RJ Davis shares how frustrated Hubert Davis was in first half vs. Notre Dame

There wasn’t much to be happy about entering halftime for North Carolina during Wednesday’s matchup against Notre Dame. They scored 19 total points on an abysmal 18.5 percent (5-27) shooting, including going 0-11 from deep.

It goes without saying that UNC headman Hubert Davis was upset with his team’s efforts against the Fighting Irish. Whatever he told his team, the message went through loud and clear as the Tar Heels ended up defeating Notre Dame 63-59.

“He was definitely furious,” Tar Heels guard RJ Davis said postgame. “He didn’t curse or anything, but it was probably getting to that point. We know how good we are, so it’s frustrating when we don’t play our best and our hardest. The energy was not there.”

Davis said that it was his job to step up and bring that spark back to his team on both ends of the floor. Whether it was making the play himself or setting his teammate up for success, Davis wanted to ensure victory for his squad with their postseason hopes essentially on the line.

He finished with 12 points and eight rebounds but still finished third in scoring on his team. Caleb Love and Armando Bacot combined for 32 points, not to mention Bacot’s 11 rebounds to boot. Three UNC forwards had double-digit rebounding numbers, including Bacot, Pete Nance and Leaky Black. Those five — Davis, Bacot, Love, Nance and Black — scored 61 of the Tar Heels’ 63 points on the night.

With UNC’s NCAA Tournament hopes still up in the air, Carolina can earn their spot inside the bubble with a victory over No. 6 Virginia at home Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET live on ESPN. They’ll round their regular season out next week at Florida State and against Duke at home.

Four straight wins to finish the season will undoubtedly earn them their spot in the tourney — but will anything less?