Despite a brutal overtime loss and missed opportunities, North Carolina's Hubert Davis insists offensive struggles don't signal fundamental flaws, defending his team's execution.
No. 6 seed North Carolina was not expected to be a Final Four contender after losing star freshman Caleb Wilson to a broken thumb injury earlier in March.
If No. 11 VCU had played toe-to-toe with UNC before pulling the upset on Thursday, head coach Hubert Davis might not be under the radar.
It was the way the Tar Heels lost to VCU that will put Davis on the hot seat before his sixth season with the team. North Carolina blew a double-digit lead with more than seven minutes to play in the second half.
The 82-78 overtime loss to the Rams will haunt North Carolina heading into the offseason. It's the second straight loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the Tar Heels.
During his postgame news conference, Davis was asked about his team going cold on offense late in the game. The head coach argued that the team got good looks, but sometimes the ball just doesn't go in.
"Just because you miss a shot doesn't mean something's wrong," Davis said, via USA Today. "We had open looks. We had shots at the basket. We had executed plays. And we miss eight free throws. Sometimes the ball doesn't go in.
"Also, you really want to compliment VCU, their resiliency in down 19 to keep trying to find a way. I also felt like just the small details. In order for a team to come back, they have to be good enough and resilient enough to do that, and VCU was."
Davis did concede that his team made too many mistakes that aided the Rams in their comeback.
North Carolina didn't play its best basketball in March, losing three games in a row to end its season.
The Tar Heels finished their regular season with a lopsided 76-61 loss at Duke. UNC was then bounced in its first game in the ACC Tournament 80-79 by a shorthanded Clemson team.
Davis' teams have a poor history allowing teams back in NCAA Tournament games. It cost the program a national championship against Kansas in 2022.
It might be the case that something is wrong with how Davis is approaching the final minutes of those games. But Davis wasn't ready to concede that point on Thursday night.