Hubert Davis on Elon's second half surge: "I'm glad that we were in that situation"

While the UNC basketball program secured a double-digit victory on Monday night, the Tar Heels were certainly battle-tested.

In fact, Elon took the lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the game, storming back from a double-digit deficit.

While Elon surged, North Carolina was able to stop the bleeding, retaking over control of the game en route to a season opening victory.

After the game, head coach Hubert Davis was asked about what he said to his team in the huddle once the Phoenix took the lead. Based on his quote, Davis seems encouraged that his team was able to respond the way they did.

"I did exactly say that in the huddle. I said, 'I'm glad that we're in this situation.' I said, 'we're going to be in this situation a number of times.' We've talked in practice about how we're going to react, how we're going to respond. From a defensive standpoint, we have to be sound and disciplined. We've got to get stops. We got to finish the defensive possession with rebounding, and then on the offensive end, got to take care of the basketball. We got to get shots and get the shots to the guys that can make shots. And I thought we were really intentional about doing that. I think we went on a 11-0 run. And from that standpoint for the first game, I mean, there's a lot to learn. We've gone on the road at Memphis. We've played here at home, and now we play against a really good Elon team, and we're down by two with seven minutes to go. There's a lot to learn from and to be encouraged about how we've responded in those situations."

Let's not get it twisted: by no means did Davis want to see his team squander a double-digit lead like the Tar Heels did in the second half. However, it was a very valuable learning experience for North Carolina, a team that is mostly made up of newcomers. As Davis said, the UNC basketball program is going to be in these types of situations multiple times throughout the 2024-2025 season, so to be able to be battle-tested and come out with a win was definitely an encouraging sight to see.

While some might look at the game spread and say, "Well, North Carolina should've dominated Elon," it's important to remember some key items. For starters, Elon returned the majority of its roster from a season ago, as the continuity factor and veteran presence were a tough challenge for the Tar Heels (especially when they switched from man to zone defensive sets). The Phoenix also shot the ball extremely well, a common trait for non-conference foes who visit the Dean Smith Center.

The UNC basketball will certainly take the victory and use it as a valuable learning experience. Being battle-tested right out of the gate is simply an early taste of what this year's team can expect essentially night in and night out.