Halftime of UNC vs. Michigan State had UNC coach Hubert Davis fired up.

In their Saturday matchup with Michigan State, the North Carolina Tar Heels got off to a poor start but took the lead before the half thanks to a strong run.

Hubert Davis wasn’t happy with his team’s performance in the first half, despite the reversal.

In an impassioned interview with CBS Sports’ Allie LaForce after halftime, Davis discussed his journey to the locker room with his squad.

“They are more resilient! Regarding Michigan State in the first half, Davis remarked, “They’re catching the ball just underneath the hoop.”

“Things will not change unless we get into a battle.”

It’s reasonable to assume that Davis spoke to his squad in the locker room with a similar attitude, and they have emerged from the break with a stronger defensive mentality.

This season, the Tar Heels’ offensive prowess has allowed them to win a lot of games, but they will need to step up their defensive play if they are to defeat this tenacious Michigan State squad.

The Tar Heels want to return to the Sweet Sixteen, a stage of the competition that they are quite familiar with.

Together, UNC and UCLA have made 35 trips to the Sweet Sixteen, which ties them for the second-most visits in school history.

This year’s first-round loser Kentucky has made a record-tying 44 trips to the Sweet Sixteen.

Davis has been able to earn wins over some legendary coaches in his short tenure with North Carolina, and he’s going to need to do it again by knocking Tom Izzo out of the tournament.