North Carolina opened up their 2024-25 season at home on Monday night, hosting Elon. While things started off good for the Tar Heels, grabbing a 12-point lead at halftime, they had to hold on after a late Elon surge.

But to the rescue was guard RJ Davis who scored 24 points in the game including five straight to give UNC the lead back. Davis helped the Tar Heels get back on track and avoid a major upset at home on Monday.

Overall, it's a win and there are some things to like from this team early on. There are also other some things that are alarming as well. But all in all, it's one game and it's a long season.

Let's read what Hubert Davis had to say about his team after the win.

On if UNC got away from anything during Elon run

"From a defensive standpoint in the second half, for the first part of the second half, they were shooting 60 percent from the field. They shot 50 percent in the second half. So I've been straightforward, clear and direct about for us to be the best team that we can possibly become, we've got to be a great defensive team, and allowing a team to shoot 50 to 60 percent the second half is just not going to get it done. And then on the offensive end, just being able to get the shots that we want. Elon does a really good job of mixing up their defenses, going from man to zone. And at times, I felt like it took us out of rhythm in terms of the shots that we were trying to get. And there were a lot of times we were shooting shots up against the shot clock and then we started to find the rhythm in terms of what we needed to do on the offensive end. But the defense in the second half was not at the level that we want to play."

via Inside Carolina

RJ Davis stepping up late

"You need, in those situations, you need guys to be able to step up. Not just from points, it's also energy and effort plays. I mentioned before, J-Wash and Elliot's diving on loose balls, getting defensive stops and rebounds. There's a number of ways that you can make impactful plays in order to help your team be successful. Obviously, having RJ, a fifth-year senior, first team All-American in those situations, that's nice to have as a coach. And it's nice to have players out there on the floor. It's nothing new for him. He's somebody that has always stepped up throughout his entire career, and he was able to do that tonight."

via Inside Carolina

On Ian Jackson and Drake Powell

"I thought they did some really good things, both Ian and Drake. You know, one of the things that they just keep getting better every practice and every game. One of the things that I think people lose sight of is just to transition from high school to this level is real. And so you can be a McDonald's All-American and still playing at this level, it takes time. I really love how they have bought in defensively. They do a good job, not particularly on the stat sheet, but they do a really good job of rebounding the basketball. And then on the offensive end, they can create, make shots, and so they're going to play a ton of minutes this year. We need them to step up and be big. And I'm so glad that they're here."

via Inside Carolina

What UNC can learn from Elon's run tot ake the lead

"Well, I think there's a lot to learn from the entire game. I think it's an opportunity to grow and get better in a number of different areas on both ends of the floor. It's the first game of the season, and there are things that I was really proud of that I thought the team did really well and did at a high level. And there's things that we've got to improve on, and we feel very fortunate to be able to pull away. I think Elon was up 71-69 and we talked about in a huddle, 'how are you going to react? How are you going to respond?' And this is actually the perfect game, and a perfect situation to be in because this will help us grow. This will help us get to be the team that we want to become. And so from that standpoint, there is a lot to learn from it, and it's nice to learn from a victory."

via Inside Carolina

Seeing a zone defense

"That really helps. Again, their ability to switch defenses from man to zone, and then have a 7-4 center right there in the middle, that causes problems. So that's why I say this is a great learning experience for us, because people are going to play zone, we're going to play against teams that have tremendous size, and so we're going to have to rebound. We're going to have to dominate points in the paint. We're going to have to be efficient, whether they play man or zone. And this really gives us a blueprint on things that we've done well, that we continue to reinforce, but also some things that we need to get to work on. So I'm really excited about working at that and looking at what we need to improve."

via Inside Carolina

Jae'Lyn Withers getting a start

"Coming off the bench, starting, that's just not something that I think about. You know, I never thought about it as a player, and I don't really think about it as a coach. But what J-Wit has done really well early in the season is being consistent. I've said this, he's our most athletic, most versatile big. From a defensive standpoint, he could guard one through five offensively, his ability to be able to attack the basket, and those are things that I want him to continue to work on. He had zero free throw attempts. I think he could live at the free throw line, the way that he can attack the basket. So he's been really good for us. He's huge. And you know him, obviously, the experience is big for us, being in those situations playing at the highest level. So I've been really happy with J-Wit and how he's played thus far."

via Inside Carolina

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire : What Hubert Davis said after UNC beat Elon