University of North Carolina Head Coach Hubert Davis during the second half Monday, Feb 10, 2025; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; at Littlejohn Coliseum. Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hubert Davis and the Questions Surrounding This Season

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Jeremiah Artacho | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 2:00 PM ET

So, should Head Coach Hubert Davis be nervous about the 2025-2026 campaign? He has four years of experience under his belt, but has had contrasting results on a year-to-year basis. North Carolina should be itching to prove its worth in the ACC, but more importantly in the land of college basketball. My answer: Yes, I think he should be nervous about this upcoming year, and here is why.

UNC, one of the oldest public universities in the United States, has been one of the most decorated men's basketball teams over the years — from the Michael Jordan and James Worthy days to the Tyler Hansbrough days — the Tar Heels have been a staple of collegiate basketball.

And as I have said in my writings before, Davis may have his best roster on paper compared to his last four squads. Armando Bacot is not there, nor RJ Davis, and even Brady Manek or Harrison Ingram — but this team has depth on its bench behind its starters.

Other than the projected starters of Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, Seth Trimble, Luka Bogavac, Caleb Wilson, and Henri Veesaar, Davis has Jarin Stevenson, Jonathan Powell, Jaydon Young, Zayden High, James Brown as well as Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis.

The one downside of this group is its chemistry and how it is able to work together on the court. North Carolina is known for having plenty of upperclassmen (take a look at the national championship rosters) who have played together for quite some time — something nobody can say about these players.

North Carolina is almost four years removed from its national championship appearance in 2022, where it was 20 minutes away from winning the school's seventh trophy. But then the Kansas Jayhawks sparked a comeback and the rest is history from there.

Maybe next April will be where the Tar Heels finish their season, or perhaps not, which is tricky given its lack of consistency — it is hard to know what you're going to get at the start of the year until games are being played and the ACC portion of the schedule rolls through.

Davis and his staff, plus General Manager Jim Tanner are in position to do good things, but whether or not he should be nervous about the outcome remains as stated: yes, in my opinion, he should be.

Please

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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