Defense let North Carolina Down in Loss to SMU, Davis Says

The North Carolina Tar Heels fell to the SMU Mustangs 97-83 on Saturday afternoon, snapping their seven-game winning streak. North Carolina had gone through December without losing a single game in that span.

Heading into Saturday, the Tar Heels were allowing fewer than 68 points per game, so the 97 points surrendered to the Mustangs were jarring. North Carolina's defense was somewhat exposed, as SMU's offense got whatever it wanted every possession.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, head coach Hubert Davis explained North Carolina's defensive shortcomings on Saturday afternoon.

Davis' Thoughts

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis yells to his team during the first half against the SMU Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

No, I mean, they're a physical group," Davis said. "They're athletic. They're big. We knew they were going to be physical, and that's something we talked about at every step in our preparation for SMU. "That's what teams have been doing against us — being physical, trying to get us off our spots and make our passes and drives difficult. They were able to do that."

"But we still shot 48 percent from the field," Davis continued. "You're not going to win many games — if any — if a team shoots 60 percent. As difficult as offense was, we still shot 50 percent from the field and probably shot the ball the best from three."

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Kyan Evans (0) and center Henri Veesaar (13) and guard Derek Dixon (3) and forward Caleb Wilson (8) and guard Seth Trimble (7) come back on the court during the second half against the SMU Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"As I've said before, it starts and ends with defense, rebounding and taking care of the basketball," Davis explained. "Defensively, we just didn't play the way we needed to win a game on the road."

North Carolina's offense produced his most efficient outing of the season, shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range. However, that does not account for much when the opposing team eclipses 60 percent from the field. Davis spoke on that following the game on Saturday.

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) drives to the basket past North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"But again, it just goes back to defense," Davis said. "It is what it is. For us to be the best team that we can possibly become, we have to be a good defensive team."

"Heading into this game, we were one or two in the conference in field-goal percentage defense, and SMU shot 60 percent from the field," Davis said. "That's just not going to get it done against them or anybody else."

The Tar Heels have some things to address heading into their next game on Saturday against Wake Forest. North Carolina needs to produce a complete game in that contest and build confidence as it moves into the heart of conference play.

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