Hubert Davis North Carolina Press Conference Credit: Tar Heel Tribune
By Matt Yoder on

The North Carolina Tar Heels suffered the worst loss of the NCAA Tournament’s first round Thursday action thanks to a stunning collapse against the VCU Rams. And it could be a defining moment in the tenure of head coach Hubert Davis.

North Carolina was dealing with the loss of star freshman Caleb Wilson entering the game as VCU was a popular upset pick as a #11 seed. However, the Tar Heels found themselves cruising for much of the game. In fact, they led by 14 points with just over 6 minutes to go into the game with the score 70-56.

However, from that point forward it was a completely different game. VCU heated up and North Carolina’s offense disappeared with turnovers and missed free throws. VCU eventually sent the game to overtime with the scores tied at 75. From there, UNC scored a paltry three points in the overtime period. A three-pointer from from Terrence Hill Jr. with 15 seconds left in overtime gave the Rams an 80-78 victory.

It was yet another disappointing end to the season for the Tar Heels head coach.

Hubert Davis went straight from the College GameDay set to the North Carolina coaching staff under Roy Williams in 2012. The former Chapel Hill star was then promoted to head coach in 2021. In his first season on the sidelines, he led the Tar Heels to a stunning run all the way to the National Championship Game as a #8 seed, even defeating arch rival Duke in the Final Four. But the Tar Heels blew a 16-point lead to the Kansas Jayhawks in the final.

Since then, North Carolina has missed the tournament, been to one Sweet 16, and now exited the Big Dance in the Round of 64 each of the last two seasons.

And after the latest early exit, Hubert Davis looked like a man who was questioning his future at his postgame press conference. He bounced back and forth between short and succinct answers and then not knowing exactly what to say.

The full press conference transcript doesn’t look quite as bad as the viral video makes it out to be. However, when he was asked about why the Tar Heels have struggled in March, Davis literally did not have an answer.

The clock just might be ticking on the Hubert Davis era in Chapel Hill. While it’s hard to expect perfect answers from someone who just saw his team lose a 14 point lead in the closing stages of an NCAA Tournament game, it’s likely not to engineer any more confidence from North Carolina fans.

It might now be a matter of which famous head coach in North Carolina can last the longest in their job – their basketball coach or their football coach. At least Jordon Hudson wasn’t there to decorate Hubert Davis’ press conference with balloons.

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