North Carolina collapses again, suffering two record-setting NCAA Tournament choke jobs under Hubert Davis. Will he hold onto his job?
No. 6 seed North Carolina was bounced out of the NCAA Tournament in a brutal way.
After star freshman Caleb Wilson suffered a season-ending broken thumb injury during practice earlier this month, UNC's chances of making the Final Four felt out of reach.
However, the Tar Heels were up 70-56 on VCU in the second half of the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday before blowing the lead and losing 82-78 in overtime.
North Carolina ended its season on a three-game losing streak, and questions are being asked about the status of head coach Hubert Davis.
Davis has been historically bad at North Carolina since the first half when he led the team to a national championship appearance in his first season.
Per Brian Ives, the Tar Heels’ only two losses in the NCAA Tournament when the team has led by 10 or more points have come under Davis.
"North Carolina is now 48-2 when leading by 10+ at halftime in the NCAA Tournament," Ives posted on X.
"Both losses were under Hubert Davis. 2022 National Title vs Kansas. 2026 Rd of 64 vs VCU."
Davis is 125-54 overall during his five seasons as head coach.
The Tar Heels might give Davis a pass this season after Wilson suffered the season-ending injury. Still, what happened on Thursday night had nothing to do with an injury.
Fans on social media reacted to Ives' stat.
"That is the worst Carolina loss I have ever watched. I have been a fan for 40 years," wrote a fan.
"Baylor also forced OT vs UNC in 2022 after a 25 point deficit," posted another. "Meaning teams have come back to at least tie UNC after a 16+ point 2nd half deficit in 25% of Huberts tournament games. Does UNC bring him back?"
"The verdict is been in, he’s out of depth as North Carolina Coach," wrote a fan. "His horrendous habit of scheduling a bunch of games against very low competition has changed program mentality.
"In the past you played Q1/Q2 most of the time and when you faced easy teams it was practice like."
"He never deserved the job from the start! And they don’t have the backbone to fire him after an epic collapse so he will be back next year for sure. It’s soooooo embarrassing as a fan," argued another.
"I'm sorry but if UNC administration doesn't see the pattern.... it's not the players! It's the coaches!! Poor kids, poor Seth," commented a fan.
Davis should consider himself lucky if he gets another opportunity to coach for the 2026-27 campaign. The Tar Heels need to get better at adding recruiting depth, even as they bring in starts.
In addition to recruiting, Davis has to find a way to hold leads. It's a problem that could sink his career at UNC.