CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Basketball Coach Hubert Davis met with the media Wednesday afternoon to discuss what his team learned from its win over Elon and about Friday’s highly anticipated game at No.1 Kansas.
The ninth-ranked Tar Heels have not played the No. 1 team in the nation since they won at Duke in 2019. UNC is 14-18 all-time against top-ranked teams in the AP poll. Kansas is the 13th different top-ranked program UNC has played.
Above is video of Davis’ press conference and below are some notes from what he had to say:
*Kansas Coach Bill Self has been at the program since Roy Williams left for UNC in 2003 and has compiled a 580-138 record, including two national championships. Overall, he is 807-243 in 32 seasons.
Davis has known Self for many years starting during his seven seasons working at ESPN.
“It’s a very good relationship with him but it started when I was working for ESPN. One of the cool things for the seven years I was working for ESPN is I got to go to a number of different shootarounds, practices and games and be around different coaches… And I was able to spend a lot of time with him.
“And watching him coach and how he prepares the team. And then our history, obviously, in the national championship game. He’s an unbelievable person. Obviously he’s a Hall of Fame coach but he’s an incredible person.”
*Davis has also been inside famed Phog Allen Fieldhouse at Kansas for some games, and says nothing compares to it.
“It’s different. Kansas, Allen Fieldhouse has its own unique atmosphere that none of our guys have seen before. I have. It will be fun for us. It’s something to be able to play on the road to play in that atmosphere, to be able to execute against one of the better teams in the country.
“I know that myself, I am and the rest of our players are really looking forward to the challenge on Friday.”
*One of the benefits of UNC’s 14-point win over Elon in the opener is the Phoenix are a long team with size not many ACC clubs have. Given Carolina is a bit on the smallish side, considering what has been the norm, it helped the team a lot, Davis said.
“In terms of the size and the height, obviously there was a difference in Elon, and Kansas possesses tremendous size. The size that I’m really talking about is the size of your heart.
“So, it doesn’t matter if you’re 7-4, 9-3, or 5-2, I’m going to box you out. It just is what it is. I’m going to beat you down the floor, I’m going to set the screen, I’m going to get open, I’m going to make the shot. So, it’s the size of the heart.”
Specifically, though, were there moments to learn from?
“Obviously, 7-4 is 7-4, but not allowing that to become a factor, you can still take the ball strong to the basket. As you attack the basket, you can still attack the basket with the intent on scoring and dunking as opposed to trying to draw a foul. And those are things I think we learned against Elon.”
*Kansas wing Rylan Griffen had a big game against the Tar Heels in the Sweet 16 last March when he played for Alabama. He scored 19 points, including hitting 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and guarded UNC’s RJ Davis for most of the night. Davis ended the game 0-for-9 from 3-point range and was 4-for-20 overall from the field. Griffen is 6-foot-6 and Davis is 6-foot. Hubert Davis remembers it well.
“He can really shoot. He’s got great length; he’s 6-6, 6-7, he’s really good in transition, but he’s not just a shooter. He can put the ball on the floor, he can attack, he can finish at the basket, mid-range game, get to the free throw line. He’s a heck of a basketball player.
“So, obviously he had success against us in the NCAA Tournament, he’ll continue to do that at Kansas, and he’s one of the many guys on their roster that from a defensive standpoint we have to stay close to and take away those open looks from 3-point range.”
*UNC has faced Hunter Dickinson twice before when he played at Michigan and did a nice job on him both times limiting him to 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting and 13 rebounds. Armando Bacot was mostly responsible for that but he’s gone now. Davis was asked if the 7-foot-1 Dickinson is a different player at Kansas, and if so how is he different?
“Probably the biggest difference in his game, he’s a guy that is an excellent defender, he can block and alter shots, rebound, runs the floor extremely well for a big. Obviously he can finish around the basket, he’s a fantastic passer out of the post.
“So, he can do that, he can handle it. They have him in Chicago Action where he catches the ball on the perimeter and be able to make plays. Probably the biggest area where he just continues to improve is his ability to shoot the ball from the outside.”
*In addition, Davis also discussed Kansas’ transition game; how it picks up full court; Elliot Cadeau’s improved shooting; how often he’s watched the 2022 NCAA title game loss to the Jayhawks; and the conversations he’s had with Roy Williams about Kansas and Carolina.
