Tag: Hubert Davis

After taking down Duke and Mike Krzyzewski, Hubert Davis has arrived for North Carolina

It’s been a dream first season for Davis.

When Hubert Davis was named the successor to Roy Williams last spring, most in Chapel Hill thought it was a perfect fit. As a former Tar Heel great turned assistant coach — who also had Williams’ formal blessing — it was a match made in basketball heaven. What could go wrong?

As it turns out, a lot!

By midseason of Davis’s first campaign, a 22-point blowout to unranked Wake Forest capped an uninspired 12-6 start. While still extremely early in his tenure, skepticism behind Davis’s coaching was growing in the background, and understandably so.

Did Williams make the right choice for a successor? Was Davis up to the task of leading such a prestigious program? Also, why is this a conversation being had mere months into his career? It’s funny how fast perception can flip on a dime.

Within a couple of months of their low point, Davis’s Tar Heels got to the Final Four and slew the dragon in the castle — the hated Mike Krzyzewski and Duke. For good, and during his all-important farewell tour. Yeah, I’d say Davis has arrived.

Here’s a nice little rundown of Davis’s achievements (with a Men’s National Title potentially on the way):

It’s true! Davis can claim an accomplishment Dean Smith and Williams could’ve only dreamed of. He beat Darth (Mike) Krzyzewski in his last Duke home game and in his last game in the Final Four, en route to a National Championship Game berth. In his first year as head coach.

Suffice to say: There should be no more questions about Davis’s coaching aptitude. And if North Carolina wins the title against Kansas (who are three and a half-point favorites on Monday night, according to Tipico Sportsbook), he might even be untouchable.

Time will only tell what else the 51-year-old Davis will achieve while he roams the Carolina courtside. But if this was only Year 1, you have to think Tar Heel Nation will be enamored with their head coach for years to come.

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Hubert Davis becomes fifth head coach to reach title game in first season

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis has become just the fifth head coach to reach a title game in his first season.

Following North Carolina’s 81-77 win over Duke in the Final Four on Saturday, head coach [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] became just the fifth coach ever to advance to the National Championship game in his first season.

Davis took over for Roy Williams at North Carolina after Williams’ retirement on April 1 last year, following a first-round loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament.

Coming into the Final Four, Davis also became the first head coach to reach the Final Four in his first season since Bill Guthridge, who also did so for North Carolina in 1998.

The Tar Heels finished the regular season 23-8 overall and 15-5 in ACC play and have now moved to 6-1 in postseason play. This comes after the Tar Heels were on the bubble in February and their NCAA Tournament hopes were hanging in the balance. But Davis and his team turned it around including two big wins against Duke while also beating Baylor and UCLA to get here.

The job isn’t done, however.

Davis and North Carolina will face off against Kansas on Monday night for a chance to capture the Tar Heels’ seventh NCAA National Championship — and third since 2010.

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What Hubert Davis said before Final Four showdown with Duke

Here’s what UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis said before the Final Four matchup against the Duke Blue Devils.

The UNC basketball program is preparing for their biggest game of the season as they are set to meet Duke in the Final Four with a trip to Monday’s national championship game.

The two teams split the season series one game a piece with Duke winning by 20 in February while the Tar Heels spoiled Coach K’s last game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But Saturday’s rubber match will be the biggest on yet and it’s on the biggest stage.

It’s the latest chapter in this hated rivalry that spans decades and features multiple championships, Final Fours and ACC titles.

Before the two teams meet, head coach [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] and his team met with the media on Friday to discuss the upcoming game. Davis spoke on the previous meetings between the teams, UNC’s journey here and other things regarding his team.

Check out what Davis had to say about the upcoming game via Inside Carolina.

Hubert Davis wins Coach of the Year award ahead of Final Four

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis wins John McLendon Award as the 2021-22 National Coach of the Year award.

UNC basketball head coach [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] is getting his team prepared for the big Final Four showdown with Duke. As a first year head coach, Davis has already accomplished a lot but winning a title at his alma mater would be the cherry on top.

On Friday, Davis was recognized for his accomplishments so far by CollegeInsider.com. The publication named Davis the John McLendon Award as the 2021-22 National Coach of the Year. The award covers all divisions in college basketball from D-I, D-II, D-III, NAIA and NJCAA.

Davis has led UNC to a 28-9 overall record and took them from on the bubble back in February to the Final Four. And in that stretch, they took down Duke on the road in the season finale.

While UNC has had some downs this year, they are playing really good basketball. And Davis’ coaching is a big reason why.

Now, he just has two more games to win to complete the incredible season.

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Armando Bacot thanks reporter for calling UNC ‘soft’ earlier in year

UNC Basketball standout Armando Bacot thanked Stadium reporter Jeff Goodman for his “soft” comment earlier in the season.

College hoops reporter Jeff Goodman of Stadium wasn’t the only one that had harsh words for the UNC basketball program earlier in the season. But his words calling the Tar Heels ‘soft’ stuck with the team.

And on Thursday when the Tar Heels met the media in New Orleans, Goodman was face to face with the team and head coach [autotag]Hubert Davis.[/autotag]

To Goodman’s credit, he actually asked Armando Bacot about the ‘soft’ comments instead of shying away from the subject. Goodman’s question was “Armando, how much did you hear that you guys were soft earlier in the year. How much did that motivate you? or did it not really affect you guys?”

Bacot had the perfect answer as he thanked Goodman for saying that the team was soft.

“When you said it, it definitely pissed us all off. I’m not going to lie,” Bacot said with a smile via Tar Heel Tribune.  “Yeah, it was something — it was kind of upsetting just because I didn’t think we were really a soft team; I think we just weren’t playing together. We were going through tough stretches and growing pains as a team. We have a lot of new faces, a lot of new players, a new system we were implementing. We were just really figuring it out.”

Head coach Hubert Davis also thanked Goodman, saying that he couldn’t be mad because the reporter was right.

Since then, UNC has toughened up and has played a lot better leading into this Final Four against Duke. But the Tar Heels will have to be tough once again on Saturday night if they want to take down the Blue Devils.

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UNC basketball recruit Seth Trimble named AP Player of Year in Wisconsin

UNC Basketball guard Seth Trimble earned AP Player of the Year honors in the state of Wisconsin to wrap up his career at Menomonee Falls.

As the UNC basketball program heads to New Orleans for the Final Four, recruits are wrapping up their senior seasons before they arrive on campus in a few months.

[autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] and his staff have an impressive 2022 class that features four recruits with one of those recruits, Will Shaver, already with the team. But joining Shaver will be four-star guard [autotag]Seth Trimble[/autotag], four-star center Jalen Washington and three-star forward Tyler Nickel. The new recruiting class will look to come in and make an impact right away and help find more success next season.

For Trimble, he’s wrapping up his senior year at Menomonee Falls with a big season. And he’s being rewarded for it.

Trimble was named the AP Player of the Year for the state of Wisconsin on Monday, capping off a stellar season:

He adds this accolade to others including being named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Wisconsin as well.

The 6-foot-3, 184-pound Trimble committed to UNC over 14 other offers including Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Wisconsin among others.

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The Athletic unanimously picks Duke to beat UNC in Final Four

The Athletic released their predictions for Saturday’s game and they all picked Duke to beat the UNC basketball program.

The UNC basketball program has come a long way in the first year under head coach [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag]. After suffering some blowout losses to Kentucky, Purdue, Tennessee, Wake Forest, and Miami, the Tar Heels were on the bubble and their NCAA Tournament hopes hung in the balance.

But the Tar Heels turned it around with a winning streak and then an upset of Duke in the season finale. They continued that momentum into the NCAA Tournament where they have won four straight and punched a ticket to the Final Four.

However, at least one publication’s predictions were a clean sweep for predictions. The Athletic released their preview as well as predictions for Saturday’s showdown and not a single one of the 11 analysts picked the Tar Heels to upset Duke. Instead, they rolled with Coach K and the Blue Devils.

Here’s how I look at it.

There’s A LOT of hype in this game for the Final Four and rightfully so, because it is the first time they have met in the NCAA Tournament. It’s also Coach K’s swan song and he gets another shot at the Tar Heels after being embarrassed at home back in March.

With that…. the pressure is on Duke. And it’s not even close. Duke has the most to lose here compared to the gain that both teams have. With most of the analysts predicting Duke to win, I think UNC would prefer to fly under the radar.

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PHOTO GALLERY: Tar Heels punch ticket to Final Four

We take a look at the best photos from the UNC Basketball program’s Elite Eight win over Saint Peters to move onto the Final Four.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are still dancing, baby!

After beating Saint Peter’s in the Elite Eight on Sunday, [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] and his squad officially punched their tickets to the Final Four joining Kansas, Villanova, and Duke as the last teams standing. This does set up a matchup between the Tar Heels and Blue Devis, the first-ever in the NCAA Tournament, but UNC has some unfinished business.

From the start, UNC flexed their muscles and jumped out to a 9-0 lead over the Peacocks. And they never looked back.

Here are some of our favorite images from Sunday’s Elite Eight win over Saint Peters, capturing the big moment for the team.

Tearful Hubert Davis gets emotional after North Carolina earns spot in Final Four

This is too much.

Hubert Davis had some legendary shoes to fill when long-time North Carolina Tar Heels’ head coach Roy Williams retired last year. So far, through the 2022 March Madness tournament, Davis has done his part.

The Tar Heels advanced to the Final Four on Sunday after besting this year’s Cinderella story Saint Peter’s 69-49. The game was never very close at all, as North Carolina went on an early run and never looked back, but the Tar Heels take a deserved victory into the final weekend of the tournament.

After the game, Davis got quite emotional as his players celebrated around him, making for an incredible post game moment for this Tar Heels squad.

Thanks to this win, North Carolina heads to their first Final Four since the 2016-17 season when they won it all over Gonzaga. What a season for Davis and the Tar Heels!

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WATCH: Hubert Davis gets emotional as UNC punches ticket to Final Four

UNC Basketball head coach Hubert Davis gets emotional after the Tar Heels punch their ticket to the Final Four.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are off to New Orleans and a date with arch rival Duke in the Final Four. But before the tense week begins, the Tar Heels are going to celebrate their 69-49 over Saint Peters.

Following that win, UNC head coach [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] was interviewed on the court by CBS reporter Jamie Erdahl to get his reaction to the win and a Final Four in his first season as head coach.

But as Davis started to answer questions, he got very emotional and couldn’t hold back his tears. Watch as Davis goes through those emotions during the interview:

Davis has done a fantastic job for the Tar Heels in his first year as head coach and this team has come a long ways. They lost big to Purdue, Tennessee and Kentucky this Winter and then lost big at Wake Forest and Miami.

The Tar Heels were even a bubble team in February before earning a No. 8 seed in the tournament. Now, they are playing their best basketball of the year and it’s resulted in a trip to New Orleans.

Enjoy it, Hubert. You deserve it.

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