such a quick turnaround from finding out your plane I couldn't hear

you what what is what's the preparation look like yeah finding out you're playing in this game on Sunday and then

having to play on Tuesday yeah I mean this is uh the the preparation is the

same I mean we've played three games in a row in Maui we've played three games a

row in the ACC tournament there's twice during a conference season where we've had Saturday games and and and then had

to play Monday against a different opponent on the road and so in regards to preparation and practice none of that

has changed and we'll be prepared to play our best tomorrow against a really good San Diego State team go across the

aisle uh Paul Chu uh media for the University of Dayton so uh Ian Jackson

he is a six-man and also a freshman for the Tar Heels what are your uh initial thoughts of how he's experiencing the

beginning for his March Madness career and how he's initially feeling in general about this whole feeling and

everything well I mean all of them are you know really excited you know I I I don't know the exact number but at least

I think half of our team this is the most of our team this is the first time that they've experienced the NCAA

tournament and so um they're excited but they have no idea what they're excited about but um Ian this year has been one

of our better players I mean um our success um a lot of it has been

directly tied um to how talented Ian is and his ability to score his ability to

make plays on both ends of the floor and just the type of kid and character he is it's um uh it's been so much fun

coaching him this past year and he's somebody that always brings a smile and puts it on your face every

day let's go to the second row across the aisle on the end

Marcus Hartman Dayton Daily News coach Dutcher has you know coached for a long time has a lot of experience but he said

this is a new experience for him I'm thinking it's a new experience for you I just wonder what's your what are your initial impressions of being in the

first four um it's really not a new experience to me it's it's it's a basketball game

and we're preparing the same way that we've prepared all season

um you know one of the messages that I consistently tell the guys is focus on

what is real and what we have control over is our preparation our practice and

our prey and the process in which we do it and

um we'll be detailed in our approach and our practice today and and have a good

shoot around tomorrow and be excited and and be ready to play tomorrow night have

you been here before any history first time first time here in Dayton so it's really exciting for me to be here

third row uh will Martin University of day and media um this town loves its

basketball and these games are going to be uh they're going to have a lot of energy so how important is it to have

the crowd on your side well I think it definitely helps but I think you know

I it's going to be a packed house and there's going to be a lot of energy in the

building um and rightfully so and that's something something that our players and

our coaching staff myself personally always feed off on and are really looking forward to it um you know as I

said before this is my first time here to Dayton obviously my first time here for the first four I've seen it on TV

and um to be able to experience it is something that I'm really looking forward to tomorrow

night third row on the end Caleb zappy University of Dayton do you anticipate

any changes in tempo style ahead of the San Diego State

game uh for for us or for you no no I mean just I mean you

know for 35 games this is who we are and you know from an offensive standpoint

we've been clear definitive that we like to play at a fast pace uh like to be the fastest team and from free throw line to

free throw line and our transitioning from defense to offense irregardless of it's a made Miss basket turnover uh um

we want to play at PACE and uh but it's also important for us to play with purpose and Pace taking care of the

basketball and trying to dominate points in the paint through post and penetration and putting ourselves in a

in a position to get to the free throw line and generate really good threes off those penetrations and off those uh post

uh catches and so that's something that we've done consistently offensively for 35 games and we're not changing it for

tomorrow night coach looking at your last 10

games only two losses and both coming against Duke do do you feel like your

team is is playing some of its best basketball here at the end of the season well I don't feel it we are I mean we're

just um and and where we are better is we're consistently doing the little

things that allow you to experience big things out there on the floor I think at

the beginning of the year we had struggle with inconsistencies in terms of little things like boxing out um

um you know defending without fouling on the offensive end our shot selection turning the ball over and those are

things that we're consistently doing a lot better and as a result of that our team has played a lot better and over

the last month and a half and you mentioned those 10 games um we have improved a lot third row

paulu uh University of day and media so taking it to the media a lot of people

are starting are stating that you guys don't belong here and they're surprised that you got the last pick for the first

four what are your initial thoughts and what do you have to say in general for about those thoughts about the social

media saying you guys don't belong here what do you have to prove I don't I don't have any thoughts and um I'm not

on social media so in regards to those comments that would be negligent on my part to comment on something I've never

read read or never heard and so I'm not on I didn't listen to Bracketology I I

wasn't didn't listen after our name was selected on CBS I didn't listen to The Telecast I haven't listened to anybody's

comments in regards to selection seatings and so um I know that we're

really excited to be a part of this and we're looking forward to tomorrow night coach Dutcher was up here and uh

mentioned that you know the score can't be in the 80s or 90s feels like it's got to be in the 70s for the Aztec to win uh

for you um what's the most important key in in tomorrow night getting a victory

and moving on to Milwaukee well there's a number of things I I I would probably say first

thing is our ability to take care of the basketball San Diego State is an out obviously an outstanding defensive team

they do a terrific job uh guarding the ball one one creating turnovers making

it difficult to score consistently in the paint and get to the rim and so for

us taking care of the basketball and being able to generate good shots um that's just going to be huge for us and

when we've been able to do that this year um we've either been able to make

the shot and if we don't we can get to the offensive glass or we get fouled get to the free throw line so our efficiency

and our approach from an offensive standpoint of taking care of the basketball and getting good shots is

going to be really important for us let's go to the second row on the end hu Ariel B with t Tribune obviously your

faith is really big to you and it is also for Ian Jackson and what he's going

through with fasting in Ramadan what are the challenges that you've seen for him

going through that and it's kind of what the NC State player went through last

year um one of the things uh for Ian is we're supporting supporting him um the

challenge is you would have to ask him um I'm not going through it and so um

but um we support Ian and we're thankful for not just Ian for all of our players

and and their faith and and that's something that we support in all of our players and all of our staff is it odd

that he goes to to team meals and he just talks to everybody and doesn't eat

no not at all uh I think it's quite natural that Ian comes and is talking the whole meal

other questions for Coach second row on the end Coach Marcus Harman Dayton Daily News Seth did say that they were kind of

aware of some of the the social media hate that they've seen and that they're going to use that as a motivation but I

wonder do you want to make sure they don't that's not too motivating that maybe keep an even ke with that kind of

a thing and hear it but not hear too much about it no I mean I I I speak to the guys not

just in regards to the NCAA tournament all year long I I

tell them that you know you're going to have to learn how to turn down the noise from the phone the family the friends

and the Carolina not the Carolina college basketball fans and they asked

me what is noise and noise is anything that doesn't help you become a better

person um a better player and a better teammate and so anything

that that doesn't help you become those three things and you're going to have to learn how to turn down or turn off that

noise I also talk to him about focusing on what is real um I give him uh a Bible

verse proverbs 425 where it says keep your eyes straight ahead ignore all Sideshow

distractions uh why I give them that is what is real is our preparation and our practice and our play against San Diego

State anything else outside of that is really

irrelevant any more questions for Coach coach we we appreciate everything

and we are so excited watching your group play tomorrow night all right thank you very much well that concludes our press

conferences for today a reminder tomorrow night we'll start at 6:40 with

St Francis in Alabama State followed by North Carolina and San Diego State

Hammond Communications is going to post the recording of the press conference in the NCAA digital media hub that's

ncaa.com and transcri scripts are also going to be provided here shortly thank

you