Chansky’s Notebook: How The Heels Did It

Is Carolina good enough to beat Duke for a second time?

Hubert Davis answered some questions Tuesday about the maturation of his basketball team over the last six weeks of the season. Why, exactly, are the Tar Heels playing so much better since the surprising home loss to Pitt, winning 10 of the last 11?

Davis says he always had confidence in these players even when they were losing games by double-digits. “Why wouldn’t I?” he said. “I saw that they had a chance, and it’s my job to stay positive. I love these guys, they trusted me as a first-year coach.”

It starts with the improvement of his “combo guards” R.J. Davis and Caleb Love, whose back-to-back 30-point games against Baylor and UCLA led these Tar Heels to UNC’s 21st Final Four.

“They had no senior (backcourt) leader on the team last year to show them the way,” Hubert Davis said. “Both of them can score and are taking care of the basketball much better than last year and earlier this year.”

As sophomores, Love and R.J. Davis have bettered their three-point shooting from their freshman season and steadily improved their assist-to-turnover ratios. UNC is 14-0 in games when Love dishes out four or more assists.

Love has become a lethal outside shooter when he gets hot, as he did against UCLA in the Sweet 16 with six three-pointers that helped the Heels pull out the tenuous game. “He’s not afraid to fail,” Hubert said. “I don’t know where we’d be without Caleb.”

Armando Bacot has set UNC and ACC records for rebounding and double-doubles, and while he unquestionably has a nose for the ball coming off the rim, he is also playing with the perfect stretch forward in the country for his game: Brady Manek is shooting 40 percent on three-pointers and also has 70 assists. “I knew he was experienced and could shoot the ball,” Hubert said of Manek. “But I didn’t know he is such a great passer and instinctive player.”

And senior Leaky Black has finally received credit as one of the best defensive players in the college game, regularly shutting out forwards and guards of all sizes.

Davis took ownership of a car with some broken and new parts. And it was his job to fix it and get the car running smoothly again. He said the team’s shared time together over the months led to the Final Four.

Whether these humming Tar Heels can beat national championship favorite Duke a second time in a month will be the test of a season that’s gone from nowhere to something special.

Featured image via Todd Melet

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

‹

Chansky's Notebook: No-Win Situation

Art Chansky writes about how UNC Football's Mack Brown is in a challenging spot with players opting out of the Orange Bowl to prepare for the NFL.

Chansky's Notebook: Brilliant Vision

David Tepper has some soccer people in Raleigh really worried. The new owner of the Carolina Panthers has a vision for his franchise, and it is spectacular. In the meantime, as an aside, he sent a message to Major League Soccer, which has been heavily recruited by the city of Raleigh to put a franchise […]

Chansky's Notebook: Swimmingly

Carolina in Nassau amounted to a pre-class beach trip. Compared to Duke, whose two exhibition victories in Canada before sell-out crowds were national news, the Tar Heels held four practices and then boarded a plane to Nassau for the fourth time since Roy Williams has been the head coach. NCAA rules allow college basketball teams […]

Chansky's Notebook: Warming Up To Woods

It seems that golf legend Tiger Woods is winning his way back into our hearts. The man who once held the title of world’s greatest golfer is doing his very best to prove his professional life could indeed begin again at 40. After being written off by most of the masses and media following six […]

Glenn's Notebook: Storm Coming

The Carolina Hurricanes, going all the way back to the birth of their franchise in 1972 as the Hartford Whalers, have never had a better regular season than the one they finished at PNC Arena in Raleigh last night. While a Metropolitan Division championship by itself may not be enough to move the state of […]

Glenn's Notebook: For Millions Of Americans, NFL Draft Is Must-See TV

Decades ago, the National Football League passed Major League Baseball as the most lucrative sports organization in the world. The NFL Draft, which begins tonight in Las Vegas with the first round and runs through Saturday, offers another major reminder why. Millions of Americans care, and they care a lot, even when games aren’t being […]

Chansky's Notebook: Age Matters

The Final Four experience is all about experience. What Kansas proved with its dramatic win over Carolina is that experience counts in college basketball. Despite all the hype and hoopla of one-and-dones, the Jayhawks and Tar Heels played for the national championship without a freshman on the court. Kansas won because it was older and […]

Chansky's Notebook: Big Easy Again?

Will Carolina own Bourbon Street for the third time? Some afterthoughts on the biggest Carolina-Duke game of all time in which the winner had every right to declare it the signature game of the storied rivalry. Whatever happened in Durham when assistant coaches Chris Carrawell and Nolan Smith blew off the post-game handshake with Hubert […]

Chansky's Notebook: Here's To Fair Play

How the game is called Saturday night could be the difference. Let’s begin with the premise that Duke has more talent and a slightly deeper roster, but Carolina has become the better TEAM over the last six weeks when the Blue Devils were struggling. Both teams reached the Final Four by playing good basketball, Duke […]

Chansky's Notebook: How The Heels Did It

Is Carolina good enough to beat Duke for a second time? Hubert Davis answered some questions Tuesday about the maturation of his basketball team over the last six weeks of the season. Why, exactly, are the Tar Heels playing so much better since the surprising home loss to Pitt, winning 10 of the last 11? […]

›