How UNC basketball went from ‘punked’ to ‘crashing’ with ‘winning plays’ vs Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Hubert Davis was waiting, hoping for this to happen. This was the vision coming to fruition for UNC basketball.

This present moment was a nod to the past and a signal of what could come in the future. This is the area on the stat sheet that always captures the attention of Davis, something within the box score that has long been associated with hoops in Chapel Hill.

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Speaking from the postgame dais in an open area inside Rupp Arena, UNC’s fifth-year coach couldn’t help but smile as he answered questions about the Tar Heels’ rebounding effort against Kentucky.

Freshman guard Derek Dixon did his thing in the final minute, draining two big-time buckets — including the go-ahead layup — but UNC’s offensive rebounding put the 16th-ranked Tar Heels in position to leave Lexington with a 67-64 win over the 18th-ranked Wildcats in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

It was a vintage rebounding performance for UNC (7-1), which rocked its retro jerseys and snatched a season-high 20 offensive rebounds, scoring 22 second-chance points off those extra opportunities.

“I’m so glad I can hammer this (point),” Davis said with a smile during an 11-minute press conference.

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“One of the things I always tell ‘em is I’m not really a big stats guy, but I will use it to confirm what I already know. And I keep telling ‘em this is who we are. We have to get to the offensive glass, we have to get second-chance opportunities. And so, I’ve got evidence to prove that what I’m telling them is beneficial, not only to them personally, individually, but also as a team. Huge factor for us.”

UNC had an offensive rebounding percentage of 47.6% against the Wildcats (5-3), something that contributed to consistent groans from the more than 20,000 fans packed inside Rupp Arena. Big Blue Nation crashed out as the Tar Heels consistently crashed the glass, nearly pulling down more offensive boards than Kentucky finished with defensively (22).

That 47.6% offensive…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/unc-basketball-went-punked-crashing-110306055.html

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Publish date : 2025-12-04 11:03:00

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