North Carolina surges in rankings, cooling pressure on coach Hubert Davis despite early season doubts. Championship aspirations remain with a strong recruiting class arriving.
North Carolina is set to finish the month of February at home against Virginia Tech.
After back-to-back wins over Syracuse and No. 24 Louisville, the No. 20 Tar Heels are 22-6 overall and 10-5 in ACC play.
The last two wins for UNC came without star freshman Caleb Wilson. Wilson is expected to play through a hand injury during the NCAA Tournament.
Before the season, Davis was on the hot seat. In his first four seasons, UNC made the NCAA Tournament three times and was a runner-up in 2022.
Per Jeff Borzello of ESPN, Davis has done enough to keep his job for next season unless something drastic happens between now and April.
"Hubert Davis entered the season on one of the hotter seats in college basketball, but the Tar Heels are now ranked in the top 20 and are a second-weekend threat with Caleb Wilson expected to return from a hand injury," Borzello wrote.
"Barring a catastrophic finish to the season, Davis isn't at risk of losing his job. He signed a contract extension in December 2024 that keeps him in Chapel Hill through the 2029-30 season, and he would be owed around $5 million if Carolina moved on."
Borzello noted Davis' recruiting class is in his favor.
"A couple of NCAA tournament wins might also ease some of the perceived pressure from the fan base, though this season's performance, combined with a top-10 recruiting class coming in next season, cools off his seat moving forward," he wrote.
North Carolina has shown a lot of fight under Davis this season. UNC upset then-No. 4 Duke 71-68 on Feb. 9. The two teams will meet again at Duke to finish the regular season on March 7.
Davis, 55, is 123-51 overall and 66-29 in ACC play during his time with the Tar Heels.
North Carolina expects to compete for championships, and it could have a chance to do that next year with an impressive recruiting class.
Last season's loss in the Round of 64 was troubling for UNC, especially with Duke outplaying them in recent seasons.
However, Davis has proven capable of running a solid program at North Carolina, even if he's a step away from having an elite team.