Let's Read: Quotes Following Notre Dame

 

(Photo Courtesy Grant Halverson/GettyImages) 

By JEREMIAH ARTACHO 

Chapel Hill, N.C. --- After the conclusion of last night's victory, which saw #7 UNC ahead of Notre Dame by 33 points by the end, as the regulation clock sounded off, it began one last wave for all the seniors. Here is a deep dive into some of the things that were said by Coach Davis and his players postgame. 

 Coach Davis 

"What does it mean for you to see those guys go out? Especially Armando, who's now played the most games in ACC history."

"Yeah, it was just a really emotional night seeing them before the game with their parents on the floor and just thinking about so many memories, so many moments that you spent with each other. I've talked about how things get so busy you just go from moment to moment, you don't have very few times just to be able to enjoy the moment. And it was nice to be able to enjoy the moment of them being celebrated for what they've done for this year's team, for what they've done for this program, this university, and this community. It was just a continuation by the way that they played tonight."

"Did you know he (Armando Bacot) was going to shoot those threes there at the end?" 

"I did not... but if they go in I'm okay and it's the first three he's hit since we played Oklahoma in Charlotte so it's the first of 2024. If he makes it then I don't have a problem with it, if he misses it then we'll have a discussion." 

"Often teams kind of struggle on senior night because there's a lot of other factors that play, there's a lot of emotion. Your club was very dialed in tonight, a couple of guys were talking about how the mission was to be dialed and don't let the other things sort of get in the way of that." 

"They've been really good at that all season, eliminating or turning down the noise and focusing on what's most important, and what was most important was our preparation, our practice, how we played tonight. Even in the huddle, the guys just kept saying more to be said, more to be done but I think it was also a motivational factor from a standpoint. It was really a desire for them to hang a banner." 

Armando Bacot 

"The Wofford game (freshman year) to right now and all you've accomplished since that moment felt like one of the lowest moments for you..." 

"That day after that game if you would have told me I would have been in this position to be one of the all-time players here and in the ACC, I mean I would probably wouldn't have believed it. I was going through a tough stretch and I didn't know I would be even good enough to play here but I just trusted the process and just kept working." 

"Have you talked to Coach Williams at all in the past couple of days?" 

"Yeah, I talked to him yesterday, but me and coach we talk every week so he's always encouraging me and he sent me a long text just saying how proud of me he is and just how much he appreciates all I've done for the university." 

"Other than just sitting down (postgame and answering questions from the reporters) is there something that kind of stands out that is that trigger point?" 

"Just really playing everything through my head when I first got here. I came in as like a boy and I'm leaving now as like a man. It's just crazy to think just how far I've come and stuck with it and I've never cheated the grind and I mean it's paid off but still more to do."  

RJ Davis 

"You said you might cry, did you cry?" 

"Nah, it felt weird because I cried for everybody else on senior night but for me I was just more like cheering and happy. It'll probably hit me like once I get back into my locker. I just sit down and just think about it." 

"Curtain Call at the end for you guys, all the seniors, how did that feel?" 

"I felt great just to share, especially like Armando because I came in here with him my freshman year, he's a sophomore, but just to share that moment with all the seniors and just hear the crowd cheering our names. That was just like a special moment for us." 

"Do you think one of the reasons you didn't get emotional is because you have that option (fifth-year) dangling out there so it's maybe not as finite as it would be in other situations?" 

"Yeah, but I'm not really like an emotional person. Last time I think I was really emotional was the National Championship."

Coach Davis and his team travel to Durham this coming Saturday for the season finale and another chance to beat their rival. 

This contest will determine a multitude of things, from the regular season champion to the seeding in next week's ACC Tournament.