Hurbert Davis says he took advice from former Kansas coach Roy Williams ahead of clash against the Jayhawks

North Carolina coach Hurbert Davis said he reached out to former Kansas coach Roy Williams ahead of his team's matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on Friday.

The Jayhawks are the No. 1 team in the country, and Davis seemed to be aware that it would be a challenging road environment. So to prepare his team, he leaned on the advice of the former UNC and Kansas coach, who has been through this game numerous times.

"I have talked to him about it, not recently," Davis said in the pre-Kansas press conference. "But we’ve talked a lot about the transition from Kansas here."

"We’ve talked about the transition from being here and going to Kansas. I really enjoyed hearing stories and memories and experiences that he has gone through in his time at Kansas and also here in the transition going back and forth."

Hurbert Davis served as an assistant coach under Roy Williams for almost a decade at North Carolina. So the two have a close relationship and maintain a regular dialogue. After Williams retired from coaching in 2021, Davis took over as the Tar Heels head coach.

Davis said that even though he knows Coach Roy very well, they have mostly shared personal stories rather than tips on playing against them.

"No, just stories and stories that were meant for him and for me," Davis chuckled.

Hurbert Davis weighs on Allen Fieldhouse atmosphere challenges

For the first time in his coaching career, Hurbert Davis will face the Allen Fieldhouse test as North Carolina visits Kansas on Friday in a marquee showdown between two bluebloods.

Bill Self's Jayhawks have built a fortress in Lawrence, Kansas, where they lost only one game last season and defeated top opponents like UConn, Houston, Baylor and Texas.

Loud, raucous and intimidating, the Allen Fieldhouse environment gives Kansas a distinct home advantage, a fact not lost on Davis.

"It’s different," Hubert told media on Wednesday. "You know, Kansas – Allen Fieldhouse has its own unique atmosphere that none of our guys have seen before. I have."

"It’ll be fun for us. It’s something to be able to play, to play in that atmosphere, to be able to execute against, you know, one of the better teams in the country ... I am, and the rest of our players are really looking forward to the challenge."

Hurbert Davis has faced Kansas once before in the national championship game during his first season as the UNC coach. The match ended with a crushing 69-72 loss for the Tar Heels.