CHAPEL HILL – UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis described Monday night as “the best scenario for a coach.”

Following the ninth-ranked Tar Heels’ 75-71 win against Miami at the Smith Center – a game in which UNC saw a 13-point lead trimmed to two in the final two minutes – Davis broke down why these games can benefit teams.

“The best scenario for a coach is this one: it’s fortunate enough to get a win, but also have a lot to talk about,” Davis said. “I’m looking forward to – we have off (Tuesday) – but I’m looking forward to watching this entire game on Wednesday with the team to see what we can learn and grow from.”

UNC (22-6, 14-3 ACC) looked like it was cruising toward another double-digit victory in the ACC after RJ Davis eclipsed 40 points in a record-breaking performance with just under four minutes remaining.

RJ DAVIS SETS RECORD: UNC basketball’s RJ Davis strengthens case as ACC’s top player in Tar Heels' win vs. Miami

COACH K-ROY SPECIAL: How to watch Duke basketball's Coach K, UNC's Roy Williams in ESPN special

That’s when things started to unravel against the feisty Hurricanes (15-14, 6-12), who used an 11-0 run to put some game pressure on the Heels. In those final four minutes, UNC had five points – all from the free-throw line – missed five free throws in a row, committed four turnovers and allowed three 3-pointers.

“Stuff like that, especially in March, we might lose that game. We gotta go back to the drawing board,” RJ Davis said.

“Yes, I had a great game and had 42. But, at the same time, we had a lot of points that we just gave up. Little stuff like that we have to eliminate, so we can be better in March.”

In those situations, Hubert Davis said he approaches players with three questions.

“Have you been told, have you been taught and are you talented enough to do it?” he said.

“. … If you’re told, taught and talented enough to do it, then your job and responsibility is to do it at the highest level possible. Again, this is a great teaching moment.”

Before the ACC Tournament and March Madness, the Tar Heels are trying to clinch an ACC regular-season championship for the first time since 2019.

“We just gotta do a better job of just closing out,” RJ Davis said. “I think we take our foot off the gas a little bit and we kinda relax. That’s when teams, we open the door for them and they take the opportunity and run with it.”

Even with its late-game lull, the Tar Heels were able to get to the final buzzer with a victory. In addition to RJ Davis, Jae’Lyn Withers and Harrison Ingram provided some of the winning moments with offensive rebounds on missed free throws. Withers followed his big-time board with a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game in the final seconds.

“It’s tough. Usually in those games when teams go on a run like that, they come back and win,” Ingram said.

“I think it shows we’re tough. We had two guys miss free throws and we get two offensive rebounds. For us, it’s kind of what Coach (Davis) always says: Whatever it takes. We figured out a way to get the win, even though it was an ugly win.”

An ugly win and a learning experience for UNC. It's a scenario that has Hubert Davis excited to get back to work Wednesday as the Tar Heels prepare for NC State on Saturday.

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

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Hubert Davis, RJ Davis say UNC basketball has to learn from lulls