Q. Coach, they had 54 points in the paint, 36 in the second half. What was the issue there, and if you also add Purdue and Tennessee it's 150 points in the paint in those three games. What is the problem and how do you fix something like that?
HUBERT DAVIS: “Well, one, I don't want to talk about Purdue and Tennessee anymore. That was over a month ago. I'd like to talk about this game and what went wrong this game.
“You talk about the points in the paint, they got it in many different areas. Number one, we did not have an answer for Wheeler. He was faster than any one of our players and he was able to get anywhere he wanted to. We knew that he's a dynamic guard that can get into the middle and that he can make plays.
“He's terrific at distributing the basketball. He's terrific at penetrating, and plain and simple, period, the end, he was better than any one of our guards.
“The other area that led to their points in the paint was their offensive rebounds. They were tougher than us. Against -- rebounding is really not about technique. Whether you're going off their offensive glass or you're boxing out, it's all about will and want-to. It's about toughness.
“From a defensive standpoint you have to make contact first, and the ball is up -- I always tell the guys, there's a 50/50 ball is 100 percent North Carolina, and so a missed shot is really a 50/50 ball. It's your will and your toughness that will allow you to box out and to rebound, and we didn't do that.
“Then you talked about it, a number of you have brought up the energy factor. They played harder than us. If you want to compare it to Tennessee, from my perspective that's the part that I was shocked by.
“Talking about energy and effort, not just in the game against Kentucky, just in the game in general, I don't get that. And so I was shocked by it against Tennessee and I'm shocked by it today. Because once we found out that we were playing Kentucky, and I told them before we got on the plane to fly here to Las Vegas, I saw the excitement and the determination in their eyes, and I didn't see the energy and effort piece, that it would be missing in a game like this.”
Q. John told us that only a month into a season, so he's still trying to learn about his team. You've talked about the same thing. Even with the energy issue it seemed like it had gotten a lot better the last five games. Is this kind of a bump in the road that you have to coach over, or do you see this as like a concern that they were not able to come out and match Kentucky's intensity from the get-go?
HUBERT DAVIS: “Well, one of the things that I've said to them as a team, and I've said this a number of times, in order for us to be the best team possible and for each individual in our locker room, like in order for them to be the best individually and for us to be the best that we can be as a team, it's impossible absent of effort and toughness and energy. It just can't be. There isn't -- that has to be brought to the table every game.
“I know that Kentucky played with a fire inside of them after losing to Notre Dame, and they played harder, they played smarter, they played tougher. I don't think you have to lose a game or lose a game in this fashion to get back to that.
“One of the things that always -- I told the guys in the locker room after the game, and I say this all the time, what is required of all of us is for us to do our job, and you're required not only to do your job, you're required to show up every day to do it, and you're required to do it to the best of your ability.
“Today against Kentucky, we did not do our job.”
Q. This isn't so much about the game, but kind of the bigger picture, this not being your original opponent and we're seeing kind of the COVID outbreaks in not only college but pros, different pros. How do you feel about how we're going to move forward with this? Do you see it going back to how we had to do things last year? Do you have any opinion on forfeiting and that kind of thing?
HUBERT DAVIS: “I don't have an opinion on that. How we ended up playing Kentucky was something that I'm used to after what happened last year. So being flexible in terms of schedule, being flexible in terms of who you play, when you play them and where you play is something that unfortunately with the experience of last year, all of us, with the exception of maybe the incoming freshmen, should be accustomed and should be used to that.
“Right now I'm not really thinking about that. Right now I'm only thinking about this team and where this team is going to go, how we're going to get better, how we're going to consistently be the team that I feel like we can be, and that's really the only thing on my mind.”
HUBERT DAVIS: “Well, one, I don't want to talk about Purdue and Tennessee anymore. That was over a month ago. I'd like to talk about this game and what went wrong this game.
“You talk about the points in the paint, they got it in many different areas. Number one, we did not have an answer for Wheeler. He was faster than any one of our players and he was able to get anywhere he wanted to. We knew that he's a dynamic guard that can get into the middle and that he can make plays.
“He's terrific at distributing the basketball. He's terrific at penetrating, and plain and simple, period, the end, he was better than any one of our guards.
“The other area that led to their points in the paint was their offensive rebounds. They were tougher than us. Against -- rebounding is really not about technique. Whether you're going off their offensive glass or you're boxing out, it's all about will and want-to. It's about toughness.
“From a defensive standpoint you have to make contact first, and the ball is up -- I always tell the guys, there's a 50/50 ball is 100 percent North Carolina, and so a missed shot is really a 50/50 ball. It's your will and your toughness that will allow you to box out and to rebound, and we didn't do that.
“Then you talked about it, a number of you have brought up the energy factor. They played harder than us. If you want to compare it to Tennessee, from my perspective that's the part that I was shocked by.
“Talking about energy and effort, not just in the game against Kentucky, just in the game in general, I don't get that. And so I was shocked by it against Tennessee and I'm shocked by it today. Because once we found out that we were playing Kentucky, and I told them before we got on the plane to fly here to Las Vegas, I saw the excitement and the determination in their eyes, and I didn't see the energy and effort piece, that it would be missing in a game like this.”
Q. John told us that only a month into a season, so he's still trying to learn about his team. You've talked about the same thing. Even with the energy issue it seemed like it had gotten a lot better the last five games. Is this kind of a bump in the road that you have to coach over, or do you see this as like a concern that they were not able to come out and match Kentucky's intensity from the get-go?
HUBERT DAVIS: “Well, one of the things that I've said to them as a team, and I've said this a number of times, in order for us to be the best team possible and for each individual in our locker room, like in order for them to be the best individually and for us to be the best that we can be as a team, it's impossible absent of effort and toughness and energy. It just can't be. There isn't -- that has to be brought to the table every game.
“I know that Kentucky played with a fire inside of them after losing to Notre Dame, and they played harder, they played smarter, they played tougher. I don't think you have to lose a game or lose a game in this fashion to get back to that.
“One of the things that always -- I told the guys in the locker room after the game, and I say this all the time, what is required of all of us is for us to do our job, and you're required not only to do your job, you're required to show up every day to do it, and you're required to do it to the best of your ability.
“Today against Kentucky, we did not do our job.”
Q. This isn't so much about the game, but kind of the bigger picture, this not being your original opponent and we're seeing kind of the COVID outbreaks in not only college but pros, different pros. How do you feel about how we're going to move forward with this? Do you see it going back to how we had to do things last year? Do you have any opinion on forfeiting and that kind of thing?
HUBERT DAVIS: “I don't have an opinion on that. How we ended up playing Kentucky was something that I'm used to after what happened last year. So being flexible in terms of schedule, being flexible in terms of who you play, when you play them and where you play is something that unfortunately with the experience of last year, all of us, with the exception of maybe the incoming freshmen, should be accustomed and should be used to that.
“Right now I'm not really thinking about that. Right now I'm only thinking about this team and where this team is going to go, how we're going to get better, how we're going to consistently be the team that I feel like we can be, and that's really the only thing on my mind.”
