Key Quotes Fuel UNC Showdown Against East Tennessee State

The North Carolina Tar Heels' weekend win over USC Upstate was underwhelming. Despite winning by 18 points, the Tar Heels lacked in several areas, which allowed the Spartans to stay within striking distance throughout the course of the game.

There were also aspects of the game that should be encouraging for the Tar Heels, who have demonstrated that they are one of the best teams in the country. That was evident in the latest college basketball rankings, which had North Carolina move up two spots to No. 12.

With all that being said, here are the top quotes from this weekend that can be utilized as talking points heading into Tuesday night's contest.

Concentration Levels Must be Higher

Dec 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) at the free throw line in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"I don't think that we were as bought in on defense as we usually are," Powell said. "So, I think as the game went on, we started to pick up our effort and intensity. Then it led to us getting the win."

"We think that we relaxed a couple of times when we play, when we lead with double digits," Bogavac said. "But we can't do this. We can't do this against bigger teams. We should be able to come back to the game after this period of just shooting on the court. So, for us, just take the key to just play 40 minutes hard with effort, and we'll be great."

"I think they just played good basketball, hit some tough shots, and we allowed for offensive rebounds," Wilson said. "Our preparation for practice a couple of days before wasn't as good as it should have been…As a team we just have to approach it stronger and better. Just have more energy and more enthusiasm no matter who we play."

Urgency on the Boards

Dec 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) with the ball as USC Upstate Spartans forward Jafeth Martinez (12) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"Unacceptable. One of the things we want to be a great offensive rebounding team, and we want to be a great defensive rebounding team as well," Davis said. "And for them to have more offensive rebounds than us is not good, and for us to outrebound them only by three. And I talked about rebounding and how important it is for us to dominate points in the paint in regard to rebounding in that area, we did not, we did not play well."

"Well, I didn't know what the rebound differential was during the eight-minute timeout, but I knew that they got multiple offensive rebounds, and they were playing harder to get those offensive rebounds than us, and I felt like we were leaking out in transition," Davis said. "And so that's something that we'll talk about at practice tomorrow."

UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis during a press conference on Dec. 1, 2025 at the Smith Center. | Rodd Baxley/The Fayetteville Observer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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