CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina has only ACC games on its schedule for the remainder of the regular season, and Wednesday afternoon, UNC Coach Hubert Davis met with the media to discuss his team’s game at Pittsburgh on Friday, what he’s learned about them so far, and much more.
Davis was originally supposed to meet with the media in person Thursday, but with some media in San Diego for the bowl game and traveling to Pittsburgh on Thursday, it was moved up to today and done on zoom.
UNC is 9-4 overall and 1-1 in ACC play, and the Tar Heels hare back in the national rankings at No. 25 after starting the season at No. 1.
Above is video of Davis’ Q&A session, and below a re a few notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
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*Davis said that sophomore guard D’Marco Dunn is practicing and getting close to returning to action. Dunn broke a bone in his hand during practice in between UNC’s losses at Indiana and Virginia Tech. He has missed Carolina’s last five games.
“D’Maco’s doing really well,” Davis said. “He’s practiced the last couple of days, but not full practices. Every day he’s gotten more reps out there on the floor, and so there’s a chance he could play on Friday. We’ll have practice tomorrow (Thursday) before we fly to Pittsburgh. I’ve very pleased with where he’s at.
“It’s not just making sure that his hand is okay, it’s also conditioning and the time that he was away, we made tweaks and pivots and alters and changes, so getting him caught up to what we were doing.”
Dunn is averaging 10.3 minutes per game scoring 2.8 points shooting 45 percent from the field, including 20 percent (3-for-15) from the perimeter.
*The team went home for a few days around Christmas, and they reconvened in Chapel Hill on Monday evening. While Davis spent plenty of time with his family, it also gave him some time to reflect. So, where is his team heading into ACC-only action the rest of the way?
“I was really encouraged the way that we played the last four games,” Davis said. “And I feel we have gotten better in areas we need to get better at. From an offensive standpoint, we’re really pushing the ball in transition, and I think that we’re doing a much better job of sharing the basketball in terms of our team assists. I was happy with that.
“Defensively, I was happy, but I was very far from satisfied. We’ve just got to get better defensively, we just do. I think we’ve done a better job of getting stops in spurts when we need to these last four games, but in terms of just overall defense, we’ve got to do a better job of protecting the paint.
“Last year, one thing that was really good for us was our percentage defensive rebounding, we were number one in the country, and now we’re 100. For some people, it might be like, ‘Well, you’re in the top 100.’ But I want to be better at that.
“Our rebounding and defense has improved, our protecting the paint has improved, but it’s nowhere near where I want it to go.”
*Davis mentioned the uptick in assist numbers over the last four games. In fact, through the first nine contests, the Heels were assisting on 38.9 percent of their field goals, but during the current four-game win steak, they are assisting on 60 percent of their baskets.
The players have spoken a lot lately about Davis’ mantra, “Good to great,” and have taken it to heart, he says.
“I do, I really do,” Davis said. “They’re having fun doing it, too. I remember Caleb hitting that three where he got fouled against Michigan, and everybody ran over to him to pick him up. The pass to Pete (Nance) in the second half (versus Ohio State), the pass to Armando (Bacot) around the basket.
“What I’m seeing is celebrations for the pass, or at worst equal to the celebration for the shot. It’s growing, it’s getting better, and it’s funs to watch. And I love it, I really do.”
*February 16 of last season marked a low point for the Tar Heels, as they fell at home to Pittsburgh, 76-67, in a game the Panthers led by 17 points at the half and by 21 with 8:40 remaining. The Tar Heels visit the Panthers (9-4 overall, 2-0 ACC) on Friday afternoon for a noon tip. Davis is impressed with how Pitt is playing.
“They just kicked our tail,” Davis said about last year’s meeting. “They were more physical than us. They beat us to every loose ball, they beat us to every spot, they were more physical with us defensively, they got every rebound. They just beat us in every area last year here. It was from start to finish.
“Obviously, Pittsburgh is an extremely well-coached team. They always bring a sense of confidence and physicality out there on the floor, and to have a chance against them, you’re going to have to bring that yourself. But we’re excited about the challenge of going to Pittsburgh and playing against a really good team that’s playing probably their best basketball of the season.”
