North Carolina looks for better execution vs. Notre Dame

Field Level Media|published: Fri 3rd January, 13:07 2025

Jan 1, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) looks to pass under the pressure of Louisville Cardinals guard Terrence Edwards Jr. (5) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

North Carolina finds itself in familiar territory early in the new calendar year.

Once again, coach Hubert Davis and his team will aim to bounce back from a loss when it travels to South Bend, Ind., to face Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon.

The Tar Heels (8-6, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) dropped an 83-70 decision to Louisville on Wednesday in their second ACC game of the season. Entering the final five minutes of play, North Carolina trimmed the Cardinals' lead to just a point at 70-69 before Louisville closed the game on a 13-1 run.

"Our execution was not very good down the stretch," Davis said of the loss. "That's when you have to tighten the screws on discipline and details. You have to get stops without fouling, box out, rebound the basketball. Offensively, you have to execute and get the shot you want."

Closing games has been an issue for the Tar Heels all season.

They've lost three games by two or fewer possessions, including ones to marquee opponents like Kansas, Michigan State and Florida, all of whom are ranked in the Top 25. Victories in one or a few of those games would've boosted the Tar Heels' postseason resume and helped quell some concerns around the ACC about its top basketball brands performing poorly.

Instead, North Carolina heads into the thick of ACC play with work to do to make the NCAA Tournament in two months.

Notre Dame (7-6, 1-1) is another ACC team that seemingly belongs to the league's large middle pack. The Fighting Irish are coming off a Tuesday defeat at Georgia Tech, which snapped a three-game winning streak.

The bright spot for the Irish against Georgia Tech was the play of Tae Davis, who poured in a career-best-tying 27 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. The 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 16.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season.

"He's a hard matchup for a lot of people," coach Micah Shrewsberry said of Davis. "We use him in a lot of different ways."

An All-American a season ago, RJ Davis has been the bus driver for the Tar Heels on offense typically, but Ian Jackson has been the one impressing lately, scoring a team-high 23 points against Louisville. It was the third straight game the freshman topped 20 points, notching 26 against Campbell and 24 against UCLA.

--Field Level Media

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