North Carolina Coach Hubert Davis Previews Indiana Matchup in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Ahead of the No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels' matchup at No. 10 Indiana on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, coach Hubert Davis talked about the challenges his team will face, his history with Bob Knight, the anticipated atmosphere at Assembly Hall and more.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For Hubert Davis, a native of Winston-Salem, N.C. who went to high school in Burke, Va., playing basketball at North Carolina was always a goal.

It became a reality from 1988-92 when he played for legendary Tar Heels' coach Dean Smith. Davis averaged 21.4 points and shot 42.9 percent from 3 during an All-ACC senior year, which led to him becoming the 20th overall pick by the New York Knicks in the 1992 NBA Draft. 

Following a 12-year NBA career and nine years as an assistant under Roy Williams, Davis took over as head coach and led North Carolina to the National Championship game in his first season in 2021-22. The Tar Heels were tabbed as the preseason No. 1 team, but dropped to No. 18 after losses to Alabama and Iowa State in the Phil Knight Invitational.

It's a quick turnaround for Davis and the Tar Heels, who just played a four-overtime game against Alabama on Sunday in Portland, Ore. and flew Bloomington on Monday. Davis said his team will miss nearly two weeks of school by the time they're back on campus, and he's made sure they're caught up, academically.

"I think the thing that we're trying to do is trying to make sure we're in the right time zone," Davis said.

North Carolina hopes to end that skid on Wednesday when the Tar Heels face No. 10 Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Assembly Hall. For Davis, the game offers a past connection. In his playing days, he admired former Indiana coach Bob Knight, enough to consider a college career as a Hoosier.

"My second choice was I wanted to go to Indiana," Davis said. "I just wanted to be coached by coach Knight. Just loved the way he coached, the way he taught players, loved the way he cared about his players and I loved the way he approached the game."

Beginning in 2007, Davis joined ESPN as a college basketball analyst and had the chance to work alongside Knight for a few years. 

"I loved spending that time with him and talking basketball and talking life," Davis said. "He taught me a new way to tie a tie, and I actually tie a tie the way that he taught me."

Heading into Wednesday's game, Davis is preparing his team for and Indiana squad that has dominated points in the paint this season. North Carolina has a strong front court presence of its own with Armando Bacot and Pete Nance, creating an intriguing matchup with Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson, Malik Reneau and Jordan Geronimo. 

Davis is also emphasizing the need to take care of the ball, noticing Indiana's ability to turn mistakes into easy buckets this year. On the defensive end, Davis said Indiana's length and athleticism will cause problems for any team, in addition to the Hoosiers' constant pressure.

"I think also there's a hunger and thirst about them, about this group that drives them and motivates them to be the best they can be this year," Davis said. "So they're just a really good basketball team. Extremely well coached."

During Davis' time as an assistant at North Carolina, he coached against current Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson, who spent his first three years in the ACC at Pittsburgh. Davis said Johnson is one of the fastest players he's ever seen with the ball, and his ability to attack the basket will be a challenge for North Carolina to contain.

"[Johnson] has always been really competitive, which I love," Davis said. "And he's really improved his outside shot. I think this year so far he's 8-of-12 from 3-point range, and early in his career that was something that was probably a weakness of his and you can just tell the hard work that he's put together that now it isn't a weakness, it's a strength."

It's sure to be a raucous crowd at Assembly Hall for Wednesday's 9:15 p.m. ET tipoff, but Davis believes his team's past experiences have prepared them for this atmosphere. He pointed out last year's Final Four at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., where reported attendance was 70,602 in North Carolina's win over Duke.

"As a player and as a coach, that's just not really anything that you're ever really concerned about," Davis said. "I don't remember, for me as a player, the crowd ever having any effect on my play. As a coach, I've never felt like a crowd had an effect in terms of my ability to coach. Our guys have played in big time atmospheres and it will be one tomorrow night, but our guys have been there before."

Davis and Indiana coach Mike Woodson are both in their second seasons coaching at their alma maters, and it won't be the first time their paths have crossed. Davis played for the Detroit Pistons from 2002-04 under head coach Larry Brown, who Woodson worked for as an assistant coach. 

Wednesday's game also marks the last year of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, which, for Davis and the Tar Heels, becomes the ACC/SEC Challenge next year. 

"Having these big time matchups early in the season, the cool thing about it is it's not a neutral site," Davis said. "You get to play on other people's home courts and it's just a great experience. The experience that I had as an assistant coach and a head coach playing in these types of games is something that I will remember for the rest of my life, and I really am sad that it's ending, but I know that the ACC/SEC challenge is going to be awesome, as well."

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• JACKSON-DAVIS VS. BACOT: Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis and North Carolina's Armando Bacot are good friends off the court, and the two All-Americans provide an intriguing matchup on Wednesday night at Assembly Hall when No. 10 Indiana takes on No. 18 North Carolina. CLICK HERE
• HOW TO WATCH: Indiana basketball (5-0) welcomes the No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2) to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. on Wednesday for a 9:15 p.m. ET tipoff. Here's how to watch, with game time and TV information, three leading storylines, the latest on the point spread, the coaching matchup, series history and more. CLICK HERE
  
• OPENING LINE: North Carolina was preseason No. 1 but now has lost two straight games and are underdogs once again in its matchup with Indiana on Wednesday night in Bloomington. Here's the latest on the point spread, and both team's drastically different histories vs. the number so far this season. CLICK HERE
• 'I'M PLAYING': Injured Indiana senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was adamant Tuesday afternoon that he feels better and he will be in the starting lineup late Wednesday night when the Hoosiers take on North Carolina at Assembly Hall. "You're gonna have to take me out on a stretcher,'' he said. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA VS. UNC SERIES HISTORY: Indiana has a terrific history with North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, winning three of the four meetings. They'll dance one last time on Wednesday night in this event, and it's been a heck of the ride. CLICK HERE