The UNC basketball program has another tough challenge ahead in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Hubert Davis and his team will face Kentucky in a late-night clash. This game marks the third time this season that the Tar Heels and their opponent were both ranked in the AP Top 25 poll at the time of their meeting on the basketball court.
Ahead of his team's trip to Lexington, Davis spoke to the media in Chapel Hill. Listen to what the coach of the Tar Heels had to say, and view some key quotes below.
Takeaways from Michigan State Loss
“From an offensive standpoint, just stuff that we talked about heading into the game, and just moving forward, our execution has to be better. Obviously, we took care of the basketball. We had eight turnovers, but just the execution part, in regard to setting solid, legal screens, getting to the offensive glass, those little things that make big things happen. Then, from a defensive standpoint, just boxing out, we have been straightforward about how important rebounding is. And Michigan State got an offensive rebound off their misses 41 percent of the time. And so shot 51 percent, they got 46 points in the paint. So those are things that aren’t good, and for us to be successful, those are things that we have to do well, and we have to do well consistently.”
The need for physicality against Kentucky
“In regard to winning the battle in the trenches, I talked to the guys at great length. Making a reference in regards to football, you can have the quarterback, the receivers, the running backs, but all that is done in the trenches. It’s done on the offensive, defensive line, and so for basketball, from an offensive standpoint, it’s taking care of the basketball. It’s dominating points in the paint. Defensively, it’s boxing out, it’s protecting the paint. Those are all the things. When the ball goes up in the air, and it goes on the ground, it can’t be 50/50 loose balls. It’s got to be all UNC.”
What impresses Davis about Kentucky
“They can really shoot. They’ve got guys with deep range, can really shoot the basketball, but these guys can also put the ball on the floor. They can penetrate and get to the basket. Very versatile on the offensive end. They are basketball players. They can pass, they can penetrate, they can shoot. Defensively, they’ve got the versatility to switch a number of different rotations, and then they have bigs that can block and alter shots. So it’ll be a challenge for us, but we’re excited about the challenge tomorrow night.”