Hubert Davis Inching Closer to Hot Seat After UNC's Latest NCAA Tournament Upset

The Tar Heels head coach will be feeling the heat after another early March Madness exit

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis instructs his team against the VCU Rams in the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

After an incredible postseason during his inaugural season that saw North Carolina advance to the National Championship Game, while defeating Duke in the process, the Hubert Davis experience has been a letdown.

The Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament the following year, were bounced in the Sweet 16 as a No. 1 seed the next year and have been eliminated in the Round of 64 each of the last two years.

This year, it culminated with an excruciating 82-78 overtime loss to No. 11 seed VCU.

North Carolina led by 19 points, 56-37, with 14:58 remaining. Even without star Caleb Wilson, who the Heels have been playing without for over a month, looked sharp and crisp offensively.

Then it all changed.

VCU got hot and confident to rattle off a 12-0 run that brought them within two and eventually a layup with 11.4 seconds left by Terrance Hill Jr., who went for 34 points off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.

Overtime was brutal with both teams seemingly out of gas until a 3-pointer by Hill Jr. put the Rams up by two, 80-78. North Carolina failed to make a field goal overtime, missing all six of its shots.

“Just because you miss a shot doesn't mean something's wrong,” Davis said about his team’s offensive performance late in the second half. “We had open looks. We had shots at the basket. We had executed plays. And we miss eight free throws. Sometimes the ball doesn't go in.”

The Tar Heels were 12-for-20 from the free throw line in the game, 5-for-9 in the second half, and 3-for-6 in overtime. Henri Veesaar missed a pair that could have tied the score late in overtime.

After the game, Hubert Davis didn’t want to detail the issues surrounding North Carolina after back-to-back exits in the Round of 64.

“That's a big thinking question, and I apologize, I'm just not there right now,” he said.

Still, it’s a question that must be answered at some point from the Tar Heel head coach as his job status and hot seat will be at the focal point among many offseason conversations about North Carolina leading into the 2026-27 season.