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CHAPEL HILL – Thirty-two and thirty.

Or rather, 32-30!

That is North Carolina’s record on the basketball court over the last two seasons, and if you want to get wildly technical, the Tar Heels are 32-31 in their last 63 games dating back to a lopsided loss to Auburn in the Sweet 16 of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

But the current edition of the Tar Heels are certain that detour away from the norm is behind them. In fact, they insist those days are long over. Instead, they yearn to experience what so many players have before them in this fabled program, and they plan on doing it while ushering in the inaugural season of their new head coach.

North Carolina wants to be relevant again. Its legion of passionate fans, head coach and staff, and the players responsible for draining three-pointers, grabbing missed shots, and getting defensive stops all want Carolina Blue to matter for the next five months.

That 14-19 and 18-11 stuff won’t cut it moving forward.

"I really like their attention to detail, and I like their hunger,” first-year UNC Coach Hubert Davis said. “One of the things that I've said to a number of people is that they're playing with a sense of desperation. One of the things that they're desperate about is that they want to be relevant.”

Senior wing Leaky Black is the only scholarship player on the roster who has experienced what is considered a normal UNC basketball season. As a freshman, the Tar Heels tied for the regular season ACC championship and were a No. 1 seed before falling in the Sweet 16, a night half the roster was overcome by an extreme illness. That team, which featured Luke Maye, Cam Johnson, and Coby White, finished with a 29-7 record. Otherwise, none of the other Heels can personally identify with that kind of success.

They cannot relate to the stories told by Carolina’s coaching staff: Davis started in a Final Four as a junior; Jeff Lebo started on a team that was unbeaten in ACC play; Sean May won a national championship and was National Player of the Year in 2005; Brad Frederick was on two Final Four teams, both of which were No. 1 seeds; Pat Sullivan was on the 1993 national championship squad and played in three Final Fours; Jackie Manuel started on the 2005 national champions; and Brandon Robinson was on the 2017 NCAA title club.

Three of the coaches played in the NBA and another spent the last 18 years working in the league. Their stories are in abundance and highly impressive. Captivating stuff. But, as Davis says, the players are cool listening to May and Sullivan regale them with tales from the past, but the current Heels are hell-bent on creating their own stories.

“It's really nice to have a staff that is guys that have played here, that have been here, that have had experiences here,” Davis said. “We've told stories; myself, Coach May, Coach Fredrick, Coach Lebo, (and) Coach Sullivan about the experiences that we've had here at Carolina.

“And in a good way, I think they are tired of hearing our stories, testimonies, and memories. They want to create their own stories, memories, and testimonies of playing and winning and making big shots in big games and winning championships. I really believe that's the driving force in them over the last couple of months since we started practice, and it's fun to watch, and it's fun to coach.”

Players from every program talk a lot about winning big. Check out preseason interviews around the country and kids are boasting about attaining rings.

But the difference with this Carolina club is they have the physical makeup to become highly relevant. They have the basketball bloodlines simply by virtue of where they are currently, and they should be regularly lifted by a standard that permeates the Smith Center.

"Obviously, win a national championship, that's our first line of business,” junior forward Armando Bacot said, when asked about this team’s aspirations. “We have some tangible and intangible goals."

Like what?

"Just coming together as a team, just all being together, not losing two games in a row,” he replied. “We want to go undefeated, but in the event we don't go undefeated, not losing two games in a row. Win the ACC championship, get some type of banner up there at the UNC gym. Just try and make a legacy.”

The newness around the program is a legitimate concern to some. Davis is replacing a Hall of Fame coach, someone whose name dons the floor on which the Tar Heels play. Few coaches have ever successfully kept it going after legends retire.

But at the same time, perhaps this shift into the direction the college game arrived a few years ago will ultimately serve UNC Basketball and this year’s club in a manner Carolina doesn’t miss much of a beat, if at all.

Davis is grounded in all things Dean Smith, Bill Guthridge, and Roy Williams. None of that is going away. He’s not an interloper from Catch-And-Shoot U. His approach has a fortified infrastructure.

"One of the things that I've told (the players) is the foundation of Carolina basketball is going to be the same,” Davis said. “There are going to be some tweaks and pivots (and) changes. They've done really well with that, and I've been very happy with the returning players adjusting to the tweaks, the pivots, the changes, as well as the newcomers and the freshman and the transfers.

“Everybody's on the same page, and so from that standpoint, I feel very comfortable with them being able to adapt to my personality and my style of coaching."

Davis is also incorporating 12 years playing in the NBA, including for Hall of Famers Don Nelson and Pat Riley, as well as seven years with ESPN in which he watched countless number of coaches run practice and filled dozens of notebooks with takeaways from those experiences.

And the 2021-22 Tar Heels have considerable potential, certainly the kind that can lead to creating their own special memories.

“To be honest, we’re national championship contenders for real,” sophomore guard Caleb Love said. “I don’t expect nothing less from us. And I feel like we come in every day and practice, and now in games, I feel like we are just so focused and know what we’ve got to do to get to that point.

“Everybody’s on board, and we are so deep it’s hard for a defense to guard us… That’s great for us.”

Bumpy roads are coming for sure, but so are smooth ones. For Davis and his players, it may take time. But the mission is clear and everyone appears fully on the same page.

The Hubert Davis era is here, and he’s hoping his kids can build something to where someday their testimonies are filling the ears of future Tar Heels.