Hubert Davis talks about the team’s victory over Central Arkansas
The North Carolina Tar Heels opened the 2025-26 college basketball season with a win over Central Arkansas on Monday night, doing what they should have done and dominating from the start. UNC took an early lead and extended it to 30 in the second, keeping their foot on the gas.
Wilson led the team with 22 points and ended up making 8 of 10 shots. Bogavac scored 10 points, while Kyan Evans had 15, Henri Veesaar had 14 and Seth Trimble finished with 12.
Here’s everything Hubert Davis said after the win via Inside Carolina:
Upon learning that Luka Bogavac was acquitted
“We found out right before the game, and just seeing Luka’s smile and reaction was something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. He’s someone, obviously coming from Montenegro, who since the first time I talked to him, has always had a burning desire to be a part of this team, this program, this university and this community, and to be able to see him run out of that tunnel with his uniform on, and to be able to check him in and see that smile is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. His mom is here. She’s been here. for a week. He should be here for two more weeks, so I can’t wait to see his son on the court, I haven’t talked to him after the game, but I’m very happy for him.
Were you worried he wouldn’t be acquitted?
“No, like I said before, it was the same thing. We were working on it. I felt like we were making progress, and I want to thank the University, they did a great job getting us to this point, and without them, Luka wouldn’t be here and he wouldn’t be on the court.”
About Caleb Wilson
“He brings a lot of energy, and you combine that with the elevation, the athleticism and the talent that he has on the court, as talented as he is. He’s a kid that’s very hungry to learn. He’s not someone that thinks he has it all or knows everything. He’s always asking questions, and to get that from someone as good as him is pretty rare. So I was really happy for him. I mean, he did everything, he ran the floor, he attacked an offensive glass, he hit a three, he drove, he’s a great passer and penetrator. And then I thought he was good on the defensive side in terms of being able to change all those actions. It’s something we worked on for three and a half days straight. Even shooting the first time, we did defensive stations because of the way they have two or three man actions, where they can go to different places and put Caleb involved there.
Does Caleb Wilson remind you of Brice Johnson or any other former Tar Heels?
“I never thought of it that way, but that’s a great description. I mean, Bryce, his rebound was real, and his second rebound was even better. And for Caleb, it’s like that. I mean, whether it’s an offensive rebound, post out of bounds, underneath, in transition, he’s looking to get down to the rim, and he’s always been that way. It’s one of the things we always emphasize, is putting pressure on the rim, living in the paint, living in freedom. shooting line and dominant points in the paint and he has the length and the athleticism to be able to get there, and he did another really good job tonight.”
About Henri Veesaar’s first double-double
“That was shocking to me. That was the first double-double of his career. When they said that after the game, I was like, ‘Oh, but Jesus, that’s crazy.’ I just didn’t think that was real, but something that, from an offensive standpoint, was our number one emphasis over the last three days. I just talked about how we have to dominate the points in the paint. We have to do a better job of looking inside. And we have length, we have athleticism to be able to take advantage of that. I don’t know how the game went, but in the first half we shot 72 percent in the paint. And I thought, guys, we made 18 threes, but we’re shooting 72 percent in the paint. And when you do that, you put pressure on the opposing team, you make the penalty and you make the free throws. And I thought we did a better job of making the free throws today, but Henri did a really good job of giving us presence in the post, and that’s something we’ll continue to see in every game all day.”
About the death of Luka Bogavac
“Well, there are a number of things. I mean, we’ve talked before about how much more size we have this year. And I’ve talked about positional size. I mean, at the wing position, Luka is six, almost six-seven. So he’s a great guard. Obviously, he can shoot the ball, but you’re right. He’s a basketball player. He can handle it, he can pass it, he can start the offense. He gives us another playmaker on the court. And I thought he did a really good job defensively as well.”
Above the roof of UNC as a team
“The only thing we talk about is reaching our full potential. Obviously, we’re not even close to that. I think we can be a really good defensive team. I think we can be a really good rebounding team. I think from an offensive standpoint, our ability to be able to score around the basket, but also shoot the ball from the perimeter, is something that I’m excited about. That’s just the potential of this group, and it’s really exciting to have this process to start the year and see how good of a group it can be.”
Over UNC with 23 assists
“I felt like everyone was sharing the ball. Sometimes I think we turned the ball over because we were sharing too much. I’ve never seen the alley oop between two guys. I didn’t even know what to say after that, but we’ve talked about ‘good to great’ and not just selling it for a good shot. I think we’re good enough to get a great shot on every possession. One of the things Central Arkansas does is they throw a bunch of different defenses at you, a bunch of different ball screen defenses out of bounds, underneath, they’ll switch, they’ll take the whole court, they’ll press and I thought we handled it really well, and instinctively hitting the open guy and having 23 assists, I really like it, and that’s something I talked to them about after the game, one, the assist, and then number two is I was really proud of their preparation before Central Arkansas and they accepted it, learned it, and were able to implement it on the court.”