Heels' Davis Refuses to Use H Word After Loss

The North Carolina Tar Heels lost for the first time in six games, falling to the Miami Hurricanes 75-66 on Tuesday night.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, head coach Hubert Davis explained what led to the defeat, but refused to pin on a "hangover".

Davis' Thoughts

Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis reacts from the sideline against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

“I just, respectfully, disagree with the [idea of] a hangover," Davis said. "I just, I don’t believe in that. But you are right, the energy, effort, loose balls up in the air, on the ground, Miami was getting them. And so, rebounding is something that we’ve talked, talk about every day, and talk specifically over the last five games, heading into this game, that we’ve got to be better rebounding the basketball."

"We got out rebounded, I think by six, we talked about taking care of the basketball, and not just turnovers, but also shot selection," Davis continued. "I count that as turnovers. And I think just small discipline and detailed plays - I think that’s what you’re talking about, out of sorts - that wasn’t there consistently today as well.”

The Tar Heels were physically outmatched in multiple departments, but the most alarming development was North Carolina being outscored in the paint 46-28. The 55-year-old head coach explained how Miami was able to create opportunities near the rim.

Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) drives to the basket against Miami Hurricanes center Ernest Udeh Jr. (8) during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

“Well, I mean, that’s what they want to do. I mean, they’ve got guys that can score in the post, they’ve got guards that can get downhill, they’ve got lob threats," Davis said. "They have the personnel to be able to do it. We do too. We want to dominate points in the paint, also through post and penetration offensive rebounds. They just did a better job of it against us tonight.”

The Hurricanes created several issues for North Carolina, holding Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar to a combined 24 points while collectively shooting 9-of-21 from the field. Davis went in depth about Miami's defensive execution.

Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jarin Stevenson (15) drives to the basket against Miami Hurricanes forward Malik Reneau (5) during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

“They did the same things. I mean, they went back to man and zone, and we just, I felt like we settled instead of getting the ball inside," Davis said. "I don’t know how many free throws we took, how many we took in the second half, but we like to dominate points in the paint as well. And how you do that, how you get to the free throw line is, shots towards the basket. And we just couldn’t generate and find consistency to be able to do that, whether it was from our bigs or our guards attacking a basket.”

“I said before that from a defensive standpoint, they switched up from man to zone, made or missed basket, and just different stuff," Davis continued. "The same there was in the first half when we shot 50-something percent. And so, it was nothing different, and we just couldn’t find a rhythm offensively, getting to the basket, getting points in a paint, which allows us to generate those good threes, that allows us to shoot a high percentage. Just didn’t play well enough in the second half to be able to pull away to win.”

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