Hubert Davis discusses need for more leaders in North Carolina locker room

Hubert Davis’ North Carolina Tar Heels came up short once again on Tuesday, falling to their in-state ACC rival Wake Forest.

In a disappointing turn of events for UNC faithful, their team fell on the road 92-85, getting ran out of the gym and trailing by 22 at the end of the first half. Afterwards, Davis discussed how the Tar Heels’ leaders need to step up amid some trying times once again during the 2022-23 season,

“I never looked at stats. Everything, at the end of the day, was to be the best that you could be, and at the end of the day, be happy with the results. So what I want is for every kid on this team and for this team to reach its full potential,” began Davis. “That’s what I want. That’s the only thing that I want. At the end of the day, wherever that lies. We can chart the box of us reaching our full potential.”

Evidently, Davis doesn’t believe his veteran core of players are doing that, and is looking for more from the Tar Heels are they enter a pivotal stretch in their season.

Moreover, North Carolina fell to 15-9 on the season and 7-6 in conference play with the loss to the Demon Deacons. Additionally, Tar Heels are now essentially mathematically eliminated from the possibility of capturing the ACC regular season title.

If they continue to struggle down the stretch, not even a successful run in the ACC tournament could save their season — unless they win it, of course. But if they continue to struggle, North Carolina could very well end up missing the NCAA Tournament in March in a shocking twist.

That outcome seemed almost unfathomable for a Tar Heels program that not only has a proud legacy of winning, but made a run to March Madness’ final game just one season ago — the program’s first under head coach Hubert Davis. Now, it could be their reality.

Armando Bacot reveals fiery challenge to teammates following loss to Wake Forest

Moreover, North Carolina’s star big man Armando Bacot was in anything but a joyous mood after the team’s loss to Wake Forest. Following another road loss for his Tar Heels, Bacot threw down a fiery challenge to his team.

In the post-game press conference, the North Carolina senior big man kept his words short and simple following the defeat. 

“We came back for a reason… and this is not it,” he said. 

Bacot also told his teammates after the game, “if you don’t want to be here, quit,” according to Patrick Welter, local reporter for WRAL.

As losses continue to mount for the Tar Heels, pressure to reclaim past glory does as well.

Bacot’s message seems to be — if you can’t handle that fire, get out of the kitchen now. He and his teammate’s next opportunity to respond to his challenge come Saturday vs Clemson at 2 p.m. ET.

Clemson is still in the mix for an ACC title and will be coming off a week of rest, as they attempt to get healthy for the stretch run. Meanwhile, North Carolina comes off three straight losses, with a big man desperately trying to find a way to spark his team.

On3’s Justin Rudolph contributed to this article.