His Tar Heels had just defeated No. 12 Miami, 33-24, to continue their rise from the football dead. North Carolina has now won three consecutive ACC games after a disappointing defeat by Florida State in Kenan Stadium. The Tar Heels have a 7-3 record with two regular-season games remaining.

Carolina will play at Boston College on Saturday and then finish the regular season with a game against N.C. State in Raleigh.

"Life teaches you lessons," Davis said. "I think this football team, in the Thursday-night game versus Florida State, learned a really big lesson about trying to finish ball games, and about how important it is to play all 60 minutes, no matter what the score is at halftime."

Conversely, Roy Williams sat before the media last Sunday afternoon, looking unruffled and dapper in his coat and tie, but oozing with anger after watching his basketball team give a lackluster effort in defeating Valparaiso 88-77.

Williams' team will play Ohio State on Thursday in New York City at 9:15 p.m. on ESPN2.

"We have no chance in New York if we play this way," Williams said.

Timing makes the difference between the two coaches and their state of minds.

Davis' team has been through the mistakes of youth and a string of injuries, and it has emerged on the other side better for the experience.

Williams' basketball team has barely been together for three weeks. There are five freshmen on the team, trying to learn on the go about how to play Carolina basketball.

"I said before the season started that some days we were going to be pretty good and some days we were going to be pretty ugly," Williams said after Sunday's win. "Today was one of those days I thought we were pretty ugly."

Sunday was also a blessing, because the Tar Heels will be far better prepared for Ohio State and then either California or Syracuse the next day. Had this young team been able to just waltz through another over-matched opponent, it would not have the experience or game film to get better.

Davis talks about shared experiences, and how a team grows from good ones and bad ones. Given the quality of talent on the UNC basketball team, plus the quality of coaching Williams and his staff provide, there is little doubt this team will just keep getting better as it gains more shared experiences.

The question for the UNC football team is whether it can keep the momentum going. Win these last two regular-season games, and Carolina heads to a bowl game with a 9-3 record.

That would be a major-league accomplishment. It would mark another step in the program's growth.

"Three years into it, we expect everybody to play at a certain level, regardless of whether you are a walk-on," Davis said. "We're getting a lot of contributions from walk-ons. ...

"When Shaun (Draughn) got hurt last week (against Duke), I think our defense said, 'He's hurt. We don't know how this outcome is going to go, but we're going to win this game no matter what it takes defensively.'

"Once a defense develops a little bit of that attitude and that tenacity, say, if we have to drive down and kick a field goal to win it 3-0, whatever you have to do, that is what good defenses do."

UNC's basketball team will undergo its own growing pains. In all likelihood, there will be some losses, maybe even an ugly one or two, given the nature of the competition yet to come. But Williams' teams always improve.

Williams recruits some of the finest players in the country; he teaches them to work together and play the game properly.

Davis does it the same way.

Carolina fans are fortunate to have them both. That is why the two marquee sports in Chapel Hill can be expected to provide a great deal of excitement to Tar Heel fans everywhere.

- chn -