Special Offer
One Month for Only $1
Go VIP – One Month for Only $1
FORT WORTH, Texas — No. 8 seed North Carolina faces No. 1 seed Baylor on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 (11:10 a.m./CBS). The last time UNC faced these circumstances was in 2013 when it lost to No. 1 seed Kansas as the No. 8 seed, 70-58.
Hubert Davis, coming off his first tournament win as a head coach, spoke on Friday about how it didn’t mean anything to him personally; everything is for the players.
“I don’t feel any personal validation at all,” he said. “This is 100 percent, absolutely nothing about me. This is 100 percent giving back to each one of those players, everything Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge gave to me while I was at North Carolina, and everything that Coach Williams gave to all the players the last 18 years that he was head coach.
“It is nothing personal about me.”
Below is everything the first-year head coach said on Friday in Fort Worth.
You’ve had a limited rotation all season long. It’s kind of something you’ve adjusted to early on. Baylor has had more of a limited rotation down the stretch due to injuries. Do you think that’s maybe a facet of tomorrow’s game, you might be able to take advantage of them adjusting to that?
Hubert Davis: «Baylor is such a good basketball team. They’re outstanding defensively. For two reasons: One, team defense-wise, their togetherness on the defensive end is really good. And then they also have good individual defenders. Offensively, they’ve got a number of guys, dynamic scorers that can create shots for themselves and for their teammates in a one-on-one situation.
«So, yeah, our rotation has been limited pretty much for the majority of the season. But I really felt like Dontrez and Puff came in yesterday and they gave us some valuable minutes off the bench. And so whether you play one minute or 30 minutes, you can do something out there on the floor that can be a huge benefit for our team. And I feel like guys off the bench, whether they do get one or 30 minutes, they’ve always come in and been able to make an impact. And my hope is that they’ll make an impact tomorrow against Baylor.»
Davis: «Not really. I haven’t had much time to think about anything over the last 11 and a half months. But I was very happy and very proud of the guys. You know, Armando, he’s been here three years and that was his first NCAA tournament win. RJ and Caleb and Kerwin are sophomores. And last year, we lost to Wisconsin in the first round. So just to see their smiles, to see their reactions of putting North Carolina to the next round, that was something that was a great joy to me.
«And so, that’s the only thing from last night’s game that I thought about, was I was just really happy for the guys and just to see their smiles and how much they enjoyed the moment was something that put a smile on my face.»
Davis: «Well, there’s a number of factors that can keep a team out of transition. No. 1, we got to take care of the basketball. Baylor does a great job of creating turnovers. And earlier in the year, that was an area where we really struggled. And teams were being able to score consistently in transition because we weren’t taking care of the basketball. I think another factor is taking good shots. I think when you take bad shots, to me, bad shots are the same as turnovers. And so, it’s important for us to get quality shots.
«And then the last thing is, it’s important for us to make shots. You know, you start making shots, now they have to take the ball out of bounds and they’re coming up against a set defense. So taking care of the basketball, making shots, taking good shots, and also attacking the basket to post to penetration so that we can get fouled and to the free-throw line. Statistically in ACC, we’re the best free-throw shooting team in our conference. That’s a big part of us from an offensive standpoint, buty it’s also a huge part for us defensively to make sure teams are playing against our set defense.»
Davis: «Well, Baylor is the defending national champions and the No. 1 seed because they have more than one guy. They’re an outstanding team. And one of the areas that they are terrific at is rebounding the basketball on both ends of the floor. It’s something that we have talked about, you know, yesterday, today, in terms of trying to limit Baylor to one shot every possession. Because we know that a huge part of their offense is getting second-chance opportunities.
«For the same thing for us, you know, one of the things that — a foundation piece for our program is getting second-chance opportunities. So I always say, let’s get shots, let’s get good shots. But if we get good shots, we’re either going to make them. And if we miss, because of our pursuit of the offensive glass, we’re going to get second-chance opportunities. So it’s a great matchup of two teams that — talented teams that like to get out in transition, they like to get second-chance opportunities, that get after it on the defensive end. And so it’ll be a challenge for us, but we’re really excited about the opportunity tomorrow morning.»
Davis: «Armando’s just — everybody wants somebody that, No. 1, can rebound the basketball consistently; and No. 2, can consistently score around the basket. And that’s what he’s been for us. I mean, the numbers that he has put up has been historic, whether it’s in our program or just in Division I. I mean, his ability to rebound on both ends, stay out of foul trouble, be able to score consistently around the basket. And he’s also a rim protector. So many times guards are trying to penetrate, get to the rim, and if he doesn’t block it, he’ll alter those shots. I’m really so proud of Armando.
«The work that he — that’s the thing that you guys don’t get an opportunity to see, is to see all the hard work that these kids put in the offseason, the things that they do before and after practice. The things that they do before class, you know, early mornings, late nights. And to see all that hard work come out in the way that he has played, it’s really a pleasure to watch.»
Davis: «Well, I got the chance to know Scott, really, when I was with ESPN and spent so many times doing Big 12 games. And when I was on game day, we had one at Waco. And so, I was able to spend time with him there. Not only is he, obviously, an outstanding coach, just the way that he relates to people and to his players, they love playing for him. Obviously, knows the game. But I think the foundation of what makes him such a great coach is his relationships with his players. And they play hard for him.
«And the success that he’s had at Baylor is something that is not a surprise to me. He’s somebody that any kid would want to play for. And I’m excited that we have an opportunity to play against him tomorrow.»
Davis: «Success. I think we’ve won 13 out of the last 16 games, something like that, the last seven out of the last eight. And, you know, all the things that we had talked about and the things that we had worked on all year, for that to come out being successful in games, whether it’s late game situations, execution throughout the game, it’s really put ourselves in a position to be very confident about what we’re doing out there on the floor.
«I’ve said this a couple times, that I said, you know, this is the healthiest that this team has been all season, the most together that this team has been all season. And I really think that togetherness and the health of this team is built on the confidence that we’re building throughout the year. You know, this year was a year of newness. You know, this is the first year that I was, you know, head coach and, you know, have Brady and so many new faces. It takes time to build those types of relationships.
«And throughout the year, I just have felt us becoming closer together. And I think that is a huge reason why, us as a team, feel really confident about who we are and what we need to do out there on the floor.»
Hubert, your team is 18-0 and it has at least 15 assists. So coming off the performance you guys had yesterday with 29, how can you try to replicate it and keep those assist numbers high with such an athletic Baylor team tomorrow?
Davis: «Yeah, I really like how many — how we were sharing the basketball. One of the things I always say is, we want — from an offensive standpoint, we want spacing and balance and we want a combination of player and ball movement. And that’s what we had yesterday. And when we’re sharing the basketball and we’re allowing everybody to play a part on the offensive end, I think we’re very difficult to play. We’ve got a number of guys that can shoot the basketball. We’ve got guys that can penetrate and get to the lane and finish. And it stretches teams out.
«And, you know, another stat that I even tell the team is that — I think we’re 14-0 when Caleb has five or more assists. Well, that’s something that I reasoned him before every game, is that I love when you shoot the ball extremely well, but when you’re making plays, not just for yourself, but for others, that takes us to a different level. And then RJ, I think he set a tie or a record for assists in the NCAA tournament, not only 12 assists, but one turnover. It’s just fantastic.»
Coach, you guys have said a few times in the last month plus or so the value of what they learned the week of the Miami and Wake Forest games. And Leaky reiterated it here a few minutes ago, the importance of how you approached them the next day, that being one of the turning points. Can there be something similar said about the Pitt loss at home about something that was learned from that experience, maybe a reminder?
Davis: «Yeah, I wasn’t nice after the Pitt loss. After we lost to Miami and Wake, it was, like, guys, I love you. After the Pitt loss, it was, guys, get over here.»
Was there a similar amount of learning that they got from that, lessons they got from that, maybe a reminder about approaching things?
Davis: «Maybe. After we lost to Pitt, we watched tape the next day. And I just — I put together 20 clips. And I showed them that 20 times from a defensive standpoint that we did something that wasn’t drilled, wasn’t coached, wasn’t taught, and wasn’t practiced. And I just told them, I just — it confused me that we would try to do something in a game that we had not taught, hadn’t talked about, hadn’t practiced, and hadn’t drilled. And then we went out and practiced and we had probably our best practice of the season.
«And after practice, I said, why would you guys play this hard against each other and not play against an opponent? And they — for whatever reason, that seemed to resonate in them. And when we went up to Virginia Tech, we were more together than any time during the season. And we were up there to compete. And I really felt like that Pitt loss reminded us of the way that we felt on that bus ride coming back from Wake Forest, and that we didn’t want to have that feeling again.»
Davis: «Yeah, Marquette. They’re very physical. Virginia Tech, very physical. Virginia, very physical. At Duke, very physical. And so, you know, we played athletic, talented, physical teams throughout the entire season. And, obviously, Baylor’s an unbelievable and awesome team. And it’ll be a challenge for us tomorrow. But it’s something that we’re really excited about. It’s something that we feel prepared for. And we’re up for the challenge to be able to compete and see what we can do against Baylor tomorrow.»
Davis: «Well, he had, like, 45, 50 family members here yesterday. And I was just really happy for him. His brother, Kellen, this was the first time that he got to see Brady play in person yesterday because he was going through his season. And so it’s hard for me to talk about, to think about, and to put it into perspective what Brady has meant to this team, to this program, and to me.
«For a kid that has never lived outside of the state of Oklahoma, for him, in five days, to commit to play for me my first year as head coach and to come to North Carolina, and for this relationship to fit as perfectly as it has, on and off the court, I just don’t think it happens like that all the time. It just doesn’t. You know, I’ve said this 50,000 times, the only bad part about coaching Brady is, is that I only get to coach him this one year. I wish he would have a double COVID year or something that I could coach him again, because he’s been fantastic. I love that dude to death.»
Davis: «Well, Baylor is, you know, as great as they are, they’re a different team than they were last year. We don’t really lean on that type of experience from him, in giving us insight into Baylor. I know that he’s played them a number of times, and I know that he enjoyed his experience at playing in the Big 12. And to say that we’re playing Baylor in the NCAA tournament is pretty cool.
«And so I’m really excited and happy for him. I know that he’s had some battles with Baylor. And it’ll be exciting to see him play against a familiar opponent.»
Davis: «I don’t really care, as long as he hits, makes shots, and continues to be the person that he is. It is long. He needs to get it cut. But I’ve seen pictures of him when he’s — you know, when he is shaved and he looks 11. And so I think he grows the beard to seem like he’s a little bit older. But his beard is long. (Laughing.) But I do not mind, because the way that he plays, and just the type of kid and the person he is, he’s a joy to be around.
«That would be interesting. Because when I played at Carolina, I wondered what Coach Smith would do. You weren’t allowed to have facial hair. So when I was in college, like, if you wanted to have a beard, you needed to go to Coach Smith and give him a note from a doctor to say you had a skin condition in order that you couldn’t shave. So I wonder if Coach Smith would allow Brady to play. I would think he would. He would change that rule just a smidge for Brady to be out there.» (Laughing.)
He’s not much of an outside shooter, but he’s good at getting the rest of the offense involved over there. So what have you noticed from his game in preparation for tomorrow and what kind of challenges do you think that he presents in that backcourt matchup?
Davis: «Well, you know, it presents a number of problems. You know, his athleticism, his ability to understand how to make plays, not just for himself, but for others. His quickness, his ability defensively to create plays and create havoc on the defensive end that allow them to be able to get out in transition. He’s a fantastic player. But there’s a number of fantastic players there. It’s not about individuals for Baylor. They’re great because they have a collection of great players. They’re a terrific team.
«And so — and they’re used to winning. They have a culture of winning. They’re addicted to success. And that’s why they’re defending national champions and that’s why they’re a No. 1 seed. As I said before, it’ll be a challenge for us tomorrow. But we feel like that we have put ourselves in a position to step up to that challenge and to be able to compete and enjoy being in that stage and competing, as well.»
Special Offer
One Month for Only $1
Go VIP – One Month for Only $1
© 2005-2022 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc.
