CHAPEL HILL — “Wounded” from a three-game losing streak, UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis says the Tar Heels have a “perfect time” to “heal” after a tough start to the season.
Following a 68-65 win against Georgia Tech in the ACC opener, the 20th-ranked Tar Heels (5-4, 1-0 ACC) won’t hit Roy Williams Court again until facing La Salle (6-3) on Dec. 14 (4 p.m., CW Network) at the Smith Center.
“I think our team, a little bit, has been wounded by that (three-game losing streak). Didn’t play fast and free but played tight and tentative,” Davis said. “My hope is, this week before our next game, it comes at the perfect time for us to heal, so that we can play fast and free and play the best that we can play.”
Recap of UNC’s win vs Georgia Tech
It’s the “perfect chance,” Davis added, for UNC to hit the reset button with a week of practice and preparation for what’s on the horizon.
“100 percent. I think it’s the perfect chance for us,” he said. “When I say a chance for us to heal, that’s what I’m talking about. A chance for us to take a deep breath and practice.”
Following their home game against the Explorers, the Tar Heels have two neutral-site opportunities against No. 13 Florida (9-0) in Charlotte on Dec. 17 (7 p.m., ESPN) and UCLA (7-1) in New York on Dec. 21 (3 p.m., CBS).
“The only thing on my plan, on my agenda, is for them to max out everything that they can do on the court, off the court and in the classroom,” Davis said of his team. “I want them to be great. I’m not gonna settle for anything less than the best that they can be out there on the floor.”
Seth Trimble, RJ Davis said Tar Heels feel ‘stress’ from slow start
Seth Trimble and RJ Davis, UNC’s leading scorers on the season and against the Yellow Jackets (4-5, 0-1), feel like the Tar Heels have been playing stressed because of the slow start.
“You start losing, these days get longer,” said Trimble, who scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds on Saturday.
“I think a lot of guys on this team are feeling just stress and pressure from the media, the families, whatever it was. I definitely think guys were feeling it. … I feel like guys were feeling this pressure, and it was kind of taking a toll on them on the court.”
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RJ Davis had 16 points but continued to struggle with his 3-point shot, missing six of his eight attempts from long range.
“For us to play like I know we can, we just gotta relax a little bit,” UNC’s fifth-year guard said. “I think we’re trying to be too perfect.”
Looking at the week ahead, RJ Davis said the focus will be on “sharpening everything.”
“Overall, just continue to keep playing together and have some fun with it,” he said. “I think sometimes we get down on ourselves because shots aren’t falling. At the end of the day, basketball is supposed to be fun.”
UNC basketball’s turnovers, 3-point shooting, ‘quieter’ demeanor
Turnovers, 3-point shooting and communication defensively have been UNC basketball’s weaknesses in their poorest performances this season.
“We’ve gotta get better in those areas,” Hubert Davis said, adding that he was pleased with the Tar Heels’ defensive improvements and rebounding against the Yellow Jackets.
UNC had a season-high 48 rebounds but a season-worst 18 turnovers on Saturday and shot 21.8% from 3-point range.
“We don’t need home runs, we just need singles,” Davis said of the turnovers, reiterating a phrase he picked up during his time at ESPN from former Davidson coach Bob McKillop.
As for the shooting woes, Davis said the Tar Heels will be doing a lot of shooting drills with hopes of turning the tide in that area to help get “our flow and our pace back” offensively.
Then there’s the improvements needed from a communication standpoint on the court.
Trimble, who said the Tar Heels “just need to be some dogs,” has been leading the way in vocal leadership. It’s something of which UNC will need more moving forward from him and RJ Davis as they try to string together some wins.
“It’s a lot quieter than year’s past. … This group is going to have to find its own unique voice,” Hubert Davis said. “It doesn’t have to look like previous years, it doesn’t have to look like somebody else’s personality. But each team, you have to have a voice.”
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Hubert Davis’ to-do list for UNC basketball after win vs Georgia Tech
