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Hubert Davis gives high praise to Duke compared to the rest of country

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•02/07/22•

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North Carolina basketball coach Hubert Davis believes Duke presents a challenge few others teams in the country do. In his postgame press conference following a 87-67 loss to the Blue Devils, Davis was extremely complimentary of freshmen Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin.

“There is a number of talented teams in the country and Duke is one of them,” the coach said. “Paolo, his ability from an offensive standpoint to create his shot not only for himself, but for his teammates on the perimeter or in the post is something that very few teams in the country have. AJ is in a really nice rhythm now not only shooting the ball from 3, but being able to get into his spots. He’s a big wing. He’s athletic and he can get to his spots any time. Both of those guys are really good. They have a really good basketball team.”

Banchero and Griffin combined for 40 points in the victory against the Tar Heels on Saturday. The two freshman phenoms are projected top 10 picks in the upcoming NBA draft according to CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone. Griffin in particular has been on a tear of late, averaging 16.4 points over the past five games. That is well above his season average of 9.9.

Duke currently holds first place in the ACC, with a half-game lead on Notre Dame. The Blue Devils are 19-3 on the year and have won seven of their past eight games. They were listed as a two seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology, which was released on Feb. 4.

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North Carolina was listed as a 10 seed prior to its loss. The Tar Heels’ NCAA Tournament resume could use some work, as they are 0-7 against quadrant 1 opponents. They’ll have a chance to gain their first quad 1 victory when they again face the Blue Devils to close the season on March 5.

But for North Carolina to avoid another blowout against Duke, Hubert Davis will need his team to play better than it did Saturday.

“We have to improve,” the coach said. “We have to get better. For us to compete against them in the later part of the year, we’re gonna have to play better.”