The North Carolina Tar Heels entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed with expectations of making a deep run. Unfortunately, those expectations dissolved after the program suffered an 82-78 loss to the No. 11 VCU Rams. On Tuesday, reports indicate that head coach Hubert Davis could be fired at any moment.
North Carolina is said to be expected to move on from Davis, who turns 56 in May, at some point in the coming days, according to Greg Barnes of On3 Sports. Although the decision has not yet been made public, it sounds like the Tar Heels will be searching for a new head coach soon.
“The consensus among sources remains that a head coaching change is expected to happen this week,” Barnes wrote. “As of Tuesday morning, school sources were not expecting a public announcement today as discussions were ongoing behind the scenes. However, by early Tuesday afternoon, that expectation was lifted, indicating that a potential announcement could come at any time in the hours and days ahead. Sources say decision makers are trying to bring this process toward the finish line.”
Hubert Davis took over as head coach for North Carolina in 2021 to replace Tar Heels legend Roy Williams. The program reached the NCAA Tournament four times in Davis' five seasons with the team. His deepest run came in the 2021-22 campaign, where North Carolina reached the championship game, which ended in a 72-69 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks.
Once the firing becomes official, the Tar Heels will become one of several teams in the nation searching for a new head coach. Given the North Carolina basketball team's historic pedigree, the program should be able to land one of the more exciting candidates this offseason.
