Hubert Davis opens up on why playing at Madison Square Garden is so important to him

Madison Square Garden is the greatest cathedral in the sport of basketball, and Hubert Davis has made it a point for North Carolina to have a presence at the arena.

From the moment he became the leader of the Tar Heels, it was one of the goals on Davis’ docket. Speaking with the media following a thrilling victory over Ohio State at The World’s Most Famous Arena, Davis opened up about why North Carolina playing at MSG is so important to him.

“As soon as I took the job, I said that Carolina will have a presence here at The Garden,” stated Davis. “This is, every year Coach [Dean] Smith brought me here, so it ties me back to Coach Smith and Coach [Bill] Guthridge. Then the four years that I started off my NBA career here, as well. This is one of the things that I told them before the game, I told them, ‘This is one of the things you’ll remember for the rest of your life.’ Just the atmosphere, being in New York City. Our hotel is right across the street. We walked to the game.

“There’s just something different, something special here. To have a game like this, to come up big like Armando [Bacot] and everybody else, that’s an experience that they’ll remember for the rest of their life. That puts a huge smile on my face.”

Alas, a victory at Madison Square Garden is another notch in the belt for Hubert Davis’ impressive North Carolina squad, who of course almost won a title last season. Perhaps the huge win will be the launching point for a bounce-back run for the Tar Heels after an uneven start to their year.

Hubert Davis discusses his halftime speech, how it helped against Ohio State

North Carolina utilized a passionate halftime speech from Hubert Davis and a Pete Nance buzzer-beater to defeat Ohio State at famed Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Speaking with the media after the gigantic victory for the Tar Heels, Davis elaborated on his speech, and how it helped lead to victory for North Carolina.

“I was direct. I was straight-forward. I didn’t speak in tongues or interpretations. They knew exactly where I was coming from,” explained Davis. “That’s the way I always communicate, but I did it with a higher volume at halftime. 

“Armando [Bacot] and Caleb [Love] have said they like the higher volume from me, and I’m going to continue to do that.”

Moreover, North Carolina trailed by nine after the first half, but outscored Ohio State 44-35 in the second half, and subsequently 10-5 in overtime to secure a victory. The aforementioned Bacot led the way with 28 points, with two other Tar Heels scoring 20-plus, as well.

Perhaps the victory over Ohio State will help North Carolina get back on track, as their season has been largely disappointing so far. Time will tell, but it’s a great starting point for the Tar Heels.