Instant Reaction: North Carolina Wins, but Navy Fights Hard

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – On this episode of the Tar Heels Insider Podcast, beat writer Grant Chachere reported from the Dean Smith Center after North Carolina's 73-61 win over Navy. Chachere offered his analysis of the Tar Heels' performance and discussed his biggest concerns for the team moving forward.

Here is a partial transcript from Hubert Davis' postgame press conference.

Coach, a few of the players told us they held a team meeting after your postgame talk. They said they were bothered by the 15–0 run and some other stretches tonight, even in a win. What’s your reaction to them calling that meeting on their own, and do you like having a group that takes that kind of ownership after a game they didn’t feel they played well in?

UNC — Nov 18, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis looks on during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at Dean E. Smith Center. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

I mean, that's great that they're, you know, communicating and talking amongst themselves. And you're right. You know, I think we had a 24-point lead. We went on a 15-0 run, and then down the stretch, 17-3. And so was disappointed in how we finished the game.

I felt like the sustained energy in the first half wasn't there, but I thought we picked it up in the second half. We were playing well, and just unfortunate that we didn't finish the game better than the way that we did.

This season, the team has had some slow starts in the first half—for example, the score was 38-31 at halftime. What have you noticed about the team's performance early in games, and what do you think contributes to them picking up the intensity in the second half?

Nov 18, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) drives on Navy Midshipmen center Aidan Kehoe (99) during the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Well, I mean, I don't necessarily think slow in the first half. You know, navy, they're they're methodical in their approach, in regards to, you know, switching up defenses. Man, zone. When they're in zone, you throw the ball in the middle.

When they match you up man, they pick up full court, three quarter court, just a number. Sometimes they play football, which we means that they don't switch any off the ball and they go switch everything.

And so for this new group, new team, to be able to read and adapt through the changes, I felt like it took us to the second half to really get a rhythm. We got stops, we got out in transition. I mean, that says, you know, once we get stops and we're able to get out in transition. That's when we're at our best.

Navy, as a service academy, represents more than just basketball. Their players go on to serve in the military for four or five years after they finish playing. What does it mean for your program to compete against a team with that kind of mission and commitment? What lessons do you think your team can learn from facing them?

Nov 18, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jarin Stevenson (15) drives on Navy Midshipmen guard Austin Benigni (1) during the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Well, a number of things. I've been to the Naval Academy. We played there (for the Veterans Day Classic) and was it the 15-16 season, and we were there for three or four days and I just saw the commitment that they make every day.

I've been at West Point, I've been to the Citadel. And my wife is an Army child, and so I understand the sacrifice that all of them make for us to be able to experience the life that we all live, and it's an act of service, not just for themselves, but it's bigger than themselves.

UNC — Dean Smith Center | Grant Chachere, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

And so that's a message that I've preached to our guys is that playing here at North Carolina is an act of service. It's not just about you, it's about it's about the we. It's about our team. It's about our program, this university and community. And I always believe that you're at your best when you go outside of yourself, and you're playing for more than just just yourself.

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