Hubert Davis refuses to single out Elliot Cadeau for foul trouble

North Carolina lost to Pittsburgh earlier this week, falling 73-65 on the road. The Panthers shot 20 free throws in the victory, to only nine for North Carolina, which played a critical role in the game.

Tar Heels guard Elliot Cadeau fouled out during the contest and was the only North Carolina player to finish with more than two fouls.

However, UNC coach Hubert Davis refused to put all of North Carolina’s issues with fouling on Cadeau. Instead, he said that as a team North Carolina had issues with fouling too far away from the basket.

“Well, I think, I wouldn’t characterize it in regards to a specific player,” Hubert Davis said. “I would say our foul trouble’s 90 feet away from the basket. Those types of fouls, they may seem little, but that’s one towards the penalty.

“And so, that gets a team towards the penalty. So that’s another thing.”

North Carolina entered the game against Pitt attempting nearly 23 free throws per game. But the Tar Heels were well below that number against the Panthers.

“We lead the ACC in free throw attempts and free throws made,” Davis said. “And we lost the battle at the free throw line, in large part because Pittsburgh, in both halves, was able to get into the penalty because we had unnecessary fouls.”

North Carolina will need to correct that before playing rival Duke on Saturday if it is going to have any chance of pulling off the upset.

Hubert Davis on keeping North Carolina confident amid skid: ‘What choice do you have?’

North Carolina has nothing to do besides keep at it this season, despite what’s happened in its last four games. After a 73-65 loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Hubert Davis said keeping the Tar Heels upbeat is the easiest thing about what they’ll have to do moving forward.

“Oh, that’s easy. You know, that’s easy,” Davis said postgame. “I do (think so). I do.”

That’s simply so, though, because, as Davis said, UNC has no other option than to be positive right now and keep going into every game as such.

“I mean, what choice do you have? I mean, yeah. You do,” Davis said. “I really believe that there is no choice. The choice is to get back up and step forward and continue to competitively fight and prepare and continue to improve. I just don’t even think there is a choice.”