The North Carolina Tar Heels were shorthanded when they hosted Pitt on Saturday afternoon. They already knew they were going to lose Caleb Wilson with a broken hand. But just before the game, they discovered Henry Vissar would also be missing.
However, this is not important.
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The Tar Heels led from start to finish in this game, beating Pitt 79-65 to win their sixth game in their last seven games after losing to Miami on Tuesday. It was an important win for the Tar Heels, especially after trailing two of their top two players.
After the game, head coach Hubert Davis spoke to the media and shared the victory. Here’s what he had to say after the game.
All quotes are from within Carolina
On how his team reacted today
“When we got the news that Caleb was going to be out, we didn’t know if Henry was going to play, so we prepared two different game plans for Pitt, different rotations, all different types of stuff. I feel like those two days of practice, they absorbed everything.”
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“You have two teammates out and they’re going to react and respond this way and maybe there was a stretch in the first half and second half where we decided to take a jump shot and not put the ball on the floor. But the whole game was filled with energy and effort and enthusiasm, and that’s something we’ve struggled with over the years.”
at Zeddon High School
“Always tell him that when your number is called, your job and your responsibility is to be ready. I can’t tell you when, where, how, in what way, but your job and your responsibility is to be ready. I mean, this time last week, he didn’t play in the Duke game, and a week later, he started. He played 32 minutes. So the job he did, defending, rebounding, staying out of foul trouble, giving us a position presence, no turnovers, I’m really happy for him.”
About where today’s energy and production comes from
“We’re talking about technical stuff, from an offensive standpoint, from a defensive standpoint, that’s what you want to do. But I say, none of that matters without a competitive fight. I say, ‘You’ve got to fight. You’ve got to compete.’ I say that’s the most important thing when you get home. Yes, everyone wants to win, but that’s not the end result. Did you give everything you had in preparation and practice? That’s what makes you feel calm when you go back to the locker room.”
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On Caleb Wilson’s reaction to injury
“I mean, he was obviously frustrated. That’s how we felt, obviously, he loved the game, but he loved being a part of the team. I think he found that even when he wasn’t playing, he was still a part of the team. I mean, even during practice, he couldn’t even sit down. He dribbled with his right hand. He shot with his right hand. He was on the bike, in the crowd. He was vocal in the game. Him and Henry, I think they played a big role in giving his teammates confidence that we could get this done.”
On Derek Dixon’s impact on the game
“There are a lot of other ways to impact a win besides just scoring. Derek was running the basketball and we had 18 assists and four turnovers. So, he was the guy that led us to an easy game. Maybe he didn’t score a lot and he didn’t shoot the ball well, but not only did we lose Caleb and Henry today, but they were our two leading scorers or our two leading rebounders. So I told everybody. I said, ‘You need to get five, you need to get at least five.’ “So for Derrick to get seven rebounds, that’s awesome. I’m really proud of him.”
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: What Hubert Davis had to say after beating Pitt