100 practices? Meaning for UNC basketball entering March Madness matchup with Alabama
Rodd BaxleyA preseason goal was checked off Monday morning for UNC basketball.
Before heading to Los Angeles for the NCAA Tournament’s West Regional and a Sweet 16 showdown with fourth-seeded Alabama (23-11) on Thursday (9:39 p.m. ET, CBS), the top-seeded Tar Heels (29-7) reached 100 practices on the season.
“The new guys were like, ‘What’s the deal with 100 practices?’ Well, 100 practices means you get at least to the Sweet 16,” UNC head coach Hubert Davis said Monday night on his weekly radio show with UNC play-by-play announcer Jones Angell.
“So, all year, ‘What practice is it, coach?’ … We had practice (Monday) morning and Armando (Bacot), the first thing he said was, ‘Coach, tell the team what practice this is.’ And it was practice 100.”
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The Tar Heels will have a few more practices before Thursday’s game at Crypto.com Arena. UNC or the Crimson Tide will play second-seeded Arizona (27-8) or sixth-seeded Clemson (23-11) on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four.
“They’re really dynamic offensively. They’ve got a number of guys who can shoot the 3. They’re fast-paced, very athletic,” Davis said of Alabama.
“From an offensive standpoint, their spectrum is either layups, free throws or 3-pointers. … What drives this team is defense and us getting stops, and finishing it with a rebound. Once we do that, that allows us to get out in transition, where we’ve been pretty good all year.”
If they keep it rolling, the Tar Heels will rack up a few more practices and extend their run to a place where they won a national championship in 2017.
“Armando sees that the door is closing in two weeks,” Davis said. “He’s trying everything to have another practice.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached atrbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.