UNC Men’s Basketball 2025-2026

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Mulberry Heel said:
If we're only half-way decent I don't see Davis getting another season, especially if we don't make the tournament or barely sneak in like this past season. And I'm a Davis supporter, but if we don't have a really good season I think the powers-that-be are going to force a change. And I don't look forward to that for several reasons, honestly.
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If we aren't solidly in the top 25 all season and don't make it to the second round, then I think a coaching change has to be made no matter whether one is a Coach Davis fan or not. UNC basketball simply cannot have expectations lower than that.
 
wmheel1287 said:
If we aren't solidly in the top 25 all season and don't make it to the second round, then I think a coaching change has to be made no matter whether one is a Coach Davis fan or not. UNC basketball simply cannot have expectations lower than that.
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I don't disagree at all, and when I said I wouldn't look forward to the coaching change that's not what I meant. What I meant was that if Davis leaves we'll almost certainly get a non-UNC alum head coach, and the great coaching legacy we've been so blessed to have for so long - it's one of the greatest in all college sports - will be broken. Phog Allen & Frank McGuire to Dean Smith to Bill Guthridge to Matt Doherty to Roy Williams to Hubert Davis is a helluva legacy and coaching tree (well, maybe not Doherty), and that will be gone even if we get a great non-UNC coach. Not to mention that Davis is our first African-American head basketball coach and I'd hate for that to end on a down note. UNC basketball has always had a genuine family atmosphere (unlike the fake "brotherhood" down the road in Durham) and I'm worried about whether that will survive.

And before someone states that none of that should matter if Davis has another bad season I'll say again that I agree fully - for the good of the program he'll have to go, and maybe "new blood" and a new approach will be what is needed, just as we're doing with the new AD-in-waiting. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to feel sad and a little nostalgic if Davis has to be let go at the end of the year. As I've gotten older I've frankly become more and more disenchanted with the direction of college sports in general, and I've grown increasingly nostalgic for the ACC glory days of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. I do miss it. But I don't disagree that we'll have to make a change if Davis has another rough season.
 
wmheel1287 said:
If we aren't solidly in the top 25 all season and don't make it to the second round, then I think a coaching change has to be made no matter whether one is a Coach Davis fan or not. UNC basketball simply cannot have expectations lower than that.
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To early...
 
For the first time, I’m feeling like I don’t give a shit……for both football and basketball.

I don’t know who the players are…….there’s almost no watching players develop from season-to-season.

I’ve been a Tar Heel fan since we moved to Chapel Hill in 1967 when I was five.

I’m still an avid Olympic sports fan - plenty of players stick around for 3-4 years.

But, this version of “college football” or “college basketball” holds little appeal.
 
Zoo_View said:
For the first time, I’m feeling like I don’t give a shit……for both football and basketball.

I don’t know who the players are…….there’s almost no watching players develop from season-to-season.

I’ve been a Tar Heel fan since we moved to Chapel Hill in 1967 when I was five.

I’m still an avid Olympic sports fan - plenty of players stick around for 3-4 years.

But, this version of “college football” or “college basketball” holds little appeal.
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Back in the 80s and 90s I'd often watch even non-UNC college basketball games if it involved Top 25 teams, I just enjoyed watching the games. I almost never do that now, if it's not a UNC game I don't care. And that even applies to most of the conference tournament and NCAA Tournament games. And part of that is because, as you said, many teams have almost total turnover from year to year and you don't even know who the players are anymore - it's like watching nameless mercenaries play each other. I just have less and less interest in the games now.
 
wmheel1287 said:
So, are we going to be any good at all this coming season?
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I think it could go one of three ways. We could either have a really good season, or a really bad season, or it could go somewhere in-between. I doubt we go undefeated but I’m sure we’ll win at least one game. And my guess is that we’ll win more than just one game.
 
Zoo_View said:
For the first time, I’m feeling like I don’t give a shit……for both football and basketball.

I don’t know who the players are…….there’s almost no watching players develop from season-to-season.

I’ve been a Tar Heel fan since we moved to Chapel Hill in 1967 when I was five.

I’m still an avid Olympic sports fan - plenty of players stick around for 3-4 years.

But, this version of “college football” or “college basketball” holds little appeal.
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You can watch them develop, you just have to keep up with which team they are developing on.

I'm sort of torn going into this year. I have some of the same feelings as you, but I'm also excited that they brough in some players at each position.
Though, honestly, I really wanted Ian and Cadeau and Drake to come back as the core of the team and just add where we really needed it.
 
Mulberry Heel said:
Back in the 80s and 90s I'd often watch even non-UNC college basketball games if it involved Top 25 teams, I just enjoyed watching the games. I almost never do that now, if it's not a UNC game I don't care. And that even applies to most of the conference tournament and NCAA Tournament games. And part of that is because, as you said, many teams have almost total turnover from year to year and you don't even know who the players are anymore - it's like watching nameless mercenaries play each other. I just have less and less interest in the games now.
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Even as recently as 10 years ago, I never in a million years would have believed I’d be a much, much bigger NBA fan than NCAA hoops. The NCAA product just sucks now for all the reasons being mentioned here. The kids wanted their money right now? Great. It’ll be drying up very very soon. The ratings will see to that.
 
Haven't checked in after camp games, but had heard whispers of concern about this roster build.

I've always thought that HD would resign instead of getting fired. He needs a solid season (Top 3 ACC, Lock for NCAAT) to stay off the hot seat.
 
Mulberry Heel said:
I don't disagree at all, and when I said I wouldn't look forward to the coaching change that's not what I meant. What I meant was that if Davis leaves we'll almost certainly get a non-UNC alum head coach, and the great coaching legacy we've been so blessed to have for so long - it's one of the greatest in all college sports - will be broken. Phog Allen & Frank McGuire to Dean Smith to Bill Guthridge to Matt Doherty to Roy Williams to Hubert Davis is a helluva legacy and coaching tree (well, maybe not Doherty), and that will be gone even if we get a great non-UNC coach. Not to mention that Davis is our first African-American head basketball coach and I'd hate for that to end on a down note. UNC basketball has always had a genuine family atmosphere (unlike the fake "brotherhood" down the road in Durham) and I'm worried about whether that will survive.

And before someone states that none of that should matter if Davis has another bad season I'll say again that I agree fully - for the good of the program he'll have to go, and maybe "new blood" and a new approach will be what is needed, just as we're doing with the new AD-in-waiting. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to feel sad and a little nostalgic if Davis has to be let go at the end of the year. As I've gotten older I've frankly become more and more disenchanted with the direction of college sports in general, and I've grown increasingly nostalgic for the ACC glory days of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. I do miss it. But I don't disagree that we'll have to make a change if Davis has another rough season.
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What a great post.

Thank you for your thoughts. I can really connect with them.
 
Mulberry Heel said:
I don't disagree at all, and when I said I wouldn't look forward to the coaching change that's not what I meant. What I meant was that if Davis leaves we'll almost certainly get a non-UNC alum head coach, and the great coaching legacy we've been so blessed to have for so long - it's one of the greatest in all college sports - will be broken. Phog Allen & Frank McGuire to Dean Smith to Bill Guthridge to Matt Doherty to Roy Williams to Hubert Davis is a helluva legacy and coaching tree (well, maybe not Doherty), and that will be gone even if we get a great non-UNC coach. Not to mention that Davis is our first African-American head basketball coach and I'd hate for that to end on a down note. UNC basketball has always had a genuine family atmosphere (unlike the fake "brotherhood" down the road in Durham) and I'm worried about whether that will survive.

And before someone states that none of that should matter if Davis has another bad season I'll say again that I agree fully - for the good of the program he'll have to go, and maybe "new blood" and a new approach will be what is needed, just as we're doing with the new AD-in-waiting. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to feel sad and a little nostalgic if Davis has to be let go at the end of the year. As I've gotten older I've frankly become more and more disenchanted with the direction of college sports in general, and I've grown increasingly nostalgic for the ACC glory days of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. I do miss it. But I don't disagree that we'll have to make a change if Davis has another rough season.
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i've said it before and i'll say it again, a family that doesn't welcome outsiders into the fold is going to die out from incest.

it's downright stunning to me that Davis didn't make any changes to the staff at all.
 
The “whispers of concern about this roster build” may just guarantee Davis will make changes to the staff… including the head coaching position.

If those “whispers” turn out to be true, and the “roster build” is a house of cards… the shouting from the roof tops will be deafening.
 
Locked-In Tar Heels guest Coach Bill Robinson has some encouraging things to say about the Basketball School Scrimmages and the play of Seth Trimble and the rest. To paraphrase...

Kyan Evans is a distribute the ball first point guard. Caleb Wilson is the best freshman at Carolina he's seen in a decade -- he plays with great energy and very much enjoys it. Jonathan Powell will be a pleasant surprise and Jared Stevenson will play three positions Mr. Gadget-like. Veesaar shows some "want to" and is getting out and running for a big. James Brown has bulked up.
Isaiah Denis and especially Derek Dixon have some dog in them and play very hard.
Seth is the point and will play at least 30 minutes a game. He's also taken on the leadership mantle noticeably.
Bogavac has not arrived on campus.

Robinson is in his 20th year of working the Basketball School and is the head coach at Milligan College in Tennessee. He recently published a book about Carolina Basketball School (At the link below)

CAROLINA BASKETBALL SCHOOL: Robinson, Bill, Publishers, Hemingway: 9781965222508: Amazon.com: Books

CAROLINA BASKETBALL SCHOOL [Robinson, Bill, Publishers, Hemingway] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. CAROLINA BASKETBALL SCHOOL
www.amazon.com
 
Unless they have eliminated the pre-Christmas Conference game (we don't play Boston College at all and now state college only once so some things have been clearly altered) then I'd expect that we'd be playing someone from the ACC between those December 7 Georgetown and Dec. 13 USC Upstate games (though that is, I suspect also exam week so maybe not...will players still be taking classes as we move forward with the professionalization of so-called college sports?).
 
CRHeel94 said:
Haven't checked in after camp games, but had heard whispers of concern about this roster build.

I've always thought that HD would resign instead of getting fired. He needs a solid season (Top 3 ACC, Lock for NCAAT) to stay off the hot seat.
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What type of concern? What about the roster build is causing concern? To me, the roster looks pretty solid. I haven't seen the guys play, of course, but is that the point -- the players aren't good enough?
 
We tend to be pre-season ranked around 25 -- as go the earliest prognostications. I tend to think that the roster looks better than that but I'm an optimist. At any rate, I'd rather start lower than over-rated.
 
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