Hubert Davis’ fourth UNC basketball team, No. 9 in the AP Top 25, suffered an 92-89 road loss to the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) in Allen Fieldhouse on Friday night.
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Although the Tar Heels (1-1, 0-0 ACC) didn’t secure the result they wanted in the blueblood matchup, considering UNC headed into halftime facing a 53-38 deficit, the final score undoubtedly seemed encouraging.
In fact, the Tar Heels trailed by as many as 20 in the first half. And their valiant comeback after the break — to the tune of taking the lead a few times down the stretch — marked the first time since 2010 that a UNC basketball squad has climbed back to take a lead in any game after trailing by 20 points or more.
Here’s what Davis noted to the media afterward regarding his group’s resilience:
“Well, we were playing defense [in the second half]. I mean, they shot 60 percent against us in the first half.
“They were getting everything that they wanted. They were running their offense like they do in shootaround. They were getting threes. They were getting layups. They were getting dunks. They were getting to the free throw line. Didn’t feel any pressure or physicality from us from a defensive end.
“So, I was telling the team during the first half — I told them at halftime — that things can change, and things can change quickly, if our will and our want-to and our desire on the defensive end raises.
“And that’s what we did in the second half.
“I thought we got stops. Even though they scored 50 points in the paint [for the game], I thought we did a better job in the second half. We didn’t turn the ball over. I think we only had four turnovers in the second half. And then, we started attacking the basket, and that allowed us to score at the basket, get fouled, get to the free throw line, and then be able to knock down some threes.
“And so, I was really proud of them how they got back into the game.”
Now, Davis’ Tar Heels will look toward building on that effort when they host the American Eagles (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League) at 8 p.m. ET Friday (ACC Network).
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