How UNC Can Elevate to Duke’s Level With Right Hire

Over the last few years, the North Carolina Tar Heels have fallen way behind the Duke Blue Devils and have stooped to the level of mid-tier ACC programs, which is unacceptable.

While the Tar Heels have failed to reach the second weekend in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments, Duke has reached three straight Elite Eights, including a Final Four Appearance last year.

Mar 18, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Additionally, head coach Jon Scheyer has won the ACC tournament in three of his first four years, compiled the No. 1 recruiting class in three seasons, and has another top recruiting class in the country next season.

Feb 3, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis with Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer before the game at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

North Carolina is being lapped by its main rival, and quite frankly, the rivalry is beginning to be one-sided. The Tar Heels' administration must get this hire right if the program wants to meet Duke's level. Here are three additional reasons why this hire is monumental.

Winning

Dec 20, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) celebrates after a basket against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

This is obvious and goes without saying, but winning is the cure to everything in sports. If you win, it opens up so much more, and everything else falls into place. Over the last five years under Hubert Davis, North Carolina has compiled eight wins in the NCAA Tournament, which is simply not good enough considering the program has not won a single game in the tournament since 2024.

Recruiting

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) looks on prior to the game against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

North Carolina will always attract elite recruits and transfers due to the logo, but hiring a head coach with credibility and proven success could make the team even more attractive. Davis, by all accounts, is a great person; everyone has nothing but great things to say about him. However, there is a knock on the 55-year-old: he struggles to adapt in games, which leads to more defeats and losses, as we saw in this year's tournament.

Hiring Tommy Lloyd or Billy Donovan would do wonders for a program that has been deprived of sustained success over the last half-decade.

Better Seeding in the NCAA Tournament

North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) celebrates after scoring Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game against the VCU Rams at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. VCU Rams won 82-78 in OT. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This is more aligned with the winning section of this argument: installing a head coach who puts his team in advantageous situations will lead to more wins, which, in turn, earns a higher seed in March. Under Davis, the Tar Heels have been an 8-seed, missed the tournament, a 1-seed, an 11-seed, and a 6-seed. That is downright pedestrian, and in 2025, when the Tar Heels were an 11-seed, they had to win a first-four game just to get into the field of 64.

North Carolina was unlucky to lose Caleb Wilson days before the NCAA tournament, but even if he had remained healthy, the Tar Heels, at best, would have been a 4-seed. The Tar Heels have a legitimate case to be a 1- or 2-seed consistently, if the right coach is in place.