North Carolina’s early NCAA Tournament exit won’t just hurt right now, as this will have an impact on players now, from the past, and in the future. After blowing a 19-point lead to VCU in the first round, questions about UNC and Hubert Davis came to light instantly, and rightfully so.
Among those who had comments was former UNC star Tyler Hansbrough, who offered a fair assessment of what went wrong. Hansbrough pointed to the pattern he believes had been building throughout the season, a somewhat shot at the coaching staff and some of the players.
“I’m not stunned. We talked about it at halftime. You asked me, ‘You got to be happy.’ And I said, I’ve seen this story. I’ve seen this happen. They’ve just had some lapses in games where they just go still, offensively, defensive. Their competitiveness just kind of drops a little bit and they get content, they…they never step on anybody’s throat.
“When they have a team with a little bit of lead, they never step on their throat. It’s kind of been something all year, but you know the storylines and lot of people say, ‘Caleb Wilson didn’t play.’ He didn’t. I’m sick of hearing about Caleb Wilson being absent, not being able to play. The story is VCU played Carolina, not VCU played Caleb Wilson,” he said, per SB Nation.
He later added that while it was a disappointing season, he doesn’t expect Davis to be canned.
"I don’t think they make a move," Tyler Hansbrough said on the possibility of Hubert Davis being replaced. "The reason I say that is because I think money is a big deal right now at UNC, with football, this arena BS. My worry is, if you do make a change, (Executive Associate Athletic Director Steve) Newmark is not a former AD. Does he know how to navigate this?”
For a program with North Carolina’s expectations, letting a double-digit lead slip away in the NCAA Tournament is a major issue. We saw stuff like this happen all year, though, as UNC failed to do what was needed on both sides of the floor.
Caleb Wilson being out didn’t help, but while injuries and availability always matter, Hansbrough’s point was clear, as the result shouldn’t have changed this time.