CHAPEL HILL, NC — North Carolina coach Hubert Davis met with reporters Friday afternoon as a part of a media availability forward of the Tar Heels’ sport at Virginia Tech on Sunday, the ACC opener for each groups.
The 18th-ranked Tar Heels (5-Three) returned house within the early hours of Thursday morning after shedding to Indiana within the ACC-Massive Ten Problem. UNC left Chapel Hill 9 days earlier for the West Coast and the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Ore., the match held over Thanksgiving weekend.
The highway continues for UNC at Virginia Tech (7-1), which marks the crew’s fifth straight sport away from Chapel Hill. Listed below are our notes from what Davis stated Friday on the Smith Heart…
— Davis stated offensively “the whole lot we discuss is a mixture of ball motion and participant motion, ball motion and participant motion.” He stated particularly for this UNC crew, ball motion and participant motion have been communicated, mentioned and practiced for the reason that first time the Tar Heels got here collectively as a bunch.
Davis stated opposing groups are bodily on protection towards UNC. “And that physicality bothered us,” he stated, by way of spacing and motion and the operating sport with objective and tempo.
— UNC shot simply 33.9 p.c from the sphere Wednesday night time at Indiana and seemed to be starved for simple baskets. Davis stated he solely remembers one such second within the sport towards the Hoosiers, when Pete Nance discovered Armando Bacot for a dunk on an inbounds go.
“They throw us loads” on ball screens, Davis stated of opposing groups’ defensive ways. “Our guards should not in a position to penetrate and descend the valley. It took us out of our seats, took us out of our motion and our distance.”
— Davis stated his ideas recently have targeted on UNC’s issues in a twofold method: “what’s not working and what’s not working as a result of we’re not working.”
Which was extra widespread in his opinion? “I believe it is not working as a result of we’re not working,” he stated, including that tempo and objective can usually decide whether or not a play seems to be efficient.
— UNC obtained 14 factors off the Indiana bench from Puff Johnson (six factors), D’Marco Dunn (5 factors) and Seth Trimble (three factors). Tyler Nickel additionally got here in for a minute of play.
“I actually like what D’Marco, Seth and Puff are doing,” Davis stated when requested concerning the Tar Heels’ bench manufacturing. “Their minutes will proceed to extend. They not solely play properly, however persistently properly in observe and make sure it by their play. And I am very proud of the best way they performed and they’re going to get extra minutes. Everybody else continues to enhance and search for consistency in observe.”
— Bacot is coping with proper ankle and proper shoulder/collarbone accidents suffered within the final two video games. Within the UNC locker room after the Indiana loss, he instructed Inside Carolina, “I think about after we get again, I will get some x-rays or one thing” on his higher physique.
Requested about Bacot’s standing for this weekend’s Virginia Tech sport, Davis stated Friday that he expects the Tar Heels to have all of their regulars obtainable.
“My expectation is that everyone performs on Sunday,” Davis stated. “I have never heard of any X-rays. I am prepared for coaching at 4pm (immediately). North Carolina can be in Blacksburg on Saturday, however able to play on Sunday.”
— Davis stated on protection, UNC wants to deal with the way it guarded ball screens. He stated opposing guards had been in a position to acquire an excessive amount of house within the paint whereas collapsing the Tar Heels defensively.
“We’re not doing an excellent job defending the paint,” Davis stated. “It is one thing we’ll need to tweak, tweak, pivot or change. it simply destroys our protection.”
— Davis stated UNC freshman ahead Jalen Washington (knee surgical procedure, lengthy restoration and rehab) must be “full” as early as subsequent week.
The 6-foot-10 Washington has been collaborating in practices and bulking up for a number of weeks. He didn’t play his senior highschool season as a result of damage. After Sunday’s ACC opener at Virginia Tech, the Tar Heels do not play once more till Dec. 10 towards Georgia Tech.
— Davis stated he will not use UNC’s win at Virginia Tech final season and that the win sparked this time as a motivational nugget. The Tar Heels received their final 5 ACC video games final season, beginning with a 65-57 rout of the Hokies in Blacksburg, Va., and went 11-2 from mid-February by the tip of the season.
“I do not assume that helps us on Sunday,” Davis stated. “We’re a special crew, Virginia Tech is a really totally different crew. Our focus is to go up there and compete and put ourselves ready to achieve success. I believe including that form of weight by way of bringing the whole lot again to Blacksburg, I simply do not assume it helps us. I do not assume it is any use.”
