3 takeaways from UNC Basketball’s comeback win over Florida State

2) Hubert Davis deserves some credit

Let’s move from one Davis to another. Hubert Davis was a beloved Tar Heel even before he took over for Roy Williams and led his alma mater to the national championship game in his first season in charge. Despite the incredible highs of nearly winning a national title as an 8-seed, beating Duke in Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game, and again to end his career in the Final Four, Davis currently dwells in a strange kind of limbo in the minds of many UNC fans.

Last year was such a massive disappointment that for many, it has called Davis’ entire future into question. Is that fair? Not at all, but such is life when you have one of the top jobs in college basketball.

One criticism levied at Davis throughout his tenure is that he doesn’t make in-game adjustments. Saturday dispelled that complaint emphatically. Davis borrowed from his former coach Dean Smith to break out the full-court press once the Heels looked to be freefalling, and it completely changed the game.

The Heels got some steals and easy baskets as Florida State floundered in the backcourt, but even when the Seminoles broke the press and advanced the ball, they rushed their shots and missed. That’s how Carolina went on a 22-0 run that sent the Smith Center into a prolonged frenzy, giving UNC a lead that it would never relinquish.

Davis often takes the blame when the Tar Heels lose, so it’s only right to give him credit for pulling this one out with a move that would have made his legendary former coach proud. Carolina is now 7-1, and its coach seems to be pushing all the right buttons.