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CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina coach Hubert Davis met with the media Tuesday afternoon ahead of his team’s trip to Brooklyn to compete for the ACC Tournament title. Davis discussed a number of topics including his approach to practice, Duke assistant Chris Carrawell denying his handshake, his approach to postseason play, and much more.
Above is a video of Davis’ full press conference, and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*Following Carolina’s upset win over arch-rival Duke, Davis said, “I don't know what I am feeling right now.” With a couple of days to appreciate the magnitude of the moment, he is ready to move on and prepare for the postseason.
“It was an emotional night,” Davis explained. “It was the end of the regular season, and it was an emotional game. Anytime that you play Duke, and you play an unbelievable opponent on the highest stage, there are a lot of emotions that come out.
“We are very thankful that we played well enough to beat a great Duke team. Our focus and our mind is on our preparation and our practice, and seeing how good we can be in the ACC Tournament this week.”
*UNC starters logged 392 of 425 possible minutes during last week's victories over Syracuse and Duke. A coach depending more on starters later in the season is normal. However, the Tar Heels have had a short bench since the departure of Dawson Garcia and the absence of Anthony Harris. Though Davis is leaning more on his starters, he will not change his approach to practice to save their legs.
“No, we haven’t changed practice at all,” Davis said. “The length of practice hasn’t changed. The things that we are doing to prepare and to put ourselves in a position to be at our best hasn’t changed.
“Specifically, the starting five has played a lot of minutes. Throughout the year, I feel like we have done a really good job at keeping track of their workload in practice, and making sure not only do they stay healthy, they stay fresh and strong. I feel like we are in a really good spot.”
*With the pressure that comes with the college basketball postseason, Davis would like his team to continue to focus on each opponent it will face and not worry about the overall format of the tournament.
“That's the only way you can approach it,” he said. “Our approach is whomever we play on Thursday at 9:30 our hope is that we play really well. And I hope that we play well enough that they give us a chance to come back the next day and play again.
“I’ve always felt that way. Not just in basketball but in anything. Focus on the things that are real and right in front of you. And what's real and what is in front of us is the only guarantee game we have is on Thursday. So, our focus, and our concentration, and our effort is on being the best that we can be on Thursday whomever we play.”
*When the game gets to crunch time, sophomore guard Caleb Love has come up big when the Tar Heels need him the most. In UNC’s last seven close games, Love has shot 54.5 percent from the floor including 46.2 from three and 93 percent from the free-throw line during the last five minutes and overtime of these contests.
“Caleb has tremendous confidence in his game,” said Davis. “That's one of the things that I love about Caleb. The plays that he made at Louisville. The play that he made at home against Louisville. The shots and the plays he made against Syracuse, and you talk about the second half versus Duke. His toughness, his confidence and stepping up in big-time situations, and making positive plays.
“The thing that I really love is it's not just about his shooting. But in late-game situations his ability to create for others. And being able to pass the ball. Also, step up defensively and get stops. Those are the things that I am really proud of Caleb in those late-game situations. His ability to step up on both ends of the floor in many different ways.”
*Social media was buzzing after the game when a video of Duke assistant Carrawell denying a handshake from the extended hand of Davis surfaced. Carrawell, who played at Duke from 1996-2000 offered his reasoning for the snub, but Davis said he spoke to future Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer, Carrawell, and all parties are ready to put the incident behind them.
“I had a conversation with Jon Scheyer yesterday and also Chris Carrawell,” Davis said. “I had two great conversations with both of them. My relationship with Coach K and the rest of the coaching staff before the game was in a great spot and it's in a great spot right now.
"I really enjoyed my conversations with John and Chris. At the end of our conversations, we both wished each other luck for the remainder of the season.”
