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CHAPEL HILL – Hubert Davis has made darn sure the last couple of days his players are well aware of North Carolina’s recent futility on the basketball court versus Virginia.
The first-year UNC coach was an assistant over the previous nine seasons, so he knows plenty about the challenge of facing the Cavaliers and all they typically do well, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.
But before the Heels (10-4, 2-1 ACC) can get into finding ways to deal with UVA’s pack line defense, they must understand the importance of writing a new script against Tony Bennett’s team, as UNC has dropped seven consecutive games to the Wahoos, who visit the Smith Center on Saturday for a 1 PM tip.
“I let them know; the last seven times we have lost against Virginia,” Davis said Friday during a press conference in advance of Saturday’s game. “So, just to let them understand, let that sink in.”
On February 18, 2017, Justin Jackson scored 20 points and handed out six assists to lead the Tar Heels to a 65-41 romp in a packed and rowdy Smith Center. Carolina shot 46.6 percent from the floor that night and had assist/turnover numbers of 17 and nine.
Since then, however, the Tar Heels have been a mess offensively against the Wahoos and their pack line defense, and have not won, either.
Seven straight is where the streak stands, but perhaps that comes to an end Saturday when Virginia visits the Dean Dome for a 1 PM tip. So, the message has been hammered into the players: It’s time to end the streak.
“At the end of practice today, I told them… ‘The way we grew up playing in the park – seven times? That’s not gonna happen in pick up,’” Davis said.
“It was a battle for that one pick-up game, because if you lost you had to sit out 30 or 40 minutes before somebody can pick up back up so you can go play again… Telling them that, my hope is that is a response, (though) you shouldn’t need that.”
As long as 1,785 days is, which is how long it has been since UNC beat UVA on the hardwood, it may seem like longer to the Carolina program and its legion of fans. UNC’s offensive numbers in the seven-game stretch certainly tell the story.
The Tar Heels have shot 37.3 percent from the floor, including 26.9 percent from three-point range, and in four of the games, the Tar Heels have attempted more shots from the field than they scored points in those contests.
Furthermore, Carolina has 82 assists against 84 turnovers during the streak, and the average score has been Virginia 62, North Carolina 53.3. UVA’s defense is its main weapon, even though the program has produced plenty of NBA players and has run highly efficient offense over the years.
“One of the places that consistently they’re always great in is from a defensive standpoint,” Davis said. “It’s a combination of two things for them why they’re so good defensively: They have good individual defenders, and number two is they work really well team defense, as well. They’re all tied together.
“That combination, every year for them, puts them in a position to be great defensively.”
So, when facing Virginia’s (9-5, 3-1) pack line defense, what is the first thing the Tar Heels must do offensively to get as many quality looks as they can?
“There has to be great ball movement,” Davis said. “One of the things that we have talked about at great length is having spacing, balance, and movement. And when you move defenders and you change the ball from one side to the other, and just player movement (and) there’s ball movement.
“And with the spacing and the balance that we have, that gives us opportunities to attack the basket and be able to score.”
Scoring more points and the opposition is obviously the name of the game regardless of the opponent, but it’s a bit more stressful trying to do that versus Virginia. That is something the Tar Heels have lived for nearly five years.
