When it comes to sports, it's so easy to get wrapped up in a player's stat line.
Yes, we all love it when Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar post double-double outings, or when Jonathan Powell has a career night shooting the basketball. Those aspects play a significant role in the UNC basketball program's success, as evident in their latest victory over USC Upstate on Saturday afternoon.
However, you can't forget the little plays that end up making major impacts. While some of these plays don't typically show up in the final box score, they made a tremendous impact on the final outcome of the game.
Hubert Davis is well-aware of what goes on when he's coaching his team on the court, and pointed to a specific play that he considered his "play of the game."
That play was not made by the likes of Wilson, Veesaar or Powell, but came from a sparingly-used role player off the bench.
The play that stood out to Hubert Davis
After the game, Davis spoke to the media about the production he received from his bench. During Saturday's victory, 10 of North Carolina's 11 scholarship players saw action, as the lone one who didn't play was in street clothes due to injury (Seth Trimble).
Davis raved about his reserve unit, pointing to a play that backup big man James Brown made that he felt really helped spark the Tar Heels.
JB (James Brown) dove on the floor, I was animated there, you know," Davis said. "And so because that was hustle, and it might not show up on Instagram stories, but I thought it was the biggest play of the game."
Why it's important
Let's face it: the first game back following finals week is typically one where the UNC basketball program isn't on its "A" game.
A stressful week in the classroom, along with the fact that the energy in the Dean Smith Center could be down due to students heading home for winter break, at times it appeared that the Tar Heels were going through the motions. Yes, they had a distinct talent advantage, but at some points it felt like the effort wasn't where it needed to be.
For Brown, a guy who is looking to earn more playing time, making a hustle play like he did is one that certainly caught the attention of his head coach. You won't see a column on his stat line for "diving on the floor to control a loose ball," but it's a play that Hubert Davis was impressed by and certainly won't forget.