Hubert Davis Lays Out Unique Tournament Strategy for UNC

The North Carolina Tar Heels could have been as high as a No. 4 seed in this year's NCAA tournament, but Caleb Wilson suffering a season-ending injury derailed those hopes.

Instead, the Tar Heels fell to a No. 6 seed in the South Region, setting up a first-round matchup against the No. 11 seed VCU Rams. On Monday, head coach Hubert Davis spoke on how he is viewing the tournament, which he relayed to his team shortly after the bracket was revealed.

Davis' Thoughts

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis points to his team during the first half against the Clemson Tigers at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

“We’ve been invited to Greenville, South Carolina, to play in the tournament - it’s the only thing in our mind. We get an opportunity to play two games,” Davis told his team. “So in our preparation, our practice and our play, the only thing that we’re thinking about is, let’s win two games in Greenville.”

“[It’s] one of the things that I talk to the team about, and I got this from Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge and Coach Williams,” Davis continued. “I loved it as a player, and I love it as a coach. So, I told them that our focus is the Greenville, South Carolina tournament."

Mar 7, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) drives to the basket as Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown (6) defends during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

"We have an opportunity to play two games, and in our preparation, our practice and our play, let’s do everything that we can to see if we can win two games in Greenville."

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis in the huddle with his team during the first half against the Clemson Tigers at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

If North Carolina advances to the second weekend, they will then play in Houston in the Sweet 16. Davis continued to discuss how he is treating each location that North Carolina plays in as a two-game tournament.

“If we’re fortunate enough to do that, then we’re going to be invited to the Houston tournament, and we’ve got an opportunity to play two games in Houston," Davis said. "With our preparation, our practice and our play, can we find a way to be good enough to win two games in Houston?

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) passes the ball defended by Clemson Tigers guard Jestin Porter (1) during the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

New Perspective

"If we do that, then we’ll get invited to the Indianapolis tournament, and then we can see if we can win that one - so I like to break it up, I think it puts everything in a perspective and allows the guys to focus on the task at hand.”

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis with guard Kyan Evans (0) in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Despite all of the adversity that the Tar Heels have faced this season, they do have a fortunate draw playing close to home. The veteran head coach hopes that his team has a "home" crowd in the first two rounds.

“It is nice playing in Greenville because it’s close to Chapel Hill,” Davis explained. “So not much of a travel down to Greenville. We’re hoping that a ton of Carolina fans are going to come and support these guys.”