Heel Tough Blog: What's the Case to Keep Hubert Davis?

@UNCMBBStats

It’s been nearly 48 hours since the Tar Heels' season came to a close in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with an overtime loss to VCU, after blowing a 19-point lead in the second half. It meant that for back to back years, Carolina has lost in the first round of the Big Dance, for the first time in the history of their storied program, meaning that in the three years under Hubert Davis, the second round of the NCAA Tournament has been played, without North Carolina involved in a game, with a Sweet 16 berth on the line. For all the success that Dean Smith and Roy Williams enjoyed during their legendary careers on the sidelines in Chapel Hill, the lack of success in the NCAA Tournament, combined with not competing for ACC titles on an annual basis, isn’t sitting well with the decision makers at the University, or a fanbase that is as passionate as any in the sport. 

Hubert Davis entered the 2025-26 season, needing a big year, to instill belief that he is the most qualified man to lead the most storied college basketball program, and the sport that is most associated with the University of North Carolina. After a 12-1 start to the season, it looked like Carolina was poised to compete for an ACC regular-season title and emerge as contenders to get to Indianapolis, the host site of this year’s Final Four. Instead, Carolina finished fourth in the ACC, with a 12-6 record, was sent home in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament, and left the Big Dance after just one song on the dance floor. Add another historic collapse in the NCAA Tournament, and it’s safe to say that his job is in question, and according to the reporting from Inside Carolina, CBS Sports, ESPN, and others, it most certainly is. While everyone is making their pitch to move on from the former UNC and NBA standout, there aren’t many arguments being made to keep him. Allow me to do just that: 

• Family Ties:

  • One of the main reasons that Davis was chosen to succeed Roy Williams was that he met the criteria of being a member of the Carolina Family, having played at UNC, and serving for nearly a decade on Williams’s staff. If you move on from Hubert Davis, it more than likely sends the program into a new era, where a coach with non-UNC ties will be on the bench in 2026-27. Wes Miller was just fired at Cincinnati and failed to make the NCAA Tournament in his five years with the Bearcats. Brad Frederick serves as Hubert’s top assistant, but is in the same position as Davis, having never been a head coach before. Marcus Paige is emerging as a young, talented coach, but he isn’t experienced enough to lead the UNC program. When Dean Smith was establishing the Carolina Family, he did so with the mindset that the Family would always run and control the basketball program, and that’s why every coach since him has had long-standing ties to Chapel Hill. It’s one of the aspects of Carolina Basketball that separates itself from the likes of Kansas, Kentucky, and even Duke. The second you abandon the Family, you become just like every other program, where the brand is more important than the people. Nobody loves North Carolina more than Hubert Davis does, and firing a member of the Family shouldn’t be something that’s as easily accepted or celebrated as moving on from him feels like as of today. 

• Lack of Off-Court Structure:

  • The moment that Hubert Davis was hired, college basketball changed overnight, with the arrival of NIL and the transfer portal. Many top programs have hired a GM to help navigate players' contracts, in addition to evaluating the best talent, both in the high school ranks and in the current college game. Hubert Davis and UNC didn’t hire a GM until last year, tabbing longtime NBA agent Jim Tanner to lead that position. In addition to that, most rosters of other blue blood programs were spending at least $10 million dollars on their rosters on an annual basis, with Duke spending over $20 million last year alone. We know that this year, Carolina spent $14 million on their roster, but that is the first time they’ve spent competitively against Duke and other premier programs in college basketball. And before Caleb Wilson was injured during the loss to Miami, Davis had Carolina at 19-4, ranked just outside the top-10, with wins over Kansas, Kentucky, and Duke, three of the programs they measure themselves up against. While you could argue that the season shouldn’t have fallen apart after losing Caleb Wilson, it’s important to remember that Davis lost a second-team All-American and a player who led UNC in scoring and rebounding while producing the best individual season from a freshman in the history of the program. We’ll never know how the season would’ve played out, but there’s enough data to suggest that with an GM in place, and a competitive NIL budget, Davis had Carolina Basketball, where Carolina Basketball is expected to be. 

• 5-Straight 20 Win Seasons:

  • Now, to be fair, Hubert Davis has yet to produce a 30-win season, but he’s the first UNC coach, and the first coach in ACC history, to begin his coaching career with 5-straight, 20-win seasons. In 2021-22 and 2023-24, Carolina won 29 games before losing in the national championship game and the Sweet 16, respectively. In his five years, Davis’s record is 125-54, giving him a 70% winning percentage, with a trip to the Final Four, two Sweet 16s, and one regular-season title. What his record and NCAA Tournament track record suggest is that Davis is capable of leading Carolina on deep NCAA Tournament runs, but hasn’t done so on a consistent basis, which is the expectation from inside the program, and from the fan base. 

Stay tuned to the Heel Tough Blog for the latest on the potential coaching change for Carolina Basketball and the start of spring football practice, which begins next week. 

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