How NC State Overwhelmed North Carolina, According to Hubert Davis
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RALEIGH — While the mood was celebratory and boastful for NC State after it knocked off No. 16 North Carolina in its first attempt under coach Will Wade, the Tar Heels exhibited a much different tone after the 82-58 debacle. With the team's two leading scorers missing, UNC never stood much of a chance against the feisty Wolfpack.
NC State controlled the game from the jump, with UNC coach Hubert Davis scrambling to come up with some form of response to try to get his team back in the fight. It never worked, leaving Davis only able to compliment what Wade has done in just one season with the Wolfpack. His perspective offered some more context as to how the Pack was so dominant in Tuesday's rivalry rout.
What did Davis say about the Wolfpack?
Sans Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, the Tar Heels were highly vulnerable. Between Quadir Copeland, Darrion Williams and even a hungry Ven-Allen Lubin, there was no lacking motivation for the Wolfpack when UNC walked onto the court for the first time during pregame warmups. If Davis' team was going to have a chance against this version of the Wolfpack, it needed to set the tone early. The Tar Heels did no such thing.
"I just felt like our competitive fight wasn't there, especially from a defensive standpoint," Davis said. "They didn't feel us defensively. They didn't feel our presence at all. We talked about how at the end of the day, it's going to end up being one-on-one defense. Can we defend them without fouling? Are we man enough when the ball goes up in the air and on the ground, can we go get it? And I don't think we did a very good job of that."
Copeland took advantage of the smaller guards for UNC, using all of his 6-foot-6 frame to bully the Tar Heels in the post. He scored 20 points, while also dishing out seven assists without turning the ball over a single time. Throughout his entire performance, he let the visiting Tar Heels hear it, but Davis was complimentary of the Wolfpack guard's outing.
"I felt like he controlled the game. His talent out there is real," Davis said. "He's a 6-6, 6-7 guard, is able to handle the basketball. Really makes great decisions when he has the ball, whether it's for himself or for his teammates because of his length and his size. ... I thought he was really good tonight and he's been that way pretty much all year."
NC State's defense caused significant problems for an already diminished North Carolina offense. The Tar Heels finished the game shooting just 32% from the field, ending the night with just five made 3-point attempts on 33 attempts.
"You've got to give credit to State's defense. They do a really good job of getting in the passing lanes and swiping and getting steals and deflections," Davis said. "We knew we needed to be sound with the basketball on the offensive end... Outside of Jarin (Stevenson) and Zayden (High), we just couldn't generate any good shots consistently."
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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