Despite dwindling NCAA Tournament chances, North Carolina HC Hubert Davis remains optimistic

In his Monday news conference, Davis indicated they won't unravel despite the recent slide.

"This team still has a chance to achieve and experience everything this team wants to achieve and experience," the fourth-year HC said. "We have nine more regular-season games left — we have that. We have the ACC Tournament. So, like — and it's all under our control in terms of us playing the best that we can be."

Davis has proved he can pull off impressive in-season turnarounds before. In his first season with the program, the Tar Heels almost missed the NCAA Tournament, posting a 3-8 record in Quad 1 games, via 247 Sports' Grant Hughes. 

Late in the regular season, they had Quad 1 wins against Duke and Virginia Tech, which sparked a run to the national championship game.

However, North Carolina has a worse resume than it did during the 2021-22 season. 

The Tar Heels are No. 45 in the latest NET rankings, a key metric for the NCAA Tournament selection committee. They're also 1-9 against Quad 1 opponents. 

To clinch an automatic bid, the Tar Heels must win the ACC Tournament, which is scheduled for March 11-15 in Charlotte. If the conference tournament started on Monday, North Carolina — which is 6-5 against ACC teams — would be the seventh seed. 

While Davis' team still has a chance to reach its potential, don't be stunned if North Carolina misses "The Big Dance" for the second time in four seasons.