UNC Men’s Basketball 2025-2026

[rodoheel]

Hubert Davis 4 years - 102-45, NCAAT 7 (8)-3
Roy Williams last 4 years - 87-48, NCAAT 3-3

I mean, yeah, and those four years led Roy to rightly conclude that however good he had been before, he was no longer the right guy to lead the UNC program.

Also, Hubert's record is buoyed by a lot of meaningless wins in a badly watered down ACC. Here's another data point from Roy's last four seasons versus Hubert's four seasons, which is the respective records in "Tier A" games on KenPom (roughly analogous to a Q1 game, but this includes postseason games):

Hubert Davis 4 years: 20-37
Roy Williams last 4 years: 31-33

So in other words, Hubert is 82-8 in largely meaningless games but 20-37 in the group of games that are most important, and most difficult, to win.

 

[rodoheel]

Yeah, I'm probably splitting hairs. I have never felt more conflicted about a season than last year. UNC played some absolutely incredible come from behind basketball last year, but just kept falling into holes. Even in the first round of the tourney, we were a made basket in the last two minutes away from likely winning. I believe that Hubert Davis was largely responsible for the holes the team found themselves in, but I also believe that he did some incredible in game coaching to keep the team from completely unravelling.

But here's the weirdest part - in a 48, rather than 40 minute game, I believe that last year's squad was built to be a top-10 team. Other teams were almost always gassed by the end of the game. The Heels just kept running out of time.

And I don't know what to make of that dichotomy other than to say, "let's see how this season goes."

I understand the point you're trying to make but I just can't agree about last season. I wasn't conflicted about the season at all; it simply wasn't a good enough season. Period. Year 4 of Hubert's tenure is too late to be searching for moral victories and trying to create hypotheticals where if the rules were different, we could have been a good team. Supposedly great "in-game coaching" to turn a 20-point deficit that never should have happened into a 4-point loss is not what anyone should be hanging their hat on.

 

[Peppers49]

Logically, that make sense. But it is also the crux of why I'm willing to give Hubert a little more of a chance than some: Hubert was hired into a situation where it was a lot more difficult to succeed than it has been for other coaches. I feel like he was being set up to fail. That isn't his fault.

Given all of that, he has also approached the job with a professionalism and dignity that we have not seen from many other coaches (including some past and present at UNC who should have known better). The product on the floor - the most important part of the job - has not been up to par, but he also has not abandoned the "Carolina Way" at a time when it is nearly impossible to hold onto the "old way" of doing things.

I sometimes defer to IC to a fault, but I still believe they have the best read on situations like these. Gleaning from their reporting I can’t buy that Hubert has been setup to fail.

They have been consistent that a lot of the personnel misses in recent seasons were not simply due to a lack of NIL money. Beyond that they’ve also reported that he had been actively resistant to things like expanding the support staff and hiring a GM until this off-season. If it took 4 years and serious job pressure to finally make changes that other top programs are doing to stay ahead of the curve in the new era, that seems like more of an indictment of his decision making as head coach of a major program rather than of the people behind the scenes.

 

[SnoopRob]

How about you explain it to us then. It sounded pretty explicit to me.

@Geisterfahrer

 

[sringwal]

I sometimes defer to IC to a fault, but I still believe they have the best read on situations like these. Gleaning from their reporting I can’t buy that Hubert has been setup to fail.

They have been consistent that a lot of the personnel misses in recent seasons were not simply due to a lack of NIL money. Beyond that they’ve also reported that he had been actively resistant to things like expanding the support staff and hiring a GM until this off-season. If it took 4 years and serious job pressure to finally make changes that other top programs are doing to stay ahead of the curve in the new era, that seems like more of an indictment of his decision making as head coach of a major program rather than of the people behind the scenes.

I recognize that I am one of the outliers here. And I will fully admit that I may be reading the situation wrong. Part of where I am at right now is because I don't necessarily trust the powers at be at UNC to hire a more successful replacement.

 

[stankeylegjones]

But here's the weirdest part - in a 48, rather than 40 minute game, I believe that last year's squad was built to be a top-10 team.

I recognize that I am one of the outliers here. And I will fully admit that I may be reading the situation wrong. Part of where I am at right now is because I don't necessarily trust the powers at be at UNC to hire a more successful replacement.

Last year's team should've been a top-25 team. I think a lot of coaches would've had them ranked all year.

 

[superrific]

Last year's team should've been a top-25 team. I think a lot of coaches would've had them ranked all year.

We could argue about this all day and I'm not going to do that again, except to say that it would have been a different season if RJ had been able to shoot to his normal standards. Indeed, our late season mini-surge was the product of RJ finding his shot.

 

[stankeylegjones]

We could argue about this all day and I'm not going to do that again, except to say that it would have been a different season if RJ had been able to shoot to his normal standards. Indeed, our late season mini-surge was the product of RJ finding his shot.

Lineups had a lot to do with the mini-surge. Rob spoke to this at great lengths last year, along with HD not putting players in positions/situations to enhance their specific talents - re your comment on RJ. But, yes, no sense arguing at length about what should've and could've been.

 

[Peppers49]

I recognize that I am one of the outliers here. And I will fully admit that I may be reading the situation wrong. Part of where I am at right now is because I don't necessarily trust the powers at be at UNC to hire a more successful replacement.

Definitely can’t disagree with you there. The way the we have gone about hiring our last 3 major coaching hires (Mack, Hubert, Belichick) leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[CFordUNC]

To me, HD is in a very similar situation as Dabo Swinney with Clemson football (national championship rings notwithstanding): great guys, great ambassadors for the university, but stubbornly clinging to the “old way” of doing things while getting lapped by the rest of perennial top dogs of their respective sport. Both men are at institutions that provide enviable resources for men’s basketball and football, respectively, to the point that there is no excuse for either North Carolina basketball or Clemson football to be mediocre. The current mediocrity of both programs is specifically a choice by both head coaches.

Fortunately, it does look like Hubert has started to come around to trying to modernize the program in terms of giving in to his reluctance to hiring a GM and a larger support staff, and it does seem like we are getting involved with more recruitments both at the high school level and at the transfer portal level where it is clear we are at least attempting to play the NIL game (now if only we could get past our insistence on only hiring from within the Carolina basketball family for all of our assistant coaching and support staff roles). That’s why this upcoming basketball season is going to be an inflection point for the Carolina program-the expectations this year are not that we need to win a national championship, the expectations are that we need to look like a program that wins far more games than it loses, competes to win our conference, and wins more than it’s fair share of games against Q1 competition (that has been the biggest frustration for me over the last few years, the inability to beat good teams which has historically been a hallmark trademark of UNC). Those are not unreasonable expectations, and if they are not able to be met, it’s pretty clear that I change needs to be made in the head coach seat.

 

[rodoheel]

To me, HD is in a very similar situation as Dabo Swinney with Clemson football (national championship rings notwithstanding):

Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

 

[CFordUNC]

Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

Touché! I mainly just meant to make the comparison that they are both at programs where they have almost unlimited resources institutionally, but both of them have stubbornly adhered to trying to win the old way instead of adapting to the new. Hubert appears to at least be trying – whether it is too little too late obviously remains to be seen – but who knows if Dabo is going to try.

 

[superrific]

Lineups had a lot to do with the mini-surge. Rob spoke to this at great lengths last year, along with HD not putting players in positions/situations to enhance their specific talents - re your comment on RJ. But, yes, no sense arguing at length about what should've and could've been.

But it was the same coach and RJ was an all-American the year prior. One problem was that the team last year lacked shooting.

I've not understood why some guys can't shoot. Practice it. Is it that hard? Maybe it is. Doesn't seem like it should be to be decent. Curry is of course he's special and most people couldn't get close no matter how much practice. But 36-37% on open 3s from the college line? I mean, why not? Note that when I say "I've not understood" I'm saying that as much as an admission than accusation. But one wonders if HD was expecting some of the guys to improve their shooting and they didn't really.

 

[Centerpiece]

Personally I think it’s all about the Jimmys and Joes and not the X’s and O’s.

Who in the NBA right now played under Hubert when he was head coach? Pete Nance, Cam and Drake? Is that it? Bacot may make it out of the G league to land somewhere.

Granted, he’s only had 4 years to recruit HS kids, but how many of those kids are going to make an NBA roster? I thought he did a decent job of recruiting transfers ( but not getting a decent big recently was a glaring miss, and killed that season). Cam and Pete fall into that category. Then there is Drake, as a HS recruit.

My point is Hubert has not had that much top talent the past 4 years. Not NBA talent anyway. It’s really no wonder they’ve struggled and been mediocre at best. They haven’t had the horses.

In the past 4 years, If Hubert had had the caliber of players listed below, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. These are current Heels in the league.

• Harrison Barnes
• Coby White
• Cameron Johnson
• Cole Anthony
• Day'Ron Sharpe
• Drake Powell
• Reggie Bullock

I just think it’s not “Hubert can’t coach” but perhaps Hubert can’t recruit.
And that point may not be all his fault. But the fact is, we haven’t had top 20 talent so there should be no wonder we haven’t had top 20 teams.

Hopefully the roster this year has 2 or 3 studs and we roll. That’s all I’m hoping for.

 

[rodoheel]

Personally I think it’s all about the Jimmys and Joes and not the X’s and O’s.

Who in the NBA right now played under Hubert when he was head coach? Pete Nance, Cam and Drake?

Cam Johnson didn't play for Hubert as head coach. I believe the only other NBA guy who's played for Hubert would be Harrison Ingram.

 

[SnoopRob]

Personally I think it’s all about the Jimmys and Joes and not the X’s and O’s.

Who in the NBA right now played under Hubert when he was head coach? Pete Nance, Cam and Drake? Is that it? Bacot may make it out of the G league to land somewhere.

Granted, he’s only had 4 years to recruit HS kids, but how many of those kids are going to make an NBA roster? I thought he did a decent job of recruiting transfers ( but not getting a decent big recently was a glaring miss, and killed that season). Cam and Pete fall into that category. Then there is Drake, as a HS recruit.

My point is Hubert has not had that much top talent the past 4 years. Not NBA talent anyway. It’s really no wonder they’ve struggled and been mediocre at best. They haven’t had the horses.

In the past 4 years, If Hubert had had the caliber of players listed below, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. These are current Heels in the league.

• Harrison Barnes
• Coby White
• Cameron Johnson
• Cole Anthony
• Day'Ron Sharpe
• Drake Powell
• Reggie Bullock

I just think it’s not “Hubert can’t coach” but perhaps Hubert can’t recruit.
And that point may not be all his fault. But the fact is, we haven’t had top 20 talent so there should be no wonder we haven’t had top 20 teams.

Hopefully the roster this year has 2 or 3 studs and we roll. That’s all I’m hoping for.

This is just plain wrong, Jimmies and Joes have been much less of a problem for HD than Xs & Os, among other things.

I would guarantee you that by pretty much any metric that evaluates player talent, we've had one of the 20 most talented rosters in CBB each year over HD's 4 years in Chapel Hill. And in that time, we've only been ranked in the Top 25 for 33 out of 80 weeks (and 21 of those were in one year).

You might be able to use lack of elite talent as a reason we've not been among the top 5-10 teams for most of HD's tenure, but it doesn't explain the fact that we're not a top 25 for much of his time as HC or that we've missed the tourney and been 8 and 11 seeds over 3 of his 4 years in CH.

 

[stankeylegjones]

But it was the same coach and RJ was an all-American the year prior. One problem was that the team last year lacked shooting.

I've not understood why some guys can't shoot. Practice it. Is it that hard? Maybe it is. Doesn't seem like it should be to be decent. Curry is of course he's special and most people couldn't get close no matter how much practice. But 36-37% on open 3s from the college line? I mean, why not? Note that when I say "I've not understood" I'm saying that as much as an admission than accusation. But one wonders if HD was expecting some of the guys to improve their shooting and they didn't really.

As Rob states it, and I agree, HD needs the perfect team in order to be effective, and that team was (almost?) perfect for what him. He seems to be incapable of being effective outside of that. Hopefully he’s figured it out for this year.