Hubert Davis Explains When UNC Improvement Began

The North Carolina Tar Heels enter this week with a refreshed feeling, as they responded to a two-game losing streak by winning their last two games. That included pulling evicorating a 16-point deficit against the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday in an 85-80 victory.

It is a result that could catapult North Carolina into an elite form heading into the final two months of the season.

While speaking with the media on Monday during his ACC Weekly Coaches' Call, head coach Hubert Davis explained how Saturday was a reflection of the team's preparation in practice.

Davis' Thoughts

Jan 17, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis talks to media members after the game against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

"I feel like our practices leading up to the [California] game, even though it didn't translate in the game, I felt like we had two good practices there," Davis said. "Since coming back from Christmas, I feel like we're consistently practicing well and stacking days in practice. Each week has its own life of its own. Even though we don't have a midweek game, we're [going to] practice and prepare the same way that we have all year."

"In order to be a good team, you have to sustain that," Davis continued. "You have to sustain being present and locked in and that's something we'll do this week in preparation for a really good Georgia Tech team and then also a really good Syracuse team on Monday."

A major reason for the Tar Heels falling behind by nearly 20 points, was their inability to control the glass. North Carolina was outrebounded 44-28 and lost the offensive rebounding battle 16-8. Davis discussed how the Tar Heels recovered in the second half, but that rebounding must be a strength for this team to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Jan 17, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (left) talks with forward Caleb Wilson (8) during the second half against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

"I felt like we rebounded better," Davis said. "I know we got killed on the boards by 16, but I feel like we rebounded better in the second half. What ignites us in transition, what allows us to get out, and there were two or three pitch-aheads even after a made basket. I felt like we rebounded better and we really were able to get some easy layups, easy points early in the possession."

"And that was an emphasis for us against Virginia because they're such a good defensive team," Davis continued. "They have so much length and I felt like their defense gets stronger the longer that the possession goes, and so if we can find some ways to get great shots early, that would be good for us, and we were able to find those more often in the second half than in the first."

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