LAHAINA – On Jan. 27, 1993, North Carolina trailed Florida State by 21 points with less than 12 minutes to play.


The deficit was still 20 points when Henrik Rodl hit a three-pointer to cut the FSU lead to 71-54 with 9:21 left. There was barely a rumble in the Smith Center. And then something unexpected: Dean Smith, guarding his precious timeouts closely, signaled his first timeout of the game.


“He told us,” said Kevin Salvadori, sitting in the crowd at the Smith Center that night, “that he just wanted Florida State to think about it.”


At that moment, the ‘Noles actually thought about it. The Tar Heels ultimately pulled off the second-largest comeback in school history, beating the Seminoles 82-77.


On November 26, 2024, North Carolina trailed Dayton by 21 points with 17:46 minutes left to play. The deficit was previously 17 Ian Jackson hit a three-pointer to cut the Flyers lead to 61-47 with 14:01 left. The crowded Lahaina Civic Center awoke. And then something unexpected: Hubert Daviswho traditionally guards his precious timeouts closely, signaled his first timeout of the half.


He gathered his team and delivered a very simple message:


“Guys, we are here. There’s still so much time left.”


“We got to the three and I just wanted to get everyone ready and let them know what the moment is,” Davis said on the Tar Heel Sports Network. “We were within striking distance and I wanted to give them a clear picture of where we would be at the 12-minute mark and at the eight-minute mark. That gives them confidence because when I tell them these things.” “You can look at the scoreboard and we’re exactly where we need to be. This gives us the opportunity to have confidence on the floor.”


This answer is so perfect, so Smith-like, it almost gives you goosebumps. There’s no question where Davis first saw this approach – remember, he was part of the greatest comeback in school history when Carolina came from behind by 22 to beat Wake Forest at the Smith Center in 1992.



Hubert Davis scored a career-high 30 in that game. But 32 years later, perhaps his most important takeaway from that night was how Smith managed a game and how he passed that management on to his players. Suddenly his team was no longer chasing a 14-point deficit. They were simply trying to make steady progress over a set period of time.



RJ Davis scored 30 points on Monday night (so if the form continues, expect head coach RJ to take a crucial timeout in 32 years to secure a big Tar Heel win).


“In that timeout, Coach Davis told us to keep going,” RJ said on THSN. “Dayton is a really good team and they took one tough shot after another. But we knew that what we had would be enough to win the game. Coach Davis’ message was to keep hitting, and after four minutes we were right there.”


What did Smith’s players always say? They practiced so many late game situations that the actual game scenarios weren’t as daunting.


Well, listen to this from RJ:


“At 66-55, with six or seven minutes left to play, I knew we were going to come back,” the fifth-year guard said. “We were down by 18 or whatever, and we got it down to 11. We do it in four-minute blocks. Reduce it to 10. Reduce it to a two possession game. That’s how we do it, even when we’re practicing, and it makes the games so much easier. When I looked up and we were down 11 points, I thought, ‘We’re in this game.'”


The score was 66-55 with 11:06 left Seth Trimble converted a three-point play. Three minutes had passed since the Tar Heel’s timeout when they faced a 14-point deficit.


Four minutes later, at 7:40, Carolina was only three points behind.


Four minutes later, at 3:25, Carolina was only one behind.


And three minutes and 25 seconds later, Carolina walked off the field with a two-point win and the second-largest comeback in school history, making the exact same lead it had against Florida State 31 years ago. Constant progress, just like in practice. Four minute pieces. Hubert Davis would be the first to tell you he’s not Dean Smith. Part of what makes him a good modern coach is that he incorporates aspects of Smith, but also of Pat Riley from his time with the Knicks and a variety of coaches he watched during his time at ESPN.


But this win was absolutely Smith-esque. All that was missing Monday night was Lefty Driesell waving his arms in disgust and storming off the court in Maui. One day we’ll all talk about how we stayed up late in the middle of the night on Thanksgiving week to watch that movie (with the sound turned down, of course), and that we might have been a little groggy at work the next day, but you know You know, it was worth it, and let me take a little nap before the Auburn game and then I’ll be ready to do it all again. Due to the nature of this event, there is virtually no time to enjoy the victory; A victory like this should come with a mandatory two or three day break to marvel at all the things, big and small, that made it possible (standing up, Drake Powell And Jalen Washington And Elliot Cadeaubecause one day the oral tradition of this game will contain significant contributions from each of you).


Instead, they will be back on the court at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday night, with no actual practice time to correct any mistakes. The Tar Heels weren’t perfect in the win – they committed too many turnovers, allowed some big offensive rebounds and failed to execute properly in the final ten seconds when they were supposed to foul with a three-point lead. And of course, they played the first half that caused the 18-point deficit in the first place.


But at the moment they had to be, they made every play, grabbed every board and made every big shot.


“I’m really proud of the boys” Hubert Davis said. “Their fight to come back and win the game shows a lot about the character of this team. I’m really happy for her.”


Not happy for him. I’m happy for her. Spoken like… well, you know who. Hubert Davis is not Dean Smith. But on that Monday night, in that game, he rose to the occasion just as he did.