UNC’s BYU Preseason Game Reveals Plenty of Positives

There were plenty of takeaways from North Carolina’s exhibition against BYU, and many of them were positive.

Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis during the first half of a first round NCAA men’s tournament game against the Mississippi Rebels at Fiserv Forum. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

On this episode of the Tar Heels Insider Podcast, beat writers Grant Chachere and Jeremiah Artacho recapped North Carolina’s 78-76 loss to No. 8 BYU in Friday night’s exhibition game.

The full episode of the podcast is available below,

A partial transcript from North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis’ press conference ahead of the BYU exhibition.

How has the increase in these public exhibition games changed the way you approach the preseason?

Caleb Wilson | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

Normally, it’s been behind closed doors and private, and you have more of a hands-on approach. In regards to, ‘hey, let’s look at going up against a zone, or going up against a press, or let’s do situational stuff. But there’s huge benefits in playing games like this."

"I mean, obviously, playing against such a really good opponent in BYU, it gives us an opportunity to be able to take a clear look at us and things that we’re doing well, things that we need to improve on before the regular season starts.

Same thing that happens in the NBA. So, it gives us a chance to do that. I think it’s also really beneficial for us to go on the road… To be on a true road game, there’s a lot that you can learn about your team, and it’s something that is invaluable to be able to learn that prior to the regular season starting.

With a lot of eyes on a high-profile exhibition game like this, do you hold back anything for scouting reasons?

Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis during the first half of a first round NCAA men’s tournament game against the Mississippi Rebels at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

No, I don’t think there’s a situation where you hold things back. I mean, I think there’s situational stuff that we haven’t practiced yet, and so in that scenario, you are playing what you have practiced at that point. And so that’s what we’ll do against BYU, and that’ll give us a good indication on things that we need to work on moving forward

What are you looking for from UNC on Friday night in Salt Lake City?

Oct 4, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) with the ball as forward James Brown (2) defends in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The huge bullet points that we’ve talked about and identified every day since we’ve come together as a team. From a defensive standpoint, us being, and I’ve been clear and definitive, we’ve got to be a really good defensive team, good rebounding team, for us to have a chance to be the best team that we can possibly become.

Looking at our pace, we play a tremendous pace, taking care of the basketball, doing a much better job this year, getting to the offensive glass. And so those are big picture, very important things that I’m looking for out of the scrimmage on our exhibition game on Friday.

How important is it for freshmen to get an experience like this in front of a road crowd?

UNC basketball freshman Derek Dixon during a press conference on Oct. 3, 2025, inside the Smith Center media room. | Rodd Baxley/The Fayetteville Observer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s important for them to get out there on the floor. But, these guys have been exposed to a number of different situations, not like when I was playing in the NBA arena for the first time, it was very different for me. These guys have done it since high school.

They do it in AAU, and so the moment is never too big for them. And actually, it’s the exact opposite. They run towards it. And so it’ll be exciting for all of our players to be able to play on Friday.

Some of your players have characterized this team as a hungry and competitive group. Have you picked up on those traits throughout the preseason?

UNC head coach Hubert Davis along with players Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar at ACC Tipoff.; Oct. 7, 2025 | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels In SI

I’ve picked that up and noticed that this is a very competitive group. It’s a team that I don’t have to poke and prod to get after it. They already do, and that’s exactly what you want. They compete extremely hard out there on the floor, and then they’re in the locker room laughing and joking around. And that’s the type of team that you want to have.

Mar 17, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis coaches during the First Four Practice at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

And also, it’s beneficial in games like this to be able to see how you handle everything is good when everything is going  well. But how do you handle adversity? You know, the team goes on a run, how do you how do you do you come together? Do you get stronger? And those are things that it’s really important to see and identify, especially before the regular season starts.

Be sure to follow North Carolina Tar Heels On SI on X (formerly Twitter), and don’t forget to like our page on Facebook!