Caleb Wilson Reacts to Hubert Davis' UNC Exit After Disappointing NCAA Tournament Loss

Perhaps North Carolina would still be in the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament if Caleb Wilson wasn't sidelined with a broken thumb, but the team instead lost in the first round to VCU and announced Tuesday it is not bringing back head coach Hubert Davis.

And that prompted Wilson to take to social media to express his love for Davis following the news:

The loss to VCU wasn't just any loss.

North Carolina appeared in full control as it built a 19-point lead in the second half but could not hold on as the Rams came storming back and forced overtime, where they eventually won. It was the biggest blown lead in the first round in NCAA tournament history.

VCU Rams-North Carolina Tar Heels Highlights

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That seemed to be the last straw for Davis' tenure, which started with so much promise when he led his alma mater to the national championship game in his first season as head coach in 2022.

However, he missed the Big Dance entirely his next season and advanced past the first round just once in his final three years. That might be good enough at most programs, but North Carolina isn't most programs given its illustrious history of success and championships.

Still, it is impossible not to wonder how things might have been different if Wilson was healthy.

The star freshman led the team in points (19.8), rebounds (9.4), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.4) per game this season all while shooting 57.8 percent from the field. He was a double-double threat every time he stepped on the court and a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.

North Carolina never truly recovered after he went out and lost to Duke in the regular-season finale, Clemson in its first ACC tournament game and VCU in its first NCAA tournament game.

Wilson certainly did enough to catch the eye of NBA teams, and B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected him as the No. 4 overall pick in his latest mock draft.

Davis clearly helped Wilson reach the point where he may be a top-five pick given the forward's latest comments, even if the head coach won't be returning to North Carolina.