UNC fires Hubert Davis after two straight March Madness failures

Hubert Davis. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

North Carolina Tar Heels fire Hubert Davis after two straight March Madness failures

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Mar 25, 2026 8:01 AM ET

College basketball, much like college football, is a big business. The pressure for immediate success is always on, and that's especially true for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

This is a college basketball blueblood we're talking about, so even though they just played in a national championship game in 2022, there was likely only one question asked to Hubert Davis before the Tar Heels let him go.

What have you done for us lately?

The answer to that question is two straight first-round exits in the NCAA Tournament, and that likely made it easy for the powers that be at North Carolina to pull the plug.

Davis, a former Tar Heel Star himself, was fired by North Carolina on Tuesday evening after five seasons as head coach.

Sources: Hubert Davis will not return as North Carolina’s head coach, per me and @jeffborzello. He’s spent the last five years as the head coach of the Tar Heels, compiling a 125-54 record. UNC reached the national title game in his first year there. pic.twitter.com/3l9clDETg9
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 25, 2026

It's a tough world out there for coaches. As mentioned, Davis is just four seasons removed from taking the Tar Heels to the March Madness final, where they ultimately lost to Bill Self and Kansas.

March Madness failures played a role in Hubert Davis being fired by North Carolina

Davis leaves UNC with a 125-54 record, which was good for a winning percentage of .698%. His last two appearances in the NCAA Tournament were duds, though. That includes blowing a massive 19-point second-half lead to VCU just a few days ago.

He was a true Tar Heel, though. He played under Dean Smith from 1988 to 1992 and was a first-round pick (20th overall) in the 1992 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks.

"This opportunity has truly been such a blessing," Davis said in the statement released to Instagram. "I thank Jesus literally every day for giving me the opportunity, relationships and experiences with the kids and my staff. I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish together. My goal is to coach again in the very near future."

Davis was a second-team All-ACC player at North Carolina and then went on to coach as an assistant under Roy Williams from 2012 to 2021 after his NBA career was over.

If Davis, the hand-picked successor to Williams, couldn't make it with the Tar Heels, who can?

Andrew Kulha

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

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