UNC-Virginia Tech Postgame Quotes

North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech
Feb. 17, 2024
Dean E. Smith Center
Chapel Hill, N.C.
UNC 96 - Virginia Tech 81

Hubert Davis
On Armando Bacot
"He outworked them. You can call whatever play, you can design whatever half-court set. If the player is not going to work hard to catch the ball where we want him to catch it in order to be able to do something, it's just a waste of time. One of the things that Armando did really well in transition was sealing his man right in the middle of the paint. It's a perfect place to get him the ball because they can't double team him. And he did a really good job of getting his low-post sealing."

On the week off
"It feels good. I think it's a great time for us to have a week off and catch our breath. I think it's a great week for us to just physically rest. But the most important thing is that it's a week where we can practice, not prepare. The way the schedule has been, we have been practicing preparing for a game. Obviously, we need to do that for Virginia next week, but at the beginning of next week, we can actually practice and we can work on things we need to improve on on both ends of the floor."

On Harrison Ingram's rebounding
"He doesn't do anything special. What he does is he goes every time. Rebounding is will, want, desire, and toughness. You can anticipate where the ball will go if it's a miss, but it's all about pursuit and willingness to get the ball and he goes after it every time."

On what it means when Cormac Ryan is shooting well
"In combination with Harrison and RJ, you've now got three guys that are shooting the ball at a high level. That gives us even more space for Armando. It gives space to Elliot to be able to get in gaps."

On RJ Davis
"When you look at 20 points on 13 shots, that's a good player. He also had five assists and he gets to the free throw line and defends. That's a good player. He had limited points to start the game and his patience and understanding that he's going to get his looks and understanding that we wanted to feature Armando and dominate points in the paint. Us being able to do that opens him up down there on the perimeter and so he has my vote for ACC Player of the Year."

RJ Davis
On making a statement today:
"The way we came out today, we were dialed in on both ends of the floor. I think we kind of got our groove back a little bit in terms of our defensive mindset. It was in the gaps, it was talking, getting through screens, and help side was there. I think this is definitely something we can improve on going into this bye week where we can catch our breath a little bit and recover."

On the importance of winning this game:
"Virginia Tech beat us last year, so this game was definitely circled on my calendar. We want to get those games we lost last year back this year. Virginia Tech is a really good team. They run sets really hard, they play really good defense, so credit to them. At the same time, we also wanted to make a statement again and just get ourselves back in the win column."

On 54 points in the paint:
"We were focused on getting the ball into the paint, whether it is through the guards or through Armando. Armando was huge for us in the second half and his ability to post hard and demand the ball. We were able to get down a little bit for him and the guards were able to finish through contact. There weren't too many set plays, it was just more go out there and hoop, and if you have a guy you can take, take 'em. That's one thing Coach Davis loves about basketball. There doesn't always have to be a set play. He just wants you to go out there and play freely and play basketball. That's what we did today."

On playing against former Tar Heel Tyler Nickel:
"That's my boy right there. Just to see him be able to have the opportunity to thrive, he played really well today. I knew we couldn't let T-Nick (Tyler Nickel) get hot. But you know, it is always good to see him. I am proud of him for his efforts and the way he is playing this year. I talked trash to him a little bit, but he is still family. He is still my brother."

Seth Trimble
On Armando Bacot and Cormac Ryan:
"When Mando is dominating and Cormac is hitting shots, I think we are a deadly team."

Armando Bacot
On Virgina Tech
"We knew we were gonna have to bring our A game [with] how they shoot the ball, how they run their sets and they're experienced."

On his performance after meeting with Coach Davis at Duke game
"Coach Davis is a great coach and he's always pushing me. Coming into this game we knew we wanted to have a great game. RJ and I didn't like what happened over in Syracuse and we did a great job responding."

On being top of ACC
"It's been a tough stretch and we're in a position at the top of the ACC. It's electric, it's crazy. I mean, it's a lot of fun and some of the perks of going to UNC is that we're getting everyone's best shot."

On the tournament mock seeding
"I feel great. This is the first time in my career where we're not on the bubble, so it feels good."

Harrison Ingram
On the difference in this game
"It definitely started with the coaches. I mean, they were on us all week about playing harder, playing as a team, and I feel like we did that in the first half."

Playing with Armando
"We knew that he's been playing pretty well lately and we were trying to get the ball inside and get easy shots. All three of the bigs had two fouls, so you know, we have Mando, who is the best big in the country. I mean why not give him the ball, he's an All-American, no one could stop him."

On his rebounding and energy
"In the offseason I worked on my body a lot. I lost a lot of weight and got in the gym. I started running a lot in the offseason with our manager who is a cross country runner. You know, just being on the track and working hard."

Change in his role at Stanford to UNC
"Knowing this team, I am more of a four man. I'm inside, I'm rebounding. My job is to rebound a little bit more than last year. Last year I was more on the perimeter, coming off ball screens more like a two."

Virginia Tech Head Coach Mike Young
Opening Statement:
"They have got a really good team. Armando has been a really good player in this league for a long time, as has RJ Davis. We had a good plan coming in, but those two kids were better than our plans. I tip my cap to the Tar Heels and Coach Davis."

On Cormac Ryan:
"He is a good basketball player. He helps them defensively. He's got a really good spirit about him. He is a good player and a great teammate."

On Tyler Nickel and his return:
"He has had a good year for us. He's a good basketball player. He is awesome to coach and very conscientious. I did not say a word to him about coming back here. I am sure he would tell you that he had a great experience here and thought he had better opportunities at our place to play a lot of minutes and that's certainly come to fruition. I am proud of his effort today and all year, through thick and thin. He's a good one."

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

RJ Davis

Harrison Ingram

Tyler Nickel

Cormac Ryan

Seth Trimble

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