UNC’s West Coast Woes Raise Questions-and the Heat-on Hubert Davis
North Carolina’s trip out west was supposed to be a bounce-back opportunity. Instead, it turned into a full-blown stumble.
After dropping a tough one to SMU earlier in the month, the Tar Heels had a chance to steady themselves with a pair of Pac-12 matchups. But losses to Stanford and Cal not only pushed UNC to 2-3 in ACC play-they also triggered a major slide in the AP Poll, dropping them eight spots to No.
For a program with championship aspirations and a roster built to contend, that’s a red flag. And based on head coach Hubert Davis’ comments during his weekly radio show with Jones Angell, there’s legitimate concern about how this team is handling adversity.
Davis didn’t sugarcoat it. Reflecting on the Cal loss, he said, “I really believe against Cal we were, from the first half, shook from the game against Stanford. By the time that we woke up, we were down 18 or 20, and we started to play better and started to play the way that I know we can play.”
That’s a candid admission-and a concerning one. Because in college basketball, especially at the blueblood level, you don’t get to sleepwalk through a half and expect to claw your way back.
Not when you’re coming off a loss. Not when you’re facing teams hungry for a signature win.
And certainly not when you’re North Carolina, with all the expectations that come with that jersey.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about losing. It’s about how they’re losing.
Against Stanford, the Heels blew a lead and let freshman guard Ebuka Okorie light them up for 36 points. That’s not just a bad night-it’s a breakdown on both ends.
And when your coach says the team looked “shook” the next game, that’s a sign something deeper is off.
Davis doubled down on that assessment later in the show, saying again, “I really feel like that first half, we weren't awake.” That kind of transparency is rare-but it also raises the question: why wasn’t this team ready to go?
This is a program that expects to be in the national conversation every March. Two years ago, Davis led the Heels to the national title game and a 29-8 record.
But last season was a different story-UNC barely made it into the NCAA Tournament, and the fanbase’s patience began to waver. Now, after a hot start to the year, the team is flirting with another midseason spiral.
And make no mistake, the stakes are high. This isn’t a rebuilding year.
Davis is coaching a $14 million roster, headlined by five-star freshman Caleb Wilson, who’s putting together one of the most impressive first-year campaigns Chapel Hill has seen in a long time. The pieces are there.
The talent is real. But the results?
Not matching up.
That’s why this upcoming stretch is so critical. The Tar Heels return home to face Notre Dame on Wednesday-a team that’s 1-8 overall and just 1-4 in ACC play.
In other words, a must-win. After that?
A showdown with No. 14 Virginia looms on Saturday.
If UNC wants to stop the bleeding and reassert itself in the conference race, it starts now.
The pressure isn’t boiling over just yet, but it’s simmering. Davis still has the locker room, and he’s shown he can guide a team through turbulence.
But this group can’t afford to be “shook” anymore. Not with the ACC heating up.
Not with the postseason picture tightening. And not with the expectations that come with wearing Carolina blue.
Time to see what this team-and its coach-are made of.