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#UNC guards Ian Jackson, Seth Trimble and RJ Davis after the Tar Heels' blowout win over Va. Tech
Mar 5, 2025
#UNC guards Ian Jackson, Seth Trimble and RJ Davis after the Tar Heels' blowout win over Va. Tech
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0:00
but we VI into it it I'm not sure though
0:03
from a players perspective what
0:05
impressed you the most about the way you
0:06
guys played tonight um I think out
0:09
togetherness man uh has been it's been
0:11
huge for us on the defensive end
0:14
offensive end I think the ability for us
0:16
to come together um and do it for long
0:18
since of the game has been
0:20
huge yeah one thing that Hubert was in
0:23
there talking about was saying you know
0:24
guys at this point aren't concerned
0:25
about you know who starts who comes off
0:27
the bench people just want to contribute
0:28
obviously he accepted that you guys are
0:30
the two leading scores just I guess what
0:32
was the process for you guys of just
0:34
Embrace that mentality of whenever I'm
0:35
on the court whether or not I start I'm
0:37
just going to do what I do um it's part
0:40
of like I said part of togetherness but
0:41
I would say that's definitely um just
0:44
understanding who who we are and who we
0:46
need to be um and how much our impact
0:49
Off the Bench is a factor for us so
0:53
embracing our role and embracing who we
0:55
are as a team and what we going to be
0:58
and what we need to be to win uh if you
1:00
I think me and Seth are doing a great
1:01
job of that right now and everybody else
1:03
doing same thing explain this locker
1:06
room one example of it but it's many
1:07
more examples uh we're together right
1:09
now when guys that can't sing are
1:11
singing loud that mean you guys are Med
1:15
yeah man yeah we ref them sound like
1:17
they're very good at it nah I don't
1:18
think we got anybody that's really good
1:19
at it besides me I'm all right but n any
1:22
of them uh no they aren't good but we
1:24
having fun man we enjoying each other
1:26
did you guys sing much this season at
1:28
all before the last three weeks or
1:30
something um in spurts in spurts but I I
1:34
think I think um this last few weeks is
1:37
definitely but our chemistry are alltime
1:39
high you know and it's great to be
1:41
around it's great to hear and see um so
1:44
you know it's just great right now
1:45
what's the biggest difference in this
1:46
team from the last time you played dke
1:48
last time you played Duke
1:50
um I think we got a whole bunch of guys
1:53
who figured out who they are and they
1:55
stepped up and
1:58
and going to impact the game in a lot of
2:00
ways you know um but J W especially one
2:04
um me and Seth getting it going and I
2:06
think we found rotations and lineups
2:08
and understand of each other that works
2:11
and it's going to help
2:13
us drastically yeah we s it going to be
2:16
like you think man just what the
2:18
atmosphere going to be like in man I'm
2:20
not sure but I'm ready for it I'm ready
2:21
for it
2:22
um I'm glad I get to be a part of this
2:24
game you know I'm glad I get to in a few
2:28
years tell my kids or whoever uh that I
2:30
played in the dup Us game at the Dee you
2:32
know so I think it's going to be amazing
2:34
I know our crowd is going to be there
2:35
ready hyped up fired up I come for six
2:37
game streak so we're ready man we ready
2:40
our crowd is ready and we going to go
2:41
get a win Ian what how would you
2:43
describe the gear that you all have
2:46
found to take these leads from8 to
2:49
10-point leads up to 15 20 and tonight
2:51
you know was 30 like you know that's
2:54
also another aspect of this winning
2:56
streak where you've been able to sort of
2:57
step on teams and not let them get
2:59
anywhere we close to you um I think it's
3:02
it's us it's us
3:05
just I think I think it's just us uh
3:07
just being able to do the same thing for
3:09
40 minutes do the same thing for 40
3:11
minutes you know um get to a certain
3:14
level and hold that level and expect
3:17
more out of each other and as a team
3:19
throughout the whole 40 minutes you're
3:20
really feeling with the catch and shoot
3:22
so is it nice to find a rhythm there m
3:25
oh yeah man it's always good um I wide
3:27
open so I get chance to get w shots I'll
3:30
take them man I'll take them complain
3:32
about wide open
3:33
on no problem appreciate it dud
3:37
absolutely about the way the team's
3:38
feeling right yeah yeah so yeah happy
3:42
how much did you guys sing before the
3:44
last 3 weeks uh not too much not too
3:47
much that's
3:49
just yeah maybe not at all okay I asked
3:52
you this I'm going to ask you I got to
3:54
ask it when guys that can't sing are
3:56
singing really loud is that a sign that
3:58
things are going well absolutely we
4:01
ignore it we ignore the bad voices we
4:03
just tune it out you know we listen to
4:05
the music just have a good time but it's
4:06
definitely a good sign see try just go
4:10
ahead it seemed like for you you know
4:11
coming into the game you really wanted
4:13
to be a tone so you were get in
4:14
deflections OB the
4:17
dunk how much the n one as well yeah
4:20
just like I guess how much of a mindset
4:22
was that for you to just kind of go in
4:24
there and just change things it was huge
4:26
uh you know the way I view my position
4:28
now is just come off the bench and
4:30
continue to be who I am but trying to be
4:32
the biggest boost that I can possibly be
4:34
so it was you know close game when I was
4:36
in the game for a little bit but you
4:37
know we kind of flipped the switch at
4:39
one of our one of our timeouts I forgot
4:41
when it was but we came out the gate and
4:43
just started firing so I just trying to
4:45
be a boost for this team yeah there was
4:47
a point can you feel that with the
4:49
energy you're bringing like it changing
4:52
a game absolutely I I know guys feed off
4:54
of it guys off of it last year uh and
4:57
you know there's been a lot of games
4:59
this year where I haven't had it and
5:00
it's made a huge difference so just
5:02
trying to do my best to make sure that
5:03
I'm Contin to bring it uh throughout the
5:05
stretch you fored a couple today it
5:07
Huber has mentioned in the past that
5:09
sometimes when you get up there you play
5:10
around with the ball everybody wants you
5:12
to dunk it has that been something
5:13
they've been talking you about you did
5:14
it twice tonight when when you dunk
5:17
point it's been something I've been on
5:18
all my about also uh all the coach staff
5:21
has been on me invited you know you have
5:22
all this balce you don't like dunk so uh
5:24
I know it's been a little while since
5:25
I've gotten one so I just try to be as
5:27
aggressive as I possibly put on the
5:28
regular the at the end of the first half
5:30
you missed the three uh Van Allen gets
5:33
the rebound takes a dribble sees you
5:34
cutting kind of describe that play cuz
5:36
he like almost like he had eyes back was
5:39
uh you know start off I really shouldn't
5:41
have settled uh you know I was feeling
5:42
it but I shouldn't have set I should
5:43
have got to the rim tried to draw a fou
5:45
and one or you know kick to an open guy
5:47
but I did uh event did an incredible job
5:49
just getting position and getting
5:51
offensive rebound and I saw him holding
5:53
the ball and I saw a wide L for me
5:55
so you know dunk is almost it's a free
5:58
two point so I made sure to C right away
6:00
and just trying and get on the rim now
6:01
Hebert was mentioned after the game not
6:03
so much the dunks but the block he made
6:05
oh yeah the guy tried to body up on you
6:07
and shoot over you early and put him on
6:09
the floor you put him ball I should have
6:11
been there a little earlier I should
6:12
have been there a little earlier uh just
6:14
to be in Weak side position but you know
6:16
I made a good play uh let it be known a
6:19
little bit but that's just what I try to
6:21
do you know I'm I'm a defensive guy so I
6:24
just got kind of got kind of got to be
6:26
the anchor for team defens you came in
6:27
and scored off yeah yeah
6:30
the nose too didn't you yeah I did get
6:31
po the nose it scared me a little bit I
6:33
never had a broken nose don't know what
6:34
it felt like so that made me a little
6:36
nervous
6:39
right little bruise little bruise was
6:41
that on the box shot no it was off the
6:44
layup that I got right after that so you
6:46
guys are down 23-21 Le out scored 48 to
6:49
12 spending both halves you went up
6:52
6935 was that the best basketball you
6:54
guys have played in which every little
6:56
thing that you can do well you did well
6:58
in next never heard of us going on the
7:00
48 12
7:02
run uh against just a high Manor
7:05
opponent like that this whole season so
7:07
I think it speaks you guys were having
7:09
bigger it used to be 82 now they're 154
7:11
184 21 this thing was at one point I
7:14
think it was 20 six to5 I mean I think
7:17
it's just speaks for itself you know why
7:20
what is the difference in you guys being
7:21
able to turn it up and keep it up we're
7:23
just playing for each other we're
7:25
playing for the Jersey on our name now I
7:27
think that we're all finally realizing
7:29
it realizing the special opportunity
7:31
that we have and realize we only get a
7:33
few more games to make the most of it so
7:35
I think we've been I think we've done a
7:36
really good job in just these last six
7:38
games just capitalizing really
7:40
emphasizing know what it means to be at
7:43
Tar Hill uh what it means to play here
7:45
and just what it means to have such a
7:47
family you know a group of 15 plus the
7:49
coaches and everything you know it's a
7:50
special
7:51
opportunity you're in position to be the
7:53
leading rebounder on the team this year
7:55
you're not exactly six sa lock right
7:58
there that's one reason we hear a lot of
8:01
lot of bad singing in there I asked a
8:03
couple of the guys about does that is
8:04
that a good sign but guys that can't
8:06
sing are sing a lot yeah I think it's
8:08
it's a good sign we're just having fun
8:10
RJ this the first time you you guys have
8:12
had at least 10 three-pointers in three
8:14
consecutive games since the first three
8:16
games of the 2022 NCAA tournament are
8:19
you seeing shades of 2022 in this
8:22
turnaround in February and and through
8:23
March yeah I do um I think we're just I
8:26
think what we see is we're envisioning
8:28
ourselves in to put ourselves in good
8:30
positions leading up until this next
8:32
stretch of uh you know obviously March
8:34
and the ACC tournament and then want to
8:35
get to the NCAA tournament so um I think
8:37
we're envisioning success right now and
8:39
we're actually believing and playing
8:41
with confidence right now so uh I don't
8:43
want to compare it I like I don't like
8:45
doing the comparisons of 2022 and to
8:47
this year's team totally different teams
8:49
but um I think for us we're just
8:51
starting to see um when we do dive in
8:53
when we do do little things things turn
8:55
out great for us you didn't take a you
8:57
didn't have to take a shot in the second
8:58
half yeah I was mad well I mean what
9:01
were you thinking as that League got
9:02
bigger and bigger and bigger and you're
9:04
not having to like you know score a
9:06
point yeah I mean I think it's just
9:08
everyone's contributing and um I think
9:10
what set the tone for us was our defense
9:12
uh we was able to get stops and then run
9:14
a transition and um overall I was kind
9:17
of just messing with you but I'm just
9:18
happy with you know just that everyone's
9:20
able to chime in and you know get some
9:22
points I think we had I don't know how
9:24
many guys was six again or seven five at
9:26
least five at least in double figures
9:28
and I think that's four game in a row
9:29
five games in a row something like that
9:30
it was six six and five I think yeah and
9:32
I think that's the first time in
9:33
Carolina history so when you have games
9:35
like that and when I don't have to shoot
9:37
the ball or score the second half um and
9:39
then I get to sit out the last 13
9:41
minutes the game I mean I want more of
9:43
that so did you hurt your elbow today it
9:45
looked like your left ELO got kind of
9:47
yeah I tried to chase I think it was Sho
9:49
over a screen the P had got it so
9:51
getting a little rest for your body you
9:52
want by a big margin that's going into
9:54
the game you guys got going into that's
9:56
a pretty good thing to yeah 100% so I'm
9:57
I wasn't complaining fun thing for me is
9:59
to be able to cheer my teammates on and
10:01
um let them get their sign uh go out
10:03
there and just they doing that today RJ
10:06
what's Saturday going to be like for you
10:08
uh very emotional I don't think I um put
10:12
into perspective like you know of how
10:14
long I've been here but then just all
10:15
the games that um in the practices and
10:18
just overall just my career um um being
10:22
as a a UNC athlete and for it to be my
10:25
last time I kind of just like playing on
10:26
that floor it's definitely going to hit
10:28
I don't think I have not really thought
10:30
about it yet cuz I've been doing the one
10:32
game approach but um for me it's just
10:35
going to be my my approach to the game
10:37
is just going to be enjoy every moment
10:39
of this it's going to be my last time
10:40
playing on this court running out that
10:41
tunnel so enjoy every single moment um
10:43
The Good The Bad The Good stretches the
10:45
bad stres we have during that game so um
10:47
and overall just come out with a win are
10:49
you an emotional again nah I mean yes
10:52
and no um I mean I was definitely
10:55
emotional last year when we was to B but
10:58
um it's crazy cuz I think the only first
11:00
time I was about to cry was probably
11:02
like my my freshman this because I saw
11:04
Garrison cry so that kind of hit home
11:06
for me you remember Aro was crying his
11:08
eyes out last year the last home game
11:09
and you were like well it hadn't hit me
11:11
yet you were like kind of surprised that
11:13
you were like composed I remember
11:16
talking to you but when we left the
11:17
locker room I don't think you were no he
11:19
wasn't he never did I remember I tapped
11:20
over and I think because I knew like I
11:22
had another year um so maybe that that's
11:26
why it didn't H hit me I had the year I
11:28
had like successfully individually but I
11:30
knew like there was still a possibility
11:32
of coming back so that could have played
11:34
but now it's like there's no more coming
11:36
back so um we'll see RJ for for you guys
11:40
obviously Seth Ian LED you guys in
11:41
scoring ever since y'all have gone to
11:43
that bigger lineup you have two of your
11:45
top three leading scores come off the
11:46
bench how much of an added Dynamic do
11:48
they give you from an offensive
11:49
standpoint you know when you guys leave
11:51
and they can come in and and do what
11:52
they do yeah one thing um the coaches
11:54
really just preach on is like when your
11:56
numbers called especially when you come
11:57
off the bench you have to be ready and I
11:58
think
11:59
um s are two products of uh being ready
12:03
to play and coming out and
12:04
contributing um just the way the attack
12:07
on offense and obviously just constantly
12:09
stay aggressive um makes the game easier
12:12
and makes the game a lot easier for me
12:14
because I don't have to do a lot of the
12:16
the scoring and whatnot and I think it
12:17
just makes it more fun when you have
12:19
multiple guards that's able to kind of
12:20
just uh create for their own but they
12:22
also create for themselves and uh rally
12:24
the points um that's when in basketball
12:25
you look at the Celtics for instance
12:27
like every single time I think say every
12:29
single time but every game that they
12:30
play they have a lot of guys that's in
12:33
double different guys are leading
12:35
different games and scoring so that's
12:36
kind of how I Envision this team in
12:39
terms of just like sharing the wealth RJ
12:41
since when you guys lost to Clemson it
12:43
was pretty low but since then you've
12:45
done everything youve needed to do to
12:47
get to here how would you compare where
12:49
this team's confidence spirit I believe
12:52
Ian was calling it The Vibes you know
12:55
you know how would you compare where
12:57
just your spirit is over these last six
12:59
wins I think we we we did a good job of
13:02
flipping the page a little bit right we
13:04
lost to Clemson we got a little bit beat
13:05
up out out there and then uh our whole
13:07
mindset um has just like shifted since
13:10
that game and uh we stayed together
13:12
we've um been positive and I think one
13:15
thing about this group right now we
13:16
found our identity yeah um what that
13:19
mean is you know coach Davis always
13:20
talks about like living in the trench
13:22
and doing other little things diving the
13:24
Lo SC um being dog defensively and then
13:27
that least the offense cuz we know
13:29
offense is always going to be fine but
13:30
defense really sets the tone for the
13:31
rest of the game so um and I think at
13:33
the same time we're having fun yeah um I
13:35
think once you lose yourself into the
13:37
game once you actually have fun things
13:39
get taken care of and that's what's
13:41
happen for this this Str of games that
13:42
we going on here single you when you
13:45
Dove on the floor right near the
13:46
Baseline and were able to get rid of the
13:47
ball you guys been transition as an
13:49
example of the things you guys
13:50
collectively are doing now that maybe
13:52
wasn't happen against before yeah 100% I
13:55
just think those are winning plays right
13:56
there and those that that those type of
13:58
plays allow momentum to build and um it
14:01
it en nightes the whole team and I think
14:03
once I do on the floor I think Seth was
14:05
able to kind of just go from coast to
14:06
coast and get foul from a uh for a foul
14:09
shot so just like little plays like that
14:10
kind of just leads to bigger plays and
14:12
you build off of them so um it's glad
14:14
that it's clicking right now we're
14:15
having those type of plays right now
14:16
rather than early on the season you're
14:18
down you're down you're you're you're
14:20
down by two 12 minutes in how does it
14:22
shift like that just like
14:24
that it ticks everyone right and I think
14:27
we we did a good job of just uh letting
14:30
our stops defensively uh carry over for
14:32
the rest of the game and uh if it flew
14:34
like our pressure bothered them a little
14:36
bit um he was able to kind of get into
14:39
the ball handlers and force them to turn
14:40
over and then we was able to kind of
14:42
play in transition and that's the way we
14:43
want to play so uh I just think we do a
14:47
good job of kind of just constantly and
14:48
consistently building off of these um
14:51
defensive possessions um it creates a
14:54
lot of advantage for us offensively
14:56
block the big block yeah that was huge
14:58
guy down the ball SP went scor yeah like
15:01
I think like just little plays like that
15:03
um I don't know what happen to like
15:05
miscommunication between like Elliot and
15:06
I think J was but just to have like the
15:08
weak side presence um and just help the
15:10
helper defensively um uh that's huge for
15:14
us and that's wining basketball that's
15:15
when he plays right there and that's
15:17
what kind of helps us to keep the train
15:19
moving so yeah quickly for you you
15:20
mentioned identity what is the identity
15:22
of this team uh the the be dogs and I
15:25
think we bought into that um and like
15:28
knowing that every game I think we were
15:30
kind of finding ourselves a little bit
15:31
like like here we go again with another
15:33
game of back and forth um rather than
15:35
just embracing that's who we are and
15:36
that's our identities for this team so
15:38
um just having that dog mentality I
15:40
think we' be doing um that's our
15:41
identity thanks AR appreciate