North Carolina has made a coaching change in men’s basketball, firing Hubert Davis and ending a five season run that swung from a national title game appearance to consecutive first round NCAA tournament exits.
The school announced Tuesday night that it was making a change in leadership, without using the word “fired” in its statement. Davis addressed the move on Instagram, saying he was “let go” by the university and that he wanted to keep coaching in Chapel Hill.
“This opportunity has truly been such a blessing,” Davis said. “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.”
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Davis has nearly $5.3 million in guaranteed money remaining on his deal, and the university said it would honor the contract terms.
The decision came after a week of internal meetings and fan and donor blowback following North Carolina’s loss to VCU in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels, an 8 seed, led by 19 points in the second half before falling 82–78 in overtime in what was described as the largest NCAA tournament comeback since 2018.
Athletic director Bubba Cunningham and executive associate athletic director Steve Newmark, who is scheduled to take over as AD on July 1, recommended Davis’ removal. Chancellor Lee Roberts accepted that recommendation Tuesday. Davis then met with the team at his home to inform players of the change.
Cunningham said the decision centered on the program’s need for more consistent high-end performance.
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“We appreciate all that Hubert has done for Carolina as a player, assistant coach, head coach and community leader — he has helped make special memories we will never forget,” Cunningham said. “This was not an easy decision because of Hubert’s tremendous character and all he has given to the program, but we must move forward in a way that allows our team to compete more consistently at an elite level.”
North Carolina went 24–9 this season despite projected top-five NBA draft pick Caleb Wilson missing the final nine games with hand and thumb injuries. The Tar Heels beat Duke on Feb. 7 to improve to 19–4, then went 5–5 the rest of the way before the overtime loss to VCU.
The VCU game also became a flashpoint because of how it ended and how it sounded afterward. Davis declined to dig into specifics of the collapse in his postgame availability, and when asked about his in-game rotations, he said, “Because that was my decision.”
Davis was promoted in 2021 after Roy Williams retired and had one of the more dramatic first seasons any coach could script: North Carolina reached the national championship game as an 8 seed in 2022, including a Final Four win over Duke in Mike Krzyzewski’s final game as head coach. UNC led Kansas by 15 at halftime of the title game before losing 72–69.
After that high point, the results became uneven. North Carolina entered the next season ranked No. 1 in the preseason and became the first preseason No. 1 team to miss the NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels rebounded in 2023–24 by winning the ACC regular season title and earning a 1 seed, then lost to Alabama in the Sweet 16. The last two seasons ended in the round of 64.
Davis finishes his tenure 125–54. He is a long-time Tar Heel, having played for Dean Smith from 1988 to 1992, later working as an ESPN analyst before joining Williams’ staff and eventually taking over the program.
The move opens one of college basketball’s most visible jobs and raises a historical question in Chapel Hill: whether North Carolina stays within the Carolina family again. The last four head coaches, Bill Guthridge, Matt Doherty, Roy Williams, and Hubert Davis all had UNC ties, and a true outsider hire has not been the program’s default approach for decades.
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