UNC’s incredible NCAA tournament run concludes Monday night in the national title game, and Hubert Davis is doing all he can to make sure his players don’t go home empty handed.
With his team up 22–18 against Kansas in the first half, the Tar Heels head coach delivered one of the most memorable in-game interviews of March Madness while speaking to CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson.
“Pretty fun game out there, isn’t it?” a fired-up Davis asked Wolfson. “We’re competing out there! It’s live-action, Tracy, it’s live-action out there! I thought we were nervous at the beginning then we started to settle in, we got better defensively, now we’re attacking the basket. We’re ready to go.”
Davis’s rousing mid-game commentary would likely inspire any team in any sport to compete harder in its pursuit of a championship. Judging by the 18–7 run UNC fired off immediately after the interview, the first-year coach’s energy apparently gave the team the boost it needed.
The eighth-seeded Tar Heels held the top-seeded Jayhawks to three points in the final five minutes of the half en route to taking a 40–25 lead into halftime.
UNC forward Armando Bacot, who entered the game nursing an ankle injury, led the way with 12 points and 10 boards, his 31st double-double of the season. Bacot is now is the only player in NCAA Tourney history to record a double-double in all six games.
The Tar Heels are leading the Jayhawks 46–45 with 12:41 left in regulation.
