North Carolina appears ready to make massive Hubert Davis move

The North Carolina Tar Heels may soon be in the market for a men's head basketball coach.

On Saturday, ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello reported that the university and coach Hubert Davis "are in discussions ... about his future at the school.

"A decision on his status and potential exit plan [is] expected to unfold in the coming days," Thamel and Borzello wrote.

North Carolina is coming off a 24-9 season that ended with a stunning opening-round loss in the NCAA Tournament to the No. 11 seed VCU Rams. The Tar Heels led by 19 in the second half before falling by four in overtime.

Davis, who just completed his fifth season, is 125-54 (.698) at North Carolina, including 8-4 in the NCAA Tournament. He reached the Final Four in his first season (2022) but has lost in the round of 64 in back-to-back tournaments.

Hubert Davis' future at North Carolina uncertain after NCAA Tournament exit

Because of Davis' deep ties to North Carolina, a split could be more complicated than the usual instances of programs cutting ties with underperforming coaches. As Thamel and Borzello note, "Davis' strong reputation at the school as a player, coach and assistant any potential departure is unlikely to be termed an outright firing."

ESPN also reported Davis has roughly $5.3M remaining on his contract.

Davis, 55, played guard for the Tar Heels from 1988-92. In his four seasons, he reached four Sweet 16s and one Final Four (1991). Davis was later hired as an assistant under former coach Roy Williams in 2012, spending nine seasons in the role. During that span, North Carolina went 228-95 (.706), receiving three NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds and reaching two national finals, winning the 2017 title. 

But his run as head coach has been defined by missed opportunities. Davis' first season ended with North Carolina squandering a 16-point lead in the finals against the Kansas Jayhawks, the largest comeback in NCAA Tournament championship game history.

The Tar Heels became the only Associated Press preseason No. 1 to miss March Madness the following season. In 2024, North Carolina was the first No. 1 seed to exit the tournament, losing in the Sweet 16, followed by two consecutive round of 64 defeats.

Despite some impressive highs, his run has arguably been defined by the lows. North Carolina might be tempted to practice patience and give Davis another season, but a change could be needed to provide a spark for the underperforming program.

If Thursday's loss to VCU was Davis' final game, it would be a disappointing yet fitting lasting image. After five seasons, North Carolina isn't any closer to winning a national championship than it was when Davis took over as coach. It seems like the right time to make a switch, and according to Thamel and Borzello, the Tar Heels might soon pull the trigger.