UNC coach Hubert Davis gets chippy with reporter over schematic adjustments to Duke's pressure

Duke cruised to an 87-67 victory over UNC in Chapel Hill on Saturday, and a big reason for the win was the Blue Devils’ ability to constantly put pressure on the Tar Heels guards. Following the game, UNC head coach Hubert Davis was asked about Duke’s pressure, and it let to a strong response to a reporter’s question.

Davis began by simply acknowledging that Duke played better than UNC on Saturday, especially defensively.

“Well, sometimes guys just play better than other guys. It’s not really an answer to this solution,” Davis said. “If anytime, whether it’s in the park or playing pickup, if somebody pressures you that much, you’re response would be just to go by them and be able to make a play if somebody picks you up that far out. You have to compliment Jeremy Roach, Wendell Moore, and also Trevor Keels.

“Their pressure, their ability defensively to be able to pressure and to be able to contain, really bothered us. To the point even if we were trying to help R.J. (Davis) and Caleb (Love) out with the ball screen to relieve pressure, their pressure and their ability stopped us from even coming off the ball screen. So there are times there isn’t a solution other than tip your hat to a certain player or particular team.”

UNC scored 28 points in the first half, trailing by 11 at the break. In the game, the Tar Heels shot just over 40 percent both from the field and from three-point range.

Davis on Duke’s pressure against UNC: Duke’s pressure ‘bothered us’

R.J. Davis finished the game with 11 points for UNC, and Caleb Love had eight points. The two struggled to get involved offensively as they are typically accustomed to.

After Davis answered the reporter’s initial question about Duke’s pressure, he was asked again about the lack of an answer for it. The reporter asked if it was a pride thing, which led to a quick response from Davis.

“I don’t understand what you mean, a pride thing? At the end of the day, sometimes you play and you don’t play as well as you want to play,” Davis responded. “I mean I played four years here and 12 years in the NBA and there were games I didn’t play well. It wasn’t a particular answer of why didn’t I play well, but at times I just didn’t play the best that I wanted to play.

“I would say the same thing that R.J. and Caleb would say. Today’s game, their guards and their pressure bothered us. To a point that we didn’t play our best game, particularly on the offensive end. So that’s something that you can learn from and grow from and get ready for the next game.”

Duke now sits at 19-3 overall with a 9-2 record against ACC opponents, while UNC is 16-7 and 8-4 in the ACC. The two teams will meet again on March 5 to wrap up the regular season.