Hubert Davis Drops Unexpected Revelation After UNC’s Thrilling Saturday Victory

The North Carolina Tar Heels have carved out an impressive 9-1 record, thanks in no small part to their gritty performance at the Dean Dome this past Saturday. They faced off against USC Upstate, a team that didn’t just roll over but stuck around longer than anticipated, pushing UNC to dig deep before finally pulling ahead in the latter half. Caleb Wilson put on a show, notching 20 points coupled with 11 rebounds, while Henri Veesaar and Luka Bogavac chipped in solid contributions with 14 and 15 points respectively. But perhaps the most electrifying subplot was Jonathan Powell’s unexpected surge off the bench—17 points including three clutch triples—that helped tilt the scales. All this set the stage for a critical tune-up ahead of their CBS Sports Classic showdown against Ohio State. Before we jump ahead to that big game, though, it’s worth diving into what head coach Hubert Davis had to say post-game—his insights shed light on the team’s mindset, challenges, and hopes moving forward. LEARN MORE

The North Carolina Tar Heels moved to 9-1 after another home win, this time taking down USC Upstate in the Dean Dome on Saturday afternoon. While they let the Spartans hang around more than they wanted too, UNC eventually pulled away in the second half.

A big reason why was the play of Caleb Wilson who scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Henri Veesaar had 14 points and 9 rebounds while Luka Bogavac had 15 points. A big surprise was Jonathan Powell who had 17 points off the bench including making three of his six three-point attempts.

It was important for UNC to get a win ahead of Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic game against Ohio State. But before we get too far ahead, let’s see what Hubert Davis had to say after the Tar Heels’ win over the Spartans.

All quotes via Inside Carolina.

On Jonathan Powell’s 17 points

“I thought he played well on both ends. I mean, obviously, he’s a guy that could make shots, and today he not only made shots, but timely shots, especially from three. I think it was an eight-point game in the second half. He had a three-pointer in the corner to get it to double figures, and extended the lead for the remainder of the game. He’s also a really physical defender, very competitive, and just has a passion and a desire to be a part of this team and this program. So I’m really happy that he had a good game today.”

On players hinting practices weren’t up to par this past week

“It’s a tremendous lesson. I told him, I’m a visual learner. I can’t remember things, but if I see it, I remember it for the rest of my life, and my hope is, is that they could clearly see that there is a connection between how you prepare and how you practice in relation to how you play.”

“I identified the areas that have to be there every day. It’s not the missed shots and the turnovers; everybody misses shots, everybody turns the ball over, everybody makes mistakes. I just think the things that you have control over, I think those things are non-negotiable. You have to bring it every day. That’s energy, effort, attention to detail, enthusiasm, and you can’t use an excuse that we have final exams. I’m married, and I’ve got three kids, and I got prepared for this game early.”

On being animated in the Under-8 timeout in first half

“There’s a lot to be happy and excited and proud about. The 20 assists, I felt like we really shared the basketball. We took good shots, we took care of the basketball, and so from that standpoint, I was really happy with the team. I just didn’t feel like the practices leading up to the game were at the level of attention to detail that is required to put yourself in a position to be successful.”

On Seth Trimble’s possible return?

“I mean, it’s going very well. In regard to him working out, he’s doing everything that’s non-contact. So the next step is doing everything with contact. And so my hope is that Seth will be out there soon.”

On conceding 11 offensive rebounds to USC Upstate

“Unacceptable. One of the things we want to be is a great offensive rebounding team. We want to be a great defensive rebounding team as well, and for them to have more offensive rebounds than us is not good, and for us to out-rebound them only by three. When I’ve talked about rebounding and how important it is for us to dominate points in the paint, in regard to rebounding in that area, we did not play well.”

On using 10 players in the first half

“Substitutions are… I mean, there’s just a number of factors. I wish you could script a basketball game. You just never know who’s in foul trouble, what rotations work well, anybody injured, but I was happy with everyone that played today.”

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball: What Hubert Davis said after win over USC Upstate