What Hubert Davis said led to UNC basketball’s loss at Wake Forest, with stats to back it up

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Through 20 games, UNC basketball has matched its loss total from last season.

The unranked Tar Heels are treading water after a 67-66 loss at Wake Forest on Tuesday night. There were two unsettling stats that led to UNC’s second straight one-point defeat for the first time in 57 years.

When asked about the difference in the game, UNC coach Hubert Davis pointed to the Deacs’ “ability to get to the free-throw line and make their free throws. And our inability to get to the free-throw line and our inability to knock down some open looks that just didn’t go in.”

In a game between a pair of teams hoping to hear their names on Selection Sunday ahead of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Demon Deacons (15-4, 7-1 ACC) were the aggressors against a UNC (12-8, 5-3) squad that missed open shot after open shot and failed to frequently get to the free-throw line.

Wake Forest missed its share of shots, but made 21 of 27 free throws. UNC attempted 10 free throws, including zero in the second half. By the time the buzzer sounded on the Tar Heels’ fourth straight loss in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest’s Cam Hildreth made the same number of free throws that UNC attempted.

The Heels have attempted 10 or fewer free throws in two of the last four games. That hasn’t happened multiple times in the same season since the 2021-22 season, Roy Williams’ final as head coach.

As for the 3-point shooting, UNC matched its season-high in attempts with 32, missing 24 of its shots from beyond the arc. Through 20 games, the Heels are 245th in 3-point shooting, making just 32.1% of their treys. In back-to-back losses, UNC is 13 of 50 (26%) on 3-point attempts.

“Again,” Davis said, “it comes down to makes and misses.”

Whether it be from the 3-point line or at the free-throw line, that was certainly the case in Winston-Salem, where UNC’s missed opportunities presented the Tar Heels with another hurdle in their hopes of making March Madness.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/hubert-davis-said-led-unc-140241804.html

Author : The Fayetteville Observer

Publish date : 2025-01-22 14:02:00

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