North Carolina coach Hubert Davis chose to downplay the significance of his team's Saturday showdown at No. 2 Duke following the Tar Heels' dispiriting 73-65 loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. The defeat was UNC's third in its last four games and raises the stakes of the upcoming rivalry game for a team that is scrambling to assemble an NCAA Tournament resume.

The UNC Tar Heels won their fourth consecutive game, rolling past the California Golden Bears who visited Chapel Hill for the first time as an ACC member team.

Hubert Davis has made a habit of highlighting the three most important areas for UNC basketball to be successful. Here's how the Tar Heels are doing.