Five candidates to replace Hubert Davis at North Carolina

Despite winning nearly 70 percent of his games over five seasons leading North Carolina men's basketball, head coach Hubert Davis is out in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The UNC head coaching vacancy immediately becomes the top job available in the sport. The Tar Heels are a blue-blood program, although Davis had mixed results.

He took UNC to the 2022 national championship game, but then in the following campaign, North Carolina was ranked the preseason No. 1 team and failed to make the Big Dance.

Davis went 125-54 overall with his alma mater; in the 2025-26 season, the Tar Heels were 24-9 overall and lost to VCU in the NCAA Tournament's first round after holding a 19-point lead in the second half.

Now, UNC leaders are tasked with finding Davis' replacement, and they likely will have high-quality candidates to choose from.

Five candidates to replace Hubert Davis at North Carolina

Tommy Lloyd, head coach at Arizona Wildcats
Lloyd, in his five seasons leading the Wildcats, is 146-35 overall, and he's made the Big Dance in all five campaigns. Arizona (34-2 overall) is a No. 1 seed in the West Region and will battle No. 4 seed Arkansas in the Sweet 16. Lloyd has a great thing going in Tucson, but UNC brass should at least give him a call to gauge his potential interest.

Dusty May, head coach at Michigan Wolverines
May took Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023 as a No. 9 seed, and now he's got Michigan in prime position to advance to the national semifinals or even further. The Wolverines (33-3 overall), the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, will take on No. 4 seed Alabama in the Sweet 16. Between Florida Atlantic and Michigan, May has an overall record of 186-82.

T.J. Otzelberger, head coach at Iowa State Cyclones
Otzelberger has done a masterful job at Iowa State, leading the Cyclones to March Madness in all five of his seasons in Ames. Plus, Iowa State has won at least 25 games in each of the past three campaigns. No. 2 seed Iowa State (29-7 overall) will face No. 6 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16 from the Midwest Region. Otzelberger's career mark with the Cyclones is 124-52.

Nate Oats, head coach at Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama may be a football school, but Oats has turned the Crimson Tide into a basketball powerhouse, too. In his seven seasons in Tuscaloosa, Oats has taken Alabama to six NCAA Tournaments, journeyed to the Final Four in 2024 and has claimed at least 25 victories on five occasions. He also guided Buffalo to three Big Dance appearances, and his overall head coaching record is 266-115. No. 4 seed Alabama (25-9 overall) plays top-seeded Michigan in the Sweet 16 in the Midwest Region.

Todd Golden, head coach at Florida Gators
Golden is 160-77 overall in seven seasons as the head coach at San Francisco and now Florida, with the Gators winning the national title in 2025. He's been to the NCAA Tournament four times. In the 2026 Big Dance, the Gators (27-8 overall) were a No. 1 seed but got upset by No. 9 seed Iowa in the second round of the South Region. Florida leaders are reportedly trying to lock in Golden to a contract extension.