HEAD COACH JON SCHEYER
On what North Carolina is doing differently this season compared to last season:
“I think the thing you see with them this year; they have great togetherness. They really have great role definition for how they play. And you can tell they have great confidence. I think that’s the biggest thing that I see with them. They’ve been in different moments, whether they’re down or it’s a tight game, they believe they’re supposed to win. You have two guys in [Armando] Bacot and [RJ] Davis, who have been through a lot of wars. They’ve been through a lot of wars together. And then you add in great experience. They’re one of the oldest teams in the country. [Cormac] Ryan and [Harrison] Ingram and [Jae’Lyn} Withers and the guys they’ve added, they have collectively played hundreds of games. I think that experience has really helped them.”
On North Carolina’s defensive success:
“You’re going to be successful if you defend the three-point line that well. Teams have not shot good percentages from three against them. They really put an emphasis on protecting their paint, while at the same time defending the three. That’s what we try to do. I think it starts with great attention by their players, by their coaching staff. They’ve done a great job guarding the ball. You can’t have a good defense if you don’t guard the ball and if you don’t guard pick-and-roll defense. They’ve done that. It’s not a team where you can look and say, ‘Alright, you need to drive him or attack him.’ They are all capable defenders, and they have five guys that defend together. And the last thing is, they hold you to one shot. They don’t give up offensive rebounds really, for the most part. That limits what you can do on the offensive end if you can only get one shot.”
On the multiple ways Jared McCain can impact a game:
“You think about Jared through the whole course of this season – he does whatever is required to win. And you mentioned last game, he may not have had his best shooting game, but he has 10 rebounds. The game before, he comes up with the two biggest steals of the game, knowing that the game’s on the line. That same game, in the middle of second half, we were stagnant a little bit, and he just went on a scoring spree. He’s defended some of the best players we’ve played, in an unorthodox way. He’s guarded fours, he’s guarded ones, twos, threes, even fives at times, the way we switch. He’s just a winning player, and you trust him on the court. And you trust that, at some point, he’s going to make a winning play. But you also believe his shots are going to go in.”
On the differences he’s seen from RJ Davis this season:
“He’s had a great year. He’s had as good of a year as anybody. He’s played with such a great pace. And he’s done it by being elite at shooting the three and getting to the foul line. Those are a great recipe for a guard that can score a lot of points. Not to mention, he’s got the total freedom to shoot any shot. You can’t relax for one second. Looks like they’re doing some different things for him on offense to get him open and they have a different team, but it’s the pace that he plays with. You’ve got to find him in transition when he has the ball. He’s going to attack the basket. He’s in pick-and-roll a lot, and they have shooting around him. But then, he’s also a guy where they can run staggers and different things for him, where you need to have great talk off the ball. Similar to what we just faced at Virginia Tech. They do some of that. He’s just a great player. A winning player. Plays both ends of the ball, not just offense, and he’s had a terrific year. We know it’s going to be a great challenge guarding him.”
On how Duke can make an impact in the rebounding battle:
“You have to be tough. You have to have each other’s backs. Bacot demands a lot of attention, naturally, going to the boards. But also, Ingram’s all over the boards. And then they’ll send a third perimeter, at times four, and so you have to have each other’s backs. If somebody comes over to help, somebody better help him. We’ve done a good job with that collectively, and it’s all about the fight. It’s all about the mentality. You’ve got to find a way to come up with the ball. It’s really no different from Saturday. Although, like you mentioned, they’re great at it. That’s what they’ve done. It’s what I’ve known them to do since I’ve been a freshman in college here. It’s no different. You’ve got to go in with the right mindset to that game to rebound.”
On the improvement of Tyrese Proctor’s defense as he continues to get healthy:
“Tyrese is definitely getting back to that level. He’s moving now, the right way. It took him some time from the ankle [injury]. It’s funny how that works. The defense and offense comes together, a lot of the time. He’s got such a competitive edge. When he’s guarding, he guards with a tenacity that I love. He’s done that, especially as of late, he’s played some great defense on some of the best guards that we’ve played… [Joe] Girard, [Hunter] Cattoor. Obviously, everybody will guard Davis this game, but I’m sure he’ll guard him a fair share, as well. It’s important to have a guy like that. And then the thing that it’s done, is offensively, he’s played with a huge swagger. He’s shooting the ball confidently. He’s attacking the paint. He’s playmaking. That’s who we need him to be. When he’s that way, there’s not a better guard in the country. I’m proud of how he’s made a big jump here the last seven to 10 days.”
SENIOR GUARD JEREMY ROACH
On how the rivalry has changed over the years that he’s been at Duke:
“Obviously, it’s been one of the best rivalries in all of sports. But I haven’t really seen a change like that. It’s always the UNC-Duke rivalry. It doesn’t matter – top-ranked, not top-ranked – it’s always going to be a bloodbath, every time we step across those lines. I’m just excited to compete in this rivalry. It’s going to be a crazy matchup on Saturday, and I can’t wait for it.”
On how he thinks the team has evolved so far this season:
“I think we’re trending in the right direction. In the beginning of the year, you have to find yourself and find your identity. And then, one of our key guys goes down. Tyrese, you know how special he is to our team. The things that he does on the court and when you’re missing a guy like that, in the middle of the season when you’re trying to find yourself, it can kind of mess the team up. But I think the freshmen have grown up early. Throughout the year, they stepped up a lot, especially in the early games. I think we’re trending in the right direction. We’re all healthy now. Tyrese is back. I’m back. Mark [Mitchell] is back. It’s going to be a special thing going forward.”
On if he has enjoyed winning at home or on the road more:
“No, I just want to go in and get the win. Doesn’t matter if it’s home or away. I mean, I love getting wins on the road. Getting a win on the road in the ACC is one of the hardest things to do. But just coming out of there with a win is definitely special.”
SOPHOMORE GUARD TYRESE PROCTOR
On recovering from his ankle injury and how he feels about his recovery at this point:
“Yeah, definitely set me back. I couldn’t move properly at all, really. I think laterally, and change of direction, was my biggest struggle. I’m good now, obviously guarding Cattoor and stuff like that last game. Getting used to the pain was a big thing for me. I’m ready for Saturday and it should be a good game.”
On the message to the freshmen as they go through the rivalry for the first time:
“I think the biggest thing is to just be positive. I think next-play mentality is a big thing too. Going into an environment like UNC, it’s like no other. There’s a lot of outside noise that can creep in. Blocking all that out and staying within the 15 guys in the locker room and the coaches, I think that’s the biggest thing. Just staying positive.”
On any differences the team has noticed when studying film:
“I think they play with a really fast pace. They push the tempo. I think they’re the number one offensive rebounding team in our conference, too. Just being able to make sure we crash the boards and make sure our defensive transition is on point. That’s what I’ve seen.”
