UNC turns focus inward after SMU loss, prepares for Wake Forest clash
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- UNC used open week to correct defensive breakdowns exposed by SMU loss.
- Davis held film review and one-on-one meetings to restore discipline and communication.
- Wake Forest’s ball movement and scorer Juke Harris will test UNC’s refocused defense.
Hubert Davis was loose enough to laugh Friday at his press conference — and he did, offering a few deep, belly-rolling laughs — but the UNC coach emphasized that the team’s film session on Monday carried a much different tone.
After allowing SMU to shoot 60% from the field and nearly hit triple digits in a 97-83 loss last Saturday, UNC spent the early part of this week focused less on its next opponent and more on itself. With no midweek game, coach Hubert Davis said the reset came at the right time as the No. 17 Tar Heels (13-2, 1-1) prepare to host Wake Forest (10-6, 1-2 ACC) on Saturday night at the Dean E. Smith Center.
“It was really great also to be able to have individual meetings with each one of the players after the film session — one-on-one, just talk about things and get their perspective,” Davis said. “During the film, I didn’t really want their perspective — it was mine. So it was nice to have those follow-up meetings just to be able to continue to have that communication.”
North Carolina entered the SMU contest ranked first in the ACC in opponent field goal percentage, but allowed the Mustangs to shoot over 71% in the second half.
The loss dropped UNC five spots in the Associated Press poll and snapped a stretch of defensive consistency that had defined the first two months of the season. SMU scored 58 points after halftime — the most North Carolina has allowed in a half since 2021 — and the Tar Heels had not surrendered more than 74 points in any prior game this season.
Davis said the breakdowns were numerous and varied.
“It was transition, one-on-one, not boxing out at times, not talking and communicating the right way,” he said. “Discipline [on] shot fakes, staying down, putting guys at the free-throw line.”
Rather than immediately shifting attention to Wake Forest, Davis said the open week gave the Tar Heels time to reinforce the defensive fundamentals that had carried them through most of the season.
The message, Davis said, landed.
“100%,” he said. “These kids are great and we’re all on the same page.”
Next test: Wake Forest
That focus will be tested immediately by a Wake Forest team that relies heavily on ball and player movement, as well as dribble penetration.
“[They] are really good at coming off different types of actions, whether it’s ball screens, [dribble handoffs], pins, flares, being able to get into the lane,” Davis said. “Once they penetrate, get into their lane, a lot of movement off the ball where it takes a lot of communication.”
One of the primary concerns is Wake Forest guard Juke Harris, who has emerged as a breakout scorer this season and ranks No. 5 in the conference in points per game. Davis described Harris as a “four-level scorer” who can score from the perimeter, in the midrange, at the rim and at the free-throw line.
“They move him around,” Davis said. “And whether it’s a ball screen, isolations… something is always coming for him. He’s been in a nice rhythm offensively.”
Davis said disrupting Wake Forest’s rhythm and handling physicality will be keys to a win on Saturday.
That physicality, in particular, has become a recurring theme. Davis said teams have made a point of bumping Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson in an attempt to wear them down and push catches farther from the basket.
“That’s probably the scouting report against us is to be really physical with us,” Davis said. “Michigan State was very physical with us as well… so those are the things that we’re learning and adjusting and growing on.”
Aiming for a milestone win
Saturday’s game also comes with historical context: UNC enters the night with 499 wins in the Smith Center, where the Tar Heels are 499-90 overall and 10-0 this season.
A win would make UNC the ninth current ACC program to reach 500 wins in its home venue.
“The most significant things that have happened in my life has been because of this place,” he said. “It’s not just basketball. This is where I fell in love with my wife, we got married, where I became a Christian, where we bought our first house. After I retired from the NBA, we decided to raise our kids here.
And so the Smith Center is home plate for all of that.”
For Davis, however, all that sentiment will take a back seat Saturday. North Carolina’s priority is much simpler: show that its defensive response matches its reflection.