North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis instructs his team against the VCU Rams in the second half of a first-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

CBB insider defends North Carolina HC Hubert Davis

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Mar 23, 2026 11:11 PM ET

North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis could find himself on the wrong end of a pink slip down in Chapel Hill.

Expectations are high at UNC. They always are. Davis' Tar Heels have now lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament two seasons in a row, though.

Sure, he took them to the national championship game a few seasons ago, but they lost to Kansas, 72-69, in that 2022 March Madness Tournament. That's been the high mark for Davis since, and these last two first-round exits have absolutely put him on the hot seat.

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports thinks North Carolina may want to pump the brakes a bit, though. Perhaps Davis should be on the hot seat, but firing him without considering the context that superstar freshman Caleb Wilson missed the last chunk of the season could lead to a bad decision.

“North Carolina was 24-6 before Caleb Wilson was lost for the season,” Rothstein said (h/t On3). “Now, I understand that sometimes, injuries cost people jobs. I get that, I understand that. But I am in a scenario where the full context is given when things are put out on the table."

Hubert Davis may be being judged unfairly at North Carolina

My take on North Carolina.https://t.co/c9JLel2QnF (Apple)https://t.co/EsZxIkca32 (Spotify)https://t.co/k0jTSTBraV (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/YUeSjcJ1A2
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 23, 2026

Rothstein mentioned that Wilson is a player who could very well be a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for the Tar Heels before a fractured wrist in February took him out, and then an injured thumb during the comeback bid officially shut him down.

Losing that type of player should at least be factored in when evaluating the job Davis did at the end of this 2025-26 season. That's at least how Rothstein sees it.

“I understand there might be an appetite for change. But if you’re going to say ‘It’s time to move on,’ you also have to be in a situation where you have to acknowledge Carolina was 24-6 before Caleb Wilson went down," Rothstein said.

Davis has been the head coach at Carolina since 2021. He's taken the Tar Heels to a Final Four and a championship game and has won the ACC regular season. He also has a 125-54 overall record.

He's the guy replacing "the guy", who was Roy Williams, so he was always going to be judged unfairly.

Perhaps the heat he's come under despite losing Wilson is just an extension of that.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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