Updates on Hubert Davis' UNC Future amid Hot-Seat Rumors After Historic March Madness Collapse

Hubert Davis reportedly is "unlikely" to return as the head men's basketball coach at the University of North Carolina, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Sunday.

Thamel and Jeff Borzello of ESPN previously reported Saturday that Davis is "in discussions" with UNC officials about his future, "with a decision on his status and potential exit plan expected to unfold in the upcoming days."

Previously, Thamel said Davis' status at UNC was "squarely in flux" on the heels of back-to-back first-round exits in the NCAA tournament:

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham informed Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports that he is "evaluating all aspects of the school's basketball program and will continue to have discussions over the coming days."

Per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Davis' future at UNC is "in doubt," after he had no contact with his staff for nearly 24 hours from Friday to Saturday. It would reportedly "be a surprise to a lot of people in and around the program" if Davis is retained.

According to Thamel, there are expected to be major changes to the coaching staff at UNC regardless of whether Davis stays or departs, and the "tenor" at North Carolina currently is that there will be a new coaching staff in place next season.

The Tar Heels were upset in the first round of the NCAA tourney on Thursday, falling 82-78 in overtime as a No. 6 seed to the 11th-seeded VCU Rams.

VCU Rams-North Carolina Tar Heels Highlights

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North Carolina led by 11 points at halftime and as many as 19 points in the game, but VCU stormed back on the strength of 42 percent three-point shooting as a team and 34 points from Terrence Hill Jr. off the bench.

Of course, the Tar Heels were not at full strength, as superstar freshman forward Caleb Wilson was lost for the season due to a broken thumb.

Prior to Wilson's injury, North Carolina was 19-5 on the season, but it lost four of its final nine games without him.

Even so, there may not be much sympathy for Davis among UNC fans and decision-makers, as North Carolina barely made it into the tournament last season and lost to sixth-seeded Ole Miss in the first round.

The Tar Heels reached the Sweet 16 in 2024, but they missed the NCAA tournament altogether one year earlier.

Davis, 55, is a UNC legend, as he played at the school from 1988 to 1992 and won a national title as an assistant coach with the Tar Heels in 2017.

Taking over as North Carolina's head coach in 2021 following the retirement of Roy Williams, Davis took the Tar Heels all the way to the Final Four and the National Championship Game in his first season at the helm, but they fell 72-69 to Kansas.

Davis has had plenty of ups and downs during his five-year tenure as head coach at North Carolina, but with more downs than ups recently, he may be on borrowed time in Chapel Hill.