University of North Carolina Athletics
Isaiah Denis and Michael Malone
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
November 13, 2026 | Men's Basketball
POSTGAME QUOTES
UNC 70, GEORGIA 78
NOVEMBER 13, 2026
DEAN E. SMITH CENTER, CHAPEL HILL, N.C.
UNC 70, GEORGIA 78
NOVEMBER 13, 2026
DEAN E. SMITH CENTER, CHAPEL HILL, N.C.
UNC Head Coach Michael Malone
On staying disciplined…
"...The details, the details, the details. We didn't have attention to detail… But it's just being more disciplined with the game plan, more disciplined with personnel, and we'll learn from it. We'll be better off from this experience."
On coming out of the half...
"We got off to a really good start in that second half in terms of getting stops and rebounding, and then run. That's all we talk about. That's how we want to play: defend, rebound, run."
On the conversation with the team during halftime…
"I showed one clip, and it was a clip where there was a loose ball, and you know it was an example of who wants the ball, and they won that 50-50 battle, and they got a wide open three off of it. And I said those are the types of plays that can win or lose games. So we have to be the more desperate team. We have to be the more hungry team, be first to the floor, win those 50-50 battles, and I just wanted us to play more aggressive."
On Georgia's performance…
"Give them credit… They were able to execute down the stretch. They were able to get stops down the stretch, and we were not. And that was the difference."
On Maximo's performance…
"...He's just been outstanding for us…And what I loved about Maxi is, okay, I'm not making shots. One thing I know I can do that requires no skill is I can rebound the ball. And for him to go out there and get five offensive boards, 11 total. That was great to see, and that's why I put him in late in the game. He was getting closing minutes for a freshman – those minutes are invaluable, and they will only aid in his continued player development."
Terrence Brown
On his effort when diving for loose balls…
"I take accountability for that because I was part of the five on the floor at the time. I should have got on the floor and on the loose ball. We were all on our feet. I should have been one of the guys to dive on the floor."
On the upside of the team…
"We could be a really good team if we just do the little things, like rebounding, not turning the ball over, and executing on offense."
On defending as a team…
"Just me being better at going in and getting the rebound. You know, obviously I'm playing good defense, like you said, but we have to do it as a whole. It's not just me who has to play good defense. As a whole, if we're not good defensively, then obviously I'm not doing the right thing defensively. I'm not doing the right thing on my end because I should be telling my teammates the things that they need to do, and we need to do it as a collective group to finish defensive possessions so we can get out and run."
On closing out tight games…
"We just got to execute at the end of the games. I feel like we played pretty good the whole game until the end, and then we just didn't execute right. So we just got to execute at the end of the games and finish possessions on the defensive end with rebounding and on the offensive executing plays."
On his message to Jarin and Neo…
"They just got to keep shooting. Get in the gym, rep it out. Coming to practice, be confident in themselves because they're really good basketball players, and I have full faith in them. If you say they're in a slump, I don't think they're in a slump. They just got to keep shooting. Once you see a couple falling, it'll just boost your confidence. That's why when Neo [Avdalas] makes shots, I just try to boost his confidence as much as possible because he's a great basketball player. So is Jarin [Stevenson]. They all deserve to be here. So, just being confident in themselves and to keep shooting the shots."
On his conversation with Neo after the game …
"He's just a great basketball player and it's not on him why we lost. I feel like a lot of guys try to put it on themselves, but it's really not on them. It's on us. We're all for one, and we're one for all. I tried to tell them how much I loved how aggressive he was because the last game he wasn't as aggressive…I was telling him how proud I was of him for being aggressive and looking for his own shot instead of others as much as he was."
Isaiah Denis
On what the team can improve on…
"Buying into what we know we have to do. Rebounding is one of our biggest issues right now… We're going to make sure that we rebound the ball. I think that you'll see a whole different team, and it won't be too many times we have games like these."
On his thoughts about the team's statistics…
"Obviously, we didn't make a lot of shots from the three today, but just looking at the things that we can control ourselves, effort-wise, as a team, there's a lot to get better at. We'll watch film and get better."
On if the team is too dependent on threes…
"I wouldn't necessarily say that. I think we got a lot of good looks from the three. We just weren't able to knock them down… We have a lot of guys that can get downhill. We pride ourselves on kicking ahead in transition."
Players Mentioned
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