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Suddenly, Hubert Davis’ learning curve isn’t quite as steep.
The third-year Carolina head coach has had a tough two years at the helm. So-so first season until the Tar Heels got hot and went from a No. 8 seed to leading at halftime of the NCAA championship game. We all know what happened last season.
College basketball has become a year-round sport with full team practice and recruiting that now factors in the transfer portal, who is leaving and who is transferring to find more playing time or maybe more NIL money.
When the current schedule came out last summer, it looked daunting with non-conference games with three programs (Villanova, Kentucky and UConn) that have all cut down the biggest nets this century. And then three straight ACC road games to start the new year.
There is an old coaching expression “Defense travels,” meaning some nights the shots aren’t falling but you can always play consistently hard on defense no matter wherever and against whomever.
It is clear now that Davis traded seven outgoing transfers for five who bring an attitude that reminds us of the Tar Heels when Hubert was in school – play hard, play smart, play together and have some fun.
No reason to recite who left and why, but the newcomers (all older heads like Cormac Ryan) seem like they want to win on the biggest stage, and everything is team-first.
To start the new calendar year, defense is traveling with these Tar Heels, which Davis called “elite” after hard-earned wins at Pitt, Clemson and N.C. State. We know offense can become contagious among all the players, and while Carolina is not shooting the lights out so far in ACC play, its defense is traveling to the point where the opponents are eventually overwhelmed.
Harrison Ingram already had 5 (of his 19) rebounds in the first eight minutes in Raleigh, and he put it into another gear after Armando Bacot sat down with two fouls and no rebounds. Ingram went flying over a sideline table almost into the arms of a big State booster, and Elliot Cadeau executed what the coaches have been preaching in practice to get 6 assists off pick and rolls and also made 4 of 8 shots when he found himself and the lanes open.
R.J. Davis continues to make big shots even if he is yet to receive the national recognition he deserves. His new teammates are great matches for his determined nature, enough for the coach to almost settle on that eight-man rotation with the subs getting more playing time and more comfortable.
Now comes two trap ACC games for 4-0 UNC. Syracuse is 11-4 under a new coach who does not play zone exclusively. Louisville is 6-9 but good enough to win at Miami, no easy task. The Heels are unbeaten at home and will stay that way if they don’t leave their defense in the locker room.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
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