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Hubert Davis addresses how current UNC players are making their own Final Four memories

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax04/02/22

BarkleyTruax

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Tom Pennington via Getty Images.

For a first year head coach to take a program like North Carolina to the Final Four was unheard of — until Hubert Davis’ team caught fire during the second half of the regular season and carried that momentum into the NCAA Tournament. Now, his team is enjoying the luxuries that come with making a Final Four.

“That’s the thing, as I told you before, that brings me so much joy, I don’t have to talk about what it feels like to be at the Final Four or to come up big in a big-time situation in a Carolina uniform,” Davis said. “They have a number of stories this year that they can draw upon, grab onto for enjoyment, for peace, for confidence. And that’s great.

“One of the biggest things for me yesterday was watching them walk out to the floor. Before we went out to practice, I said this is the first and only time I want you to bring your phones. We walked out there, and they were, like, why are you telling us to bring our phones. I said, just do it.”

As his team walked out, just to see the Final Four floor for the first time, just to see how big this place was, the smiles on their faces. Davis said it was like when his children come down to unwrap Christmas presents. The Tar Heels were blown away with everything that comes with getting a chance to be a part of the Final Four.

Caleb Love, a freshman, wondered if every seat was going to be filled for the Duke vs. Carolina game — the obvious answer is yes. Love asked about an open practice to fans and media and all the other extra exposure that comes with making a Final Four. Davis questioned Love about if the freshman was okay in the limelight, to which Love responded ‘yes.’

“I was, like, ‘OK, just want to make sure because I need you to make some buckets’.” Davis joked. “But that kid-like attitude was great. So for me to be able to experience that, it’s interesting. I wanted them to have stories and testimonies and memories. You know what they’re doing? They’re giving me more, which is really, really cool.”

North Carolina is set to battle the Duke Blue Devils in the third installment of the greatest rivalry in college basketball this season, and the stakes have never been higher with a trip to the national championship game on the line. Tip is set for approximately 8:49 p.m. ET live on TBS.