The Hubert Davis Era is (unofficially) off to a 1-0 start. Carolina fans got their first glimpse of life under the new men’s head basketball coach Friday night, with the Tar Heels defeating Elizabeth City State 83-55 in an exhibition game at the Dean Smith Center.

 

Five Tar Heels reached double-digit scoring totals for Carolina, including sophomore transfer Dawson Garcia, who led UNC with 17 points. Garcia clearly loves playing in Chapel Hill, as he scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a win for Marquette over Carolina last season.

“I think my comfort level’s high,” Garcia said. “We’ve been working out hard and practicing for about two months now. It’s just really getting used to playing in front of big crowds now, and getting our whole group of guys together… being sharp the whole game.”

Garcia and Armando Bacot started as the two big men in Davis’ lineup, although Davis told reporters before the game the starting lineup situation is “fluid.” Caleb Love, R.J. Davis and Kerwin Walton joined Garcia and Bacot as the game’s five starters.

Hubert Davis notably didn’t play his two freshmen, D’Marco Dunn and Dontrez Styles, until late in the second half. Both checked in with 6:36 remaining on the clock. Dunn didn’t score a point in the game, but Styles made his presence felt with a one-handed, putback dunk with 44.5 seconds left, the first points of his Carolina career.

“[There] was no particular reason,” Davis said of his substitution choices. “Other than giving some other guys that have had experience a little earlier look. One of the things I love about D’Marco and also Dontrez is they’re gonna be great players here at Carolina. I love their work ethic; they’re always one of the first guys to get into the gym, they’re one of the last guys to leave practice. And they have so much talent on both ends of the floor. These guys are gonna help us.”

A familiar sight for Carolina fans was the rebounding totals: UNC grabbed 49 boards to just 28 from Elizabeth City State, including 19 offensive rebounds. The Tar Heels racked up 19 second chance points from those 19 offensive rebounds.

Don’t count on a familiar lineup in Tuesday’s regular season opener against Loyola, though. Said Bacot, “We don’t really have a starting lineup. It’s based on the top five defensive grades at your position. I would say we have no starters.”

Should Bacot start again Tuesday night, fans can expect him to take a few more three-point shots. Bacot knocked down his only try from beyond the arc Friday night, and passed up another open opportunity. When he hit the shot, Bacot said he looked over to where former head coach Roy Williams was sitting with his wife Wanda, near the Tar Heel bench. Williams pushed Bacot to develop an outside shot after the 2020-21 season, and Bacot said he got “a look” from Williams after hitting the three.

What kind of a look?

“It was just a smile,” Bacot said. “Just laughing.”

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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