CLEMSON, S.C. – Preparation and player-led huddles.

Following UNC basketball’s 65-55 win at No. 16 Clemson, coach Hubert Davis and several Tar Heels discussed what contributed to the program's first road win against a top-25 opponent since 2022.

Following back-to-back losses to UConn and Kentucky, the eighth-ranked Tar Heels (11-3, 3-0 ACC) have won four in a row. With its victory against the 16th-ranked Tigers (11-3, 1-2), UNC is 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

For the first time since the 2014-15 season, UNC has allowed fewer than 60 points in back-to-back road games. So, what’s changed in recent weeks for the Tar Heels beyond the improvements on the defensive end and with rebounding.

An inside look at UNC basketball’s huddles with Paxson Wojcik, RJ Davis, Armando Bacot 

The timeout huddles have been different for UNC basketball this season.

“It’s fun. I’m in the huddle and there’s very little that I’m saying. I’m just listening to them, and it’s exactly what I’ve wanted,” Hubert Davis said.

“The conversation in terms of what we’re doing out there on the floor, where we need to go, what we need to be. They’re referencing things that we talked about in practice — situations that happened in practice. The guys behind the bench are going crazy as well. It’s just … it’s a really special and tight group. It’s fun to coach.”

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When asked about the voices that stand out in those huddles, Davis pointed to the usual suspects but also noted the effort of the group as a whole.

“Cormac (Ryan) a lot, Harrison (Ingram), RJ (Davis), Armando (Bacot) a little bit … Seth (Trimble) a little bit,” Davis said. “Really, everybody, and Zayden (High) talks a lot from behind the bench. Just good conversation. I like that type of dialogue.”

Bacot, who finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds, said “communicating and talking, it becomes infectious" and breeds confidence.

Brown transfer Paxson Wojcik hit arguably the biggest shot against the Tigers. With the game tied at 45, Wojcik drained a 3-pointer from the wing to give UNC the lead late in the second half. The Heels were in control the rest of the way.

“Coach (Davis) starts it off with his passion,” Wojcik said of the timeout huddles. “From the five guys that are sitting down and in the game to the nine others that are around them, everyone’s locked in and everyone’s talking. It’s a group effort.”

When asked if he feels UNC is a player-led team, Wojcik said “definitely,” noting that the coaches give the Tar Heels the “freedom” to lead.

That leadership starts with senior guard RJ Davis, but he's seeing it in different forms throughout the rest of the roster.

“Everyone’s just chiming in and everyone’s being that leader in their own ways, seeing things that other players may not see,” RJ Davis said. “For the most part, we’re just all helping each other in that huddle. That huddle really brings us together.”

In-practice situations help Tar Heels close against Clemson 

Clemson didn’t score in the final five minutes against UNC, which closed the game on a 10-2 run to close the door on the Tigers.

In describing that final stretch, RJ Davis, Bacot and Wojcik pointed to the Tar Heels’ preparation in practice. After struggling to finish games last season, UNC flipped the script Saturday with an impressive finale.

“Every day in practice, we end practice with a 3-minute game,” Wojcik said.

“That last five minutes — the under-4 media timeout — we talk about this is our game. Win these three minutes and we win the game. We do it every day in practice and there’s no reason why we can’t do it out here.”

Bacot also referenced the 3-minute drill and how it’s helped UNC embrace tough moments this season.

“In situations like that in practice, this team, we take those things seriously,” Bacot said. “We want to get the best out of everything.”

UNC applied that knowledge Saturday, bringing its best behind Bacot and Davis in the final minutes to widen the margin against Clemson, which only scored eight points in the final eight minutes.

Bacot matched that with eight of the Tar Heels’ final 12 points; Davis had the other four. When the moment arrived, UNC leaned on its preparation to guide its path toward a big-time road win.

“I think we do a good job in practice of preparing for these moments,” RJ Davis said.

“Coach Davis and the rest of the coaching staff really put us in situations like these type of moments when the game is close — whether we’re up or we’re down. I think it prepares us for these moments. We’re able to face the adversity and close the games really well on both ends of the floor.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What changed for UNC basketball in Tar Heels' win at Clemson