North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

HOF coach slams UNC's NIT decision, suggests punishment

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 3/14/23

Hall of Fame basketball coach Tommy Penders slammed the University of North Carolina Sunday night for its decision to decline an invitation to the NIT.

ARROGANCE! UNC should get fined big bucks! The NCAA basketball committee should remember this slap in the face. The NIT started before the NCAA tournament. https://t.co/Vrnx24sTm1
— Tom Penders (@TomPenders) March 13, 2023

Penders also took a shot at Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis, tweeting that the team "rarely played hard and together" and blamed that on "the coaching staff." The 77-year-old Penders also referenced the late UNC legend Dean Smith, opining that the Hall of Famer "never would have turned down an NIT bid."

I knew Dean Smith quite well. He never would have turned down an NIT bid. Growing up near NYC, the NIT was a better tournament and every game was on tv. Only the NCAA final was televised. Many young coaches made their bones in the NIT and I’m one of them. Dean Smith love the NIT! https://t.co/36en11g8pG
— Tom Penders (@TomPenders) March 13, 2023

The Tar Heels rarely played hard and together. That’s on the coaching staff! They’re not helping themselves by turning down an NIT bid. That, in itself tells me that the players were running this team. Coach Davis has to step up and take the blame. Show people that he’s in charge https://t.co/C9eyOZR5mg
— Tom Penders (@TomPenders) March 13, 2023

Coming off of last year's runner-up finish in the national title game, Davis and the Tar Heels became the first team to miss the NCAA Tournament after being ranked No. 1 in the preseason rankings since the field expanded in 1985.

A former 12-year NBA pro, two-time member of the All-ACC Tournament First Team and one-time member of the All-ACC Second Team, Davis just wrapped up his second season at the helm at Chapel Hill. Davis took over for Hall of Famer Roy Williams following the 2020-2021 campaign.

Penders went 649-437 (including tournament games) across his 33 seasons as a Division I coach, with stops that included Columbia, Fordham, Rhode Island, Texas, George Washington and Houston.

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