Tag: Hubert Davis

UNC Basketball ranks as a top team in early 2022-23 poll

The 29-10 UNC Basketball team is getting their respect after what some consider one of the best runs in college basketball this decade.

The UNC basketball program is already getting their respect after, what some consider, one of the best runs in the modern era of college basketball, making it as a No. 8 seed to the national title game.

No, they didn’t finish the job, but achieving such a run as an 8th seed while sending home the overpowered Duke Blue Devils in the process caught the attention of many. Now, UNC is back at top of the power rankings like they belong, especially after the announcement of two returning players in Armando Bacot and Leaky Black.

With the return of those two key players plus a recruiting class that is headlined by Jalen Washington and Seth Trimble,  the UNC basketball team ranks 2nd in the early preseason polls. Here is what they said about the Tar Heels in the rankings:

The Tar Heels’ ranking is based on North Carolina returning every rotation player except for Brady Manek – among them All-American Armando Bacot and NCAA Tournament star Caleb Love, neither of whom is a projected first-round pick. As long as things go that way, Hubert Davis will have a roster good enough to make back-to-back Final Fours.

North Carolina is on the heels of first-placed 27-8 UCLA, with 26-8 Kentucky coming in at third. The next Atlantic Coastal Conference team in the rankings is Duke at 9th followed by the Virginia Cavaliers at 25th.

Many are expecting the UNC basketball team to continue to grow after a remarkable first-year coaching job from the 2021-2022 National Coach of the year Hubert Davis. Along with getting key players Bacot and Black back, UNC will benefit from Puff Johnson and Dontrez Styles seeing more time on the hardwood.

Pressure bursts pipes, but also makes champions. This upcoming season could be the year UNC brings another banner home to the Dean Smith Center.

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Hubert Davis: ‘He (Bacot) has the desire to win a national championship’

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis comments on the return of Tar Heels’ forward Armando Bacot.

UNC basketball received great news on Wednesday as All-ACC forward [autotag]Armando Bacot[/autotag] announced he would be returning to North Carolina for his senior season.

Bacot averaged 16.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game last season while shooting 56.9 percent from the floor. He was named First Team All-ACC and came in second in ACC Player of the Year voting to Alondes Williams of Wake Forest.

On Wednesday, UNC head coach [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] commented on Bacot’s decision to return.

Armando is the perfect example of what a Carolina player strives to be, He has excelled at the highest level as a player, in the classroom and in the community. I loved hearing the news (Tuesday) that he made the Academic All-ACC team after the season he had, which wasn’t just good, and not just great, it was historic. I felt he was the best player in ACC and the best big man in the country.

He’s coming back for his senior season for several reasons. One, he loves this place. Two, he has the desire to win a national championship. Getting to the final game and getting so close lit a fire inside of him to achieve that goal more than ever. He feels he can still get better and improve on parts of his game to put himself in a position to have a long and successful NBA career. And he feels this is the best place for him to do that. He loves his teammates, this university and his community, and we love him.

Bacot returns to North Carolina following a record-breaking season. He became the first player in NCAA Tournament history with six double-doubles in one NCAA Tournament as he averaged 15.3 points and 16.5 rebounds en route to a National Championship runner-up appearance.

He also set the ACC record for double-doubles in a single season (31) and tied the NCAA record that David Robinson set in 1985-86.

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Hubert Davis, UNC staff keeping tabs on five-star recruit

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis was back on the recruiting trail watching a five-star and four-star recruit.

[autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] and the UNC basketball staff have kept busy this weekend in Orlando watching the EYBL AAU event. The Tar Heels have been in to see five-star target G.G. Jackson, as well as five-star, commit Simeon Wilcher already. 

And on Sunday, they were keeping tabs on a pair of recruits on the same team.

Davis, Brad Frederick, and Jeff Lebo were in attendance to watch [autotag]Matas Buzelis[/autotag] and [autotag]Taylor Bowen[/autotag] play for Expressions Elite on Sunday morning in Orlando. Buzelis scored 13 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists while Bowen went for 25 points in the game in front of dozens of coaches:

The Tar Heels have been involved with Buzelis but things got quiet over the past few months in his recruitment. The 6-foot-9, 175-pound forward is drawing interest from Blue Blood programs and has a total of 13 offers in his recruitment so far.

Bowen is a four-star prospect with 17 offers including from Duke, Kansas, and Arkansas among others. UNC has yet to offer Bowen in his recruitment.

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Hubert Davis hits recruiting trail to see top recruits

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis was on the recruiting trail watching prospects in Orlando on Friday.

As we await the decisions of a few UNC basketball players, the focus for the program is now on the future of the roster. And that includes recruiting classes for 2023 and 2024.

Just days after a run to the title game, [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] and his staff were out evaluating prospects in the first open period of the AAU circuit. Davis was in Orlando for the EYBL circuit and he was courtside to watch 2023 target [autotag]G.G. Jackson[/autotag], 2024 target [autotag]Nassir Cunningham[/autotag] and 2024 commit [autotag]Simeon Wilcher[/autotag] Friday night.

Davis took it all in as he watch both Wilcher and Cunningham who are teammates on the AAU cycle. He then watched Jackson in the game following.

Wilcher put on a show and looked impressive, finishing with 20 points and 2 assists in the game. Jackson finished with 9 points in the win for Team CP3.

The evaluation period continues this weekend and we will keep an eye on where Davis and the UNC staff is at and who they are watching.

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A very early projection at North Carolina’s starting lineup in 2022-23

We have our way too early UNC basketball projected starting lineup for the 2022-23 season fresh off a Final Four run.

Despite falling short in the national championship game, the UNC basketball program accomplished a lot in [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag]’ first season as head coach. The future is certainly bright for the program in Chapel Hill and this upcoming season will be one of the more anticipated in years.

Especially if this group of Tar Heels do decide to run it back.

While the title game loss was just a few days ago, it’s never too early to look ahead to next year. ESPN has the Tar Heels projected as a Top 5 team and that may very well be the case if they get back some key players. The big word there is ‘if’.

[autotag]Armando Bacot [/autotag]and [autotag]Caleb Love[/autotag] are very likely going to test the NBA Draft waters and both could leave after getting their evaluation. Brady Manek is gone after not having any eligibility left and Leaky Black has a decision as well with one year left.

Then there’s the transfer portal. UNC could lose a player or two to the portal and with a four-man class coming in, they don’t have a lot of space to add to their roster via the portal unless there are multiple exits.

But what will this starting lineup look like next year? We give our very early projection, which obviously could change a lot, here in April.

For this projection, we are working under the assumption that any player that DOES NOT receive a first-round grade for the NBA Draft returns. Obviously, this could change but for now, this is how we will operate.

NCAA hoops fans had lots of jokes about Hubert Davis’ very enthusiastic in-game interview

Hubert Davis was PUMPED.

Hubert Davis is having himself one hell of a March Madness tournament.

From starting the season with a lackluster12-6 record in his first year with the team, Davis has turned North Carolina around to star in the NCAA title game against Kansas after taking down Mike Krzyzewski and Duke. Not only that, NCAA fans have really taken to Davis during this tournament due to his incredible, emotional story with the Tar Heels.

During Monday night’s title game against Kansas, CBS court side reporter Tracy Wolfson was able to catch Davis for a mid-game interview. And folks, was Davis ever pumped up for this.

What enthusiasm! Usually the mid-game interview falls flat for people due to just how awkward it is, but for some, Davis finally justified it. Not only that, a ton of NCAA hoops fans loved the passion Davis showcased in this interview and made a lot of jokes about it on Twitter.

WATCH: UNC releases hype video ahead of title game with former players

Watch as former UNC basketball players narrate a hype video for the national championship game.

As the UNC basketball program gets set to take on Kansas in the national championship game on Monday night, the excitement is at a high for Tar Heels’ fans.

[autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag]’ team will be looking to capture the program’s first title since the 2017 season and do so as a No. 8 seed after beating Baylor, UCLA, and Duke along the way. When UNC and Kansas do take the court in a few hours, the atmosphere will be an exciting one and filled with former players from both programs.

But ahead of the game, some former UNC players wanted to wish the Tar Heels good luck with a hype video.

Check out this UNC hype video featuring the Carolina Family:

Players like Tyler Hansbrough, Kenny Smith, Shammond Williams, Marcus Ginyard and more wish the Tar Heels good luck while also teaching them the importance of family.

And no matter win or lose, family is everything.

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What Hubert Davis said before UNC’s title game showdown with Kansas

Here’s what UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis said before the matchup with Kansas in the national championship game.

It’s a quick turnaround for the UNC basketball program fresh off their upset win over Duke on Saturday in the Final Four. On Monday, the Tar Heels will take the court against a really good Kansas team that earned one of the top seeds in the tournament and just knocked off Villanova to get to the title game.

The emotions are running high for the Tar Heels, and rightfully so. They just beat Duke for the second time this season and it came in the first NCAA Tournament meeting between the two sides.

However, head coach [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] and the team know they have to focus on Kansas as they are one win away from achieving their ultimate goal.

Before the two teams meet, head coach Hubert Davis met the media on Sunday to talk about his team’s run so far and what to expect here in the final game of the season. Let’s take a look at what Davis said to the media with quotes via Inside Carolina.

Bettors believe Kansas upends North Carolina in Men’s National Championship Game

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk in New Orleans.

After all of the upsets, emotion, and high drama, it’s prestigious blue-blood Kansas and prestigious blue-blood North Carolina for the Men’s National Championship in college basketball. Oh, gross. Why are my hands so chalky all of a sudden? Can someone get me a washcloth?

Both the Jayhawks and Tar Heels had stark, different paths to get to the last boss of men’s college basketball. What you find more impressive, because they’re both impressive roads, depends on what flavors of victory you like.

Bill Self’s top-seeded crew, behind impressive consistency from Remy Martin and Ochai Agbaji, among others, just polished off two straight tournament blowouts — the latter over Jay Wright’s Villanova March Machine. Or, the path of peaking at the right time.

Meanwhile, Hubert Davis and the underdog Tar Heels — largely behind a terrific performance (and shot) from Caleb Love — took Duke and Mike Krzyzewski out to pasture. Or, the path of spite.

And when it comes to Monday night’s title game, bettors with Tipico Sportsbook think we’re in for a (chalky) potential classic.

To elaborate, 63 percent of the bet slips coming in have Kansas at the moneyline. By that same token, the Jayhawks have been given a generous (at least to me) -4.5 point spread as the favorite.

I do think it should be no noted that is no typical No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup for a championship. Kansas is firing on all cylinders while Carolina has certainly reached a high-level gear of a title squad. I think we’re in for another classic.

Hey, it might be “boring” because these two programs are seemingly here, in early April, all the time. But you’d be a fool to expect anything less than a back-and-forth. This is March, I mean … April.

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Hubert Davis provides injury update on Armando Bacot

UNC head coach Hubert Davis provided an update on Armando Bacot’s injury on Sunday afternoon.

Less than 24 hours after UNC’s big win over Duke in the Final Four, there was more good news surrounding one of its best players.

Forward Armando Bacot exited Saturday’s game with roughly four minutes left after stepping on the foot of teammate  Leaky Black. Bacot needed help from teammates to walk off of the floor. He would make his way into the locker room but would return to the game just a few minutes after.

On Sunday, [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] provided an update on the star forward.

“X-Rays are negative. He is sore. He has been walking around. He will be ready to play tomorrow night.”

Bacot finished with 11 points and 21 rebounds in the win. It was his 30th double-double of the season, one shy of tying the NCAA single-season record held by David Robinson.

His 20 rebounds on Saturday was his fifth game this season with 20+ rebounds in a game. It was also back-to-back games with at least 20 rebounds.

In the NCAA Tournament, Bacot is averaging 15.4 points, 16.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.

On the season, Bacot is averaging 16.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. He is also fifth in the NCAA and first in the ACC in rebound percentage at 22.8 percent.

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