A shocking overtime loss ends UNC's season, leaving Hubert Davis focused on the present, not future big-picture changes after a second straight early exit.
For the second year in a row, North Carolina ended its season after losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
On Thursday, No. 6 seed North Carolina blew a giant second-half lead to No. 11 VCU before ultimately falling to the Rams 82-78 in overtime. It was the third loss in a row for the Tar Heels.
The way UNC lost was shocking, as the team dominated the Rams for most of the contest.
Until they didn't.
North Carolina went cold with about seven minutes remaining in the second half and allowed the Rams to become the second team to beat them in the NCAA Tournament after leading by more than 10 points at halftime.
The only other team to do that was Kansas in the 2022 national championship. Since then, head coach Hubert Davis' teams haven't been as sharp as they've needed to be in the Big Dance.
During his news conference on Thursday night, Davis was asked about losing in the first round twice in a row. The head coach deflected the question, not wanting to think about big things after the upset.
"Yeah, that's a big-thinking question, and I apologize, I'm just not there right now," Davis said, via USA Today. "Just really sad that we're not continuing to play and to move forward because I have loved and enjoyed this team.
"I enjoy and love all of them, but I've just really enjoyed coaching this team. I really wanted this group and these kids to experience more. But other than that, I'm just thinking about these guys and the rest of the guys that are in the locker room."
Davis is facing significant outside pressure after losing to the Rams on Thursday. He needs to become a much better recruiter if the Tar Heels hope to return to the Final Four.
Frankly, it's been tough on the Tar Heels fan base to watch these recent disasters as rival Duke appears to be a legit Final Four contender every year with head coach Jon Scheyer.
It'll be interesting to see if UNC makes a serious review of Davis in the coming days. Something needs to change, and big thinking is needed to make those changes.