Hubert Davis on hosting Michael Jordan, 1982 national title UNC team vs. NC State

UNC hasn’t been perfect under Hubert Davis, who took over as North Carolina’s head coach this season following the retirement of Roy Williams, but the Tar Heels looked close to it on Saturday, putting on a 100-point offensive barrage in front of some of the program’s greatest.

Perhaps North Carolina had some extra motivation on Saturday night, as the Tar Heels welcomed back its 1982 national championship team — which, of course, included Michael Jordan. UNC honored those players at halftime of the game against NC State, the Tar Heels’ fourth game in eight days, and proceeded to win in a 100-80 rout.

“It was really neat for me personally to have the ’82 team here because I remember them winning the national championship,” said Davis, who played at UNC a few years later from 1988-92. “You know, I think I said this before the press conference yesterday, I remember missing the first half of the championship game against Georgetown, because I was a boy scout and we had a boy scout meeting and my parents wouldn’t allow me to skip the boy scout meeting to watch the entire game. So I only got to watch the second half.”

Davis may have missed the 1982 championship team in all its glory, but he did not miss the opportunity to put on a show for the former Tar Heels. UNC (15-6, 7-3) shot a clinical 55.6 percent from three-point range, draining 15 of 27 from deep, while dishing out 17 assists as a team en route to victory. North Carolina was led by sophomore guard Caleb Love, who had 21 points, five assists and two steals, while three other starters finished in double digits: Armando Bacot had 18 points and 13 boards, his 16th double-double of the season, while Brady Manek and RJ Davis had 17 points apiece.

“To have Michael (Jordan) here and Buzz Peterson and Matt Doherty, and the ’82 team and for our guys to be able to see them and see the bond that they have had for so many years because they have shared experiences of playing together and being a team, I think it really encouraged them,” Davis said after the win. “It gave them a great visual of what it’s like to be a team and what it means to be successful here at North Carolina.”

UNC rebounded from back-to-back ACC losses at Miami and Wake Forest with three-straight victories, beating Virginia Tech, Boston College and NC State, helping the Tar Heels reclaim a No. 4 spot in the ACC standings. Next up for UNC: an away contest at Louisville on Feb. 1, before a much higher-stakes game on Feb. 5, when the Tar Heels host the rival Duke Blue Devils.