UNC basketball has a full week to prepare for an ACC road game against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Ranked No. 24 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the AP Top 25, the Tar Heels (16-4, 4-3 ACC) play the Yellow Jackets (11-9, 2-5) on Saturday, Jan. 31 (2 p.m., ACC Network) at McCamish Pavilion.
Following a top-25 road win at No. 14 Virginia (16-3, 5-2), UNC coach Hubert Davis hopped on the weekly ACC coaches teleconference on Monday, Jan. 26, to discuss the Tar Heels’ latest win and how the group is preparing for the road ahead.
Here are the highlights from what Davis had to say during the 10-minute portion of his time with media members.
Derek Dixon progress as point guard for UNC basketball
“Derek is a very confident player. Very fundamentally sound, very skilled, can really shoot the basketball. He’s a big guard that, from a defensive standpoint, can guard a number of different positions and, with the extended minutes, I feel like he’s done a really nice job. And he’s become more vocal throughout the year, which naturally comes because you just feel more comfortable with your teammates, with your coaches, and he just has a great personality.”
How Tar Heels can maintain momentum after Virginia win
“Since coming back from Christmas, I feel like we’re, we’re consistently practicing well in stacking days in practice. Each week has its own life in itself and even though we don’t have a midweek game, we’re going to practice and prepare. … In order to be a good team, you have to sustain that. You have to sustain being present, locked in. That’s something that we’ll do this this week in preparation for a really good Georgia Tech team and then also a really good Syracuse team on (Feb. 2).”
UNC basketball transition points vs Virginia
“I felt like we rebounded better. I know we got killed on the boards by 16, but I feel like we rebounded better. In the second half, what ignites us in transition, what allows us to get out, there was two or three of those pitch-aheads that were even after a main basket. I just, I felt like we rebounded better. We really were able to get some easy layups, easy points early into possession, and that was an emphasis for us against Virginia because they’re such a good defensive team. They have so much length, and I felt like their defense gets stronger the longer, that the possession goes. If we could find some ways to get great shots early, that would be good for us and we’re able to find those more often in the second half than the first.”
Luka Bogavac scoring off the bench for Tar Heels
“Starting and coming off the bench, that never meant anything to me as a player, and I know it means things to players now. I’m not saying that it shouldn’t or it doesn’t. I’m just, for me, it’s always been a non-factor for me as a player and as a coach. Luka, he’s an older player and experienced player that is very confident. … He’s confident in being able to make plays, whether it’s for himself or for his teammates.
“Like being on the road at Virginia doesn’t bother, doesn’t phase him a bit. He actually walks toward that even more. The shots that he made in the first half were huge that kept us in the game and got us to halftime only down by nine. And just his poise and playmaking that he’s that he’s done lately has been huge for us. We need him. … He can do a number of things out there on the floor and he’s been really good for us lately.”
