Top UNC Quotes Heading into Selection Sunday

The North Carolina Tar Heels head into Selection Sunday with a level of uncertainty, as they will enter the NCAA tournament on a two-game skid, with losses against Duke and Clemson.

Here are quotes from the past week that carry weight into the bracket reveal for the Tar Heels. What will North Carolina focus on when it prepares for its first-round matchup on either Thursday or Friday of this upcoming week?

Physicality and Rebounding

Mar 3, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers forward RJ Godfrey (0) posts up against North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) during the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

"I think rebounding is going to be big for us," Derek Dixon said after the loss to Duke. "All of us have to pitch in, not just Henri [Veesaar], not just Zayden [High] or Jarin [Stevenson], [we can't just] rely on them."

"All the guards pitching in. That's what killed us tonight (Saturday) - offensive rebounds. We just have to be better with that. Taking care of the ball - we're going to have to [clean] that up on the offensive end."

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) dribbles during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

"Yeah, just the inability to respond to physicality," Hubert Davis said when explaining what led to the team's struggles against the Tigers. "I felt like it was the same thing Saturday of last week, and for most of the game tonight."

"Clemson has always been physical defensively, and one of the things I always say is you never let a defense dictate and decide how efficient you are on the offensive end. And I felt like their physicality took us out of our offense, took us off of our cuts, our screens, our moves, and didn't really respond to that until the latter part of the second half."

Feb 28, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis with guard Seth Trimble (7) in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"Then also, I've been straightforward about - for us to be a good team, we've just got to be good defensively," Davis continued. "I've said defense and rebounding and taking care of the basketball."

Buying In and Playing Aggressive

Mar 3, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) celebrates with guard Seth Trimble (7) during the second half against the Clemson Tigers at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

“That we have a chance to do some big things in March and April, but it’s hard, you know," Seth Trimble explained. "We have to buy in. And we can't buy it for some parts of the game like we did today.”

"We were just playing as a team, just trying to be aggressive," Henri Veesaar said. "I know they played long possessions, so we had to do quick offense because otherwise the clock was going to run out before we could get there."

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) drives during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

"Yeah, just really trying to be aggressive, trying to get the best shot, get an early shot and then fight as hard as we can for offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, trying to just get us back into the game."