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BERKELEY, Calif. — North Carolina faced a tough challenge on Saturday, one that has plagued them in recent games. The Tar Heels struggled against Cal, an ACC opponent, as the team shot an impressive number of three-pointers, leading to another loss on the West Coast.

The second-half comeback brought the score closer, but it didn’t ease the concerns about the team’s performance. This was supposed to be a lighter start to conference play, yet the Tar Heels are now three games behind with a 2-3 record. Over the past five games, they have allowed an alarming total of 70 made three-pointers.

After the 84-78 loss, head coach Hubert Davis addressed several key issues and provided insight into what went wrong and how the team can improve. Here’s a breakdown of his comments:

What Changed in the Second Half?

Hubert Davis reflected on the urgency that emerged in the second half. He said:

“I think there was a sense of urgency that wasn’t there first 20-25 minutes. There were still mistakes that were made on both ends of the floor, but it was done with an urgency, with an effort that allowed us to get back into the game.”

This shift in mindset helped the team make a late push, even though it wasn’t enough to secure a win.

Defensive Adjustments in the Second Half

When asked about the defensive changes, Davis explained:

“I felt like, as I mentioned before, the urgency was much better in the second half. We were disciplined from a standpoint of defending without putting them on the free throw line — they’re third in the country in free throw shooting. We didn’t give up very many offensive rebounds, as opposed to at the beginning of the game, we were able to get some steals and reflections. We finished our possessions with box outs, rebounds and allowed us to get out in transition. And so those are things that have been consistent of what we want to do for an entire game, and we just didn’t do it today.”

Davis emphasized the importance of maintaining discipline and focus throughout the game.

Surprises in Cal’s Offensive Strategy

Davis acknowledged that Cal’s offensive plan wasn’t entirely unexpected. He noted:

“We knew Lee is their best offensive rebounder, and he started the game off with three straight offensive rebounds. We knew, from an offensive standpoint, that there’s a lot of movement. One of the things that I consistently said to the team was that there’s no time to be able to take a deep breath. Some things are coming, whether it’s a down screen flare, stagger, duck in, and our readiness to be able to guard their actions wasn’t there at the beginning of the game, and in large part for the first period.”

Despite knowing what to expect, the team struggled to adapt early in the game.

Rebounding Discrepancy

Cal is known as one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, yet they matched North Carolina in rebounds. Davis pointed out:

“We had a 30% offensive rebounding percentage. That’s nowhere close to the goal that we have every game for the entire year. Our lack of ability to dominate the boards was also a huge factor in outcome of the game. Was it not there to be more physical? You know? I mean, I think there’s a physicality about rebounding, but ultimately, it’s about a will and a want to whether is defensive rebounding or trying to get a second chance opportunity on the offensive end last three.”

Rebounding remains a critical issue for the team.

Concerns About Defense and Urgency

Davis spoke about the ongoing challenges with defense and urgency. He said:

“Continue to repeat it, continue to drill it, continue to coach it, and continue to hold guys accountable towards it. And also, throughout the year, everybody goes through some bumps, whether it’s at the beginning of the year, middle of the year, you hope it’s not at the end of the year, and you have to find a way to work through it. And so these are some bumps that we went through this week and three of the last four games, and we’re going to have to respond and fight back. We have an opportunity to do this. I love these kids. Got an unbelievable, great team to coach. I love being around them, and we’ll figure it out.”

Davis remains confident in the team’s ability to overcome these challenges.

Three-Point Shooting Concerns

North Carolina has given up 70 made threes in the first five ACC games. Davis addressed this issue:

“Well, I thought we did a better job of it today, so I like to look at the improvement, especially in the second half. Very interesting — they had two guys that have never made a three and hit two threes on us. You look at the threes, but I look at the source: where it’s coming from, the initial position, the urgency and closeouts, the rotations, that’s what you have to look at. It’s not the end result — oh they shot a three — it’s why recently have teams been shooting it at a high percentage? I think that’s the most important thing to look at. And as I mentioned before, awareness, scouting reports, close outs, rotations, those types of things that have to consistently get better.”

Davis stressed the need for improvement in defensive fundamentals rather than focusing solely on the results.