Hubert Davis discusses his relationship with Coach K

When Hubert Davis played at North Carolina, as Mike Krzyzewski took Duke to four straight Final Fours. Saturday night, he’ll face Coach K for the first time as Tar Heels head coach.

North Carolina and Duke are getting ready to renew their rivalry Saturday at the Dean Smith Center. Thursday, Davis spoke about his relationship with Krzyzewski, who’s been at Duke since Davis was 10 years old.

As it turns out, the two don’t know each other very well. But that doesn’t mean Davis doesn’t have an appreciation for what Krzyzewski has done during his career.

“I don’t have very much a relationship with Coach K, but I have unbelievable … thoughts and praise for him,” Davis said. “What he has done for not only Duke University, for the basketball program, for college basketball, for basketball, in general, for international basketball and to do it at the level that he’s done it with such longevity and success, it’s much to be praised.

“I don’t have a deep relationship with him because I never played for him, but the times that I interacted with him in the seven years that I was with ESPN, the brief moments that I talked to him before and after games when we played against each other have been great and have been special. He’s a terrific coach and terrific person.”

Hubert Davis recalls memories from Duke-North Carolina showdowns

Hubert Davis has been a part of many great Duke-North Carolina games. A Tar Heel guard from 1988-92, he knows what the rivalry means better than most.

Following an NBA career, he returned to the UNC bench as an assistant coach in 2012, soaking up several more games next to Roy Williams. When Williams retired at the end of last season, Davis was named his successor. He now prepares for his first game as head coach against the Blue Devils at 6 p.m. ET Saturday.

Asked to look back on a matchup against Duke during his senior season in 1992, Davis obliged in his Thursday press conference.

“That was a long time ago,” he said. “A long, long time ago. It was an incredible game because you had tremendous talent. I don’t know the exact number of NBA players out there on the floor, but it was loaded with them.

“I remember Duke coming into that game undefeated at the time and the last time they had lost was against us in the ACC Tournament that previous year — I remember that was the first time they stormed the Smith Center floor. Like all the games, it was highly competitive, fun to play in and exciting to be a part of. But it was 30 years ago. …There is a lot that’s happened since 1992.”