Hubert Davis reacts to Caleb Love's botched dunk, 3-point sequence

North Carolina ran away with a 94-74 win over Florida State in a critical game for the ACC standings and both teams’ NCAA tournament hopes. Led by point guard Caleb Love, Hubert Davis’ Tar Heels moved to 18-7 on the season and 10-4 in ACC play.

However, not everything went right on Saturday. One sequence stood out when Love attempted and missed a windmill dunk, then responded on the next possession with a 3-pointer. Davis addressed the botched play during the postgame press conference after taking a break to laugh.

“Well… Caleb (Love) missed the dunk – and then you missed something on that – they came down and hit a 3,” Hubert Davis pointed out. “And then it came back, and Caleb made a 3. We didn’t want Caleb to miss the dunk, and It know he didn’t want to miss the dunk. But all seriousness, that’s one of the many things that I love about Caleb is that he can bounce back. He can move to the next play, next possession, next shot. And so yes, him missing the dunk because he was trying to do something extra and special – and then it led to them hitting a 3-pointer on the other end – he came back and made a play. He made a positive play.”

Love finished the game with a team-high 18 points with six assists and three rebounds. He shot 6-of-12 from the field and 6-of-8 from the 3-piont line, scoring all his points from beyond the arc in 29 minutes.

Hubert Davis praises Caleb Love.

In addition to the play on Saturday, Caleb Love has become a bright spot for North Carolina this season. His ability to move on from mistakes and push forward toward a win proved to be a valuable asset earlier in the week as well.

“That’s Caleb and that’s what he did against Clemson,” said Davis. “There were some times where he had turnovers but then he hit the big 3 to put us up and then he made the play to Brady for the win. … That’s Caleb, his ability to bounce back and move to the next possession and next play. It’s something that a lot of players don’t have, and he has that. And that’s a really good trait as a basketball player to have.”

As North Carolina continues pushing for an NCAA Tournament spot in Davis’ first season, the play of Love will serve as a focal point for success.