Hubert Davis reveals plan to keep North Carolina focused on Virginia Tech, not Duke

Two games are left on North Carolina‘s regular season schedule, and it goes without saying that one is more highly anticipated than the other.

One is a mid-week road trip, while the other is a chance to beat No. 2 Duke, the Tar Heels’ bitter in-state rival, in an opportunity to tie the season series after falling in Durham last month. However, North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis wants Tuesday night’s game against Virginia Tech to be treated with equal value as Saturday’s showdown against the Blue Devils. Simply put, at this point in the season, every game matters.

“One of the things that I always tell them, I give them this Bible verse of Proverbs 4:25. It says, ‘Ignore all the sideshow distractions, keep your eyes straight ahead.’ And that’s just really important,” Davis explained. “The only thing that is of importance to us is what is right in front of us and the opportunity to be able to compete against a Virginia Tech team on their home floor is something that we’re focused on and zeroed in on.

“I stress a lot not to pay attention to that and focus on what is real. And what is real is on Tuesday, we’ll be in Blacksburg playing Virginia Tech.”

Tuesday’s game against Virginia Tech becomes extremely important considering North Carolina currently sits on Joe Lunardi’s ‘First Four Out’ line when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament. At No. 70 overall in a 68-team field, the ESPN bracketologist believes the Tar Heels have not yet done enough to make the March Madness field.

Part of the issue is that North Carolina is 1-10 against Quad 1 competition heading into the final week of the regular season. Given the Hokies are 13-16 overall, Tuesday night’s matchup doesn’t qualify under that distinction.

That doesn’t mean the outcome of the game doesn’t matter. It could be looked at as a must-win for the Tar Heels, as another loss could push them farther back in the NET rankings, as well as in bracketology projections.

Given Duke’s status as a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, a win against their rival would only bolster their argument further by gaining a second Quad 1 win right before the conference tournament.

Tip-off between North Carolina and Virginia Tech on the road is set for Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET live on ESPNU.