Hubert Davis hot seat rumors: UNC AD Bubba Cunningham responds to speculation around head coach

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham has broken his silence on the future of the Tar Heels basketball program. This comes after UNC’s first-round NCAA Tournament exit after being upset by VCU.

According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Cunningham told him that “the Tar Heels’ administration, including the Chancellor, is evaluating all aspects of the school’s basketball program and will continue to have discussions over the coming days.”

This all falls in line with what On3’s Pete Nakos reported Saturday morning. Notably, Carolina has been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the first round during back-to-back years now under head coach Hubert Davis. Davis, a UNC alum, has been the Tar Heels’ head coach since 2021.

Earlier on Saturday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the future of Davis as head coach is “squarely in flux.” A decision is expected to be made early next week, according to Thamel.

“(I) do not expect Davis to be fired outright,” Thamel said. “Any kind of departure would be synchronized, likely between he and the school. Hubert Davis is a legend at North Carolina and will be treated with that type of respect.”

Since taking the job in 2021, he’s led UNC to one Final Four. Davis has amassed a 125–54 (.698) record in five seasons.

On Thursday, North Carolina entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed, taking on No. 11 seed VCU. Things looked good for the Tar Heels early, and they even led the game by as many as 19 points down the stretch.

UNC led for 34:46 of game time and was +5 on the rebound margins. It led VCU in assists, fast break points, steals and second-chance points.

Still, the Tar Heels collapsed in the end, unable to outscore the Rams in overtime. They entered halftime leading by 11 and were subsequently outscored 54-39 in the second half and overtime.

What comes from this loss, for now, remains to be seen. However, it’s clear that conversations are being had in Chapel Hill.