UNC-Florida State Postgame Quotes

Postgame Quotes
Dec. 2, 2023
Chapel Hill, N.C.
North Carolina: 78, Florida State 70

Head Coach Hubert Davis
On the second half full court pressure:
"It gave us energy and it gave us life. I thought for the first half and the beginning of the second half, the energy was not there and we were a step slow on both ends of the floor. We just weren't getting the loose balls, the rebounds, or finishing around the basket nor making open shots. When we went to the press, it brought our energy up, it got us steals and deflections, and so we were able to convert on that. If we were unable to get a steal or deflection it would speed them up and when they missed it got us out in transition."

On Seth Trimble:
"His athleticism and ability to guard, having him, RJ and Elliot out there was huge for us. Seth was really good. The way he moves his feet, he was able to get steals and deflection because of his athleticism and strength he can guard bigger guys so we were able to switch a number of different players because he can guard guards and big guys down low on the post… If he didn't get elbowed in the hip he would have played the rest of the game, he was playing that well."

On the team's ability to overcome the deficit:
"The thing that we struggled with last year was down the stretch being able to make the discipline and the details, the free throw, the box out, not to turn the ball over, get the loose ball. I thought that's where at times we struggled last year. I was just proud of the guys, their effort and for them not to panic and stay within what we try to do on the offensive end and make the change… Our press, that's the first time we've ever done it after making baskets… I said guys, you like this you want to keep doing this? They said let's keep doing it. That's exactly what I wanted to see, was some life and that press got us going."

On the lack of first half energy:
"Saturday afternoon games in the Smith Center, in conference, are pretty electric out there. I had great energy and I was ready to go. I do not have a reason for it. It has been, you know, three games in a row in the Bahamas, come home and play an emotional game against Tennessee, and two and a half days later start playing ACC opponents at two o'clock in the afternoon. We knew that we would get Florida State's best shot, and that is what we did."

On the passing and playmaking quality acquired from the portal:
"It affects the quality of shots for everyone. Even at the beginning of the game we weren't making them but the ball was moving exactly the way it should… We always from an offensive standpoint want to be good to great and we want to make the extra pass. Not only do we make the extra pass, I feel like our guys get more excited to see their teammates make shots as opposed to making their own shots. I love the unselfishness of this team. Everybody shares the basketball and that's something that is a big part of our success on the offensive end."

On moving forward from the past:
"This is this year's team. I'm not thinking about my first year or my second year. We have seven new players on this year's team. I don't think anyone is thinking about last year. I think all of us are thinking about this team and this year. We always talk about what's in front of us and what's real. What's in front of us is this year's team and our growth and seeing what we can do and how good we can become."

Armando Bacot
On second half comeback:
"It shows the toughness that we have, to be able to be in a situation like that and stay resilient. Know that we want to come back, play hard, and take it up to another level."

On the pressing in the second half:
"There are many different ways we play as a team which I think is definitely helpful for us. In a situation like that, being able to put in a lineup where we just had a lot of pressure and athleticism is great."

On FSU defense:
"It's tough playing a team like Florida State because they've got so much length in the way they switch. You can't really run the offense that you want to run because they just get in front of you and take it away. We just kind of had to feel them out, that came a lot later than what I thought it would, but it ended up working out."

On RJ Davis:
"I think he's been probably the best point guard in the country."

On Seth Trimble:
"Seth he came in and gave us great energy and that's what we needed"

On small ball lineup:
"It's been great. In situations like that, we know we got to rebound, but we also use it to our advantage and try to get out in transition and get easy layups and turnovers."

RJ Davis
On Seth Trimble:
"I love Seth's impact, he's like my little brother…. He's doing a great job. He comes in, applying pressure on the defensive end, being aggressive. We're going to need him moving forward. He's been consistent. I'm super proud of him."

Huddle energy in the second half:
"There was a lot of energy in the huddle, Coach Davis threw a couple clipboards down, just to get us going. We had no life, no energy in the first half. In the second half something had to change."

On conference play starting:
"The ACC is different. Each game, anyone can win, there is never a favor over one team."

On new year:
"This is a new year, a new team… We have a great group of guys that came here to contribute and to win some games."

Cormac Ryan
On first half struggles:
"I think we came out a little flat, you know, and myself as an older guy, I take a lot of accountability. We gotta play better in terms of getting guys to kind of be in their right spots and myself included, taking care of the basketball."

On the second half:
"I think the press was great for us. We got a lot of easy points off with just skills. I think our defense was also a lot better. Even when they broke the press, we were not fouling, we were making them take tough twos."

"The sign of a great team is to get tested and bounced back. The first ACC game, it's a game you really have to win. This December game, it's a crucial game. I'm really proud of our guys for stepping up and doing it."

On the fans/noise:
"We have the best fans in the world. Carolina is an unbelievable place to play a game. They showed out and I think that really helped us. It helped us when we had to go on a run and kind of make our stand.

Elliot Cadeau
On the press and pace:
"I think it was the press and making the pace faster, not just on offense but on defense as well. We got our energy up and that made us go on that run."

On their press:
"I feel like they didn't have that many good ball handlers, so the press definitely bothered them. They really couldn't break it."

On coming out and winning after a slow start:
"Yeah, it just shows how good we can be and if we're all locked in we can be a really good team."

Seth Trimble:
On the momentum shift after the Cormac Ryan steal:
"Definitely helped us get going. I mean, I'll give kudos and thanks to the crowd. That was the loudest I heard the Dean dome in a very long time and we definitely played off that. I couldn't help but have a smile on my face while playing

What he noticed about the press:
"That we are very versatile with our defenses. We can hit you with one thing then we can hit you with a press and then switch to another thing."

On smelling blood in the water:
"When we got to single digits, we knew."

The difference on this year's team:
"I just think this year we just have the heart, we have the determination, and we have the grit."

On RJ Davis:
"I think the biggest thing I've seen with him is him taking over that leadership role."

Harrison Ingram
On halftime speech:
"We felt like we needed to bring energy. As one of the leaders myself and a guy that brings a lot of energy to the team, I felt like I was down maybe because my shot wasn't falling. In the second half I knew that whether I fake it or not, I have to bring energy."

On the FSU defense:
"They are a really tall team. They switch everything which causes offenses to become stagnant. For us, it was kind of figuring out they couldn't guard us one on one and spreading them out , driving, getting into the lane, and kicking, and making the right play."

On UNC's defensive versatility:
"Coach does a great job having us prepared. We have two, three defenses that we haven't even shown yet, that we can bring out if we need to depending on the situation."

Florida State Head Coach Leonard Hamilton
On UNC second half pressure and FSU execution:
"This team needs to play a few more games together… North Carolina did a great job of sorting out our weaknesses and they took advantage of our weaknesses like great teams do. My hat goes off to them. They upped the pressure and created some indecision on our part and we didn't do a very good job handling it and their lies a loss to a very good team"

On UNC's execution:
"Carolina's execution offensively and defensively were a lot better than we were today. Their ability to consistently attack the basket off the dribble is an issue we have been plagued with all year long. When you have very quick guys who are disciplined in how they attack like Carolina has, they create a challenge for us… Right now we are not the kind of team who takes advantage of those moments where you have to make the decision to attack the basket with aggressiveness. I thought this afternoon North Carolina was excellent in those areas. There lies eight free throws that we took versus 31 for them, they earned those."

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Elliot Cadeau

RJ Davis

Harrison Ingram

Cormac Ryan

Seth Trimble

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