The debate is raging – at least on social media – about the status of North Carolina men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis. It’s a complex situation facing decision makers, who presumably consider the program at a crossroads concerning Davis’ future. 

Thursday night’s unceremonious exit from the NCAA Tournament’s first round with an 82-78 overtime loss to VCU after leading by 19 points in the second half heightened the speculation. North Carolina’s administration – chancellor Lee Roberts, athletics director Bubba Cunningham and AD-in-waiting Steve Newmark – have been put on the spot. 

Cunningham is transitioning to another role, and Newmark will be in charge of the athletics department well before the next tip-off for the Tar Heels. The tide has turned quickly on Davis, who by the end of his first season in the spring of 2022 had gained what might have been considered lifetime privileges. He directed the Tar Heels past Duke in Mike Krzyzrewski’s final game as coach at Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

Four weeks later, he endeared himself again to Carolina fans when his team knocked off Duke in the Final Four, sending Coach K into retirement.

But there have been far fewer notable highlights since then – and even that 2021-22 team had underachieved and tumbled out of the Top 25 until the March success. The 2023 team didn’t make the NCAA Tournament field. But the following season, an Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship – dented with an ACC tournament championship-game loss to what had been a struggling North Carolina State team – and trip to the Sweet 16 restored confidence. 

Troubles brewed last year, when the Tar Heels barely made the tournament – some will say because of Cummingham’s presence as chair of the NCAA selection committee. A First Four victory was followed by exit in the first round with a loss to Ole Miss. So that means in five seasons, the Tar Heels have reached the NCAA Tournament’s second round just twice – first with a team that Williams had largely put together and the other when, according to the seeds, they were bounced prematurely. North Carolina has reached the 20-win level each season under Davis. This season’s 24-9 mark represents his third-largest win total. 

Former players have chimed in regarding the condition of the program, mostly expressing concern without indicting Davis so far. That group has included Tyler Hansbrough, who also had been member of the team’s rotating radio broadcast crew, and Joel Berry, an analyst with the ACC Network. 

The 2026-27 season will come without the Tar Heels’ three most productive players from this season unless freshman sensation Caleb Wilson pulls a surprising move and stays for another season. Henri Veesaar and Seth Trimble have used up eligibility. Wilson’s personality and high-flying talents made him a fan favorite. Trimble played his entire college career for the Tar Heels and was already popular, a status that rose to special heights after his game-winning shot in early February against Duke. Since that night in the Smith Center, North Carolina went 5-5 – probably in part because Wilson played in only part of one game the rest of the way because of a couple of injuries. 

A winter commitment from heralded recruit Dylan Mingo is reason for encouragement regarding the next roster. If there’s a coaching change, the pressing question becomes who’s next? And from there, it’s complicated if the school goes outside of the Carolina family. Dean Smith passed the torch to longtime assistant coach Bill Guthridge. His retirement led to former Tar Heels player Matt Doherty taking the job. When that didn’t work out, alum and former assistant Roy Williams was summoned back from Kansas. Davis was selected off Williams’ staff to replace the retiring Hall of Famer. 

The other choice – at least in conventional circles – was then-UNC Greensboro coach Wes Miller. 

Since then, Miller took the Cincinnati job and was dismissed when the Bearcats’ season ended this month. So that path might not be reasonably open for Miller, a former player on a Tar Heels national championship team, to assume the position. Cunningham predictably attended Friday’s women’s regional on the Chapel Hill campus, but he could have been huddled with other school officials during other parts of the day. 

With the university’s spring break winding down this weekend, other activities on campus are only diversions to the most pressing question.

Max Verstappen‘s mother, Sophie Kumpen, congratulated her son on his victory at the NLS2 at the Nurburgring on Instagram. Before the Dutchman was stripped of the win after being disqualified for a tire infringement.

Verstappen took part in the NLS2 as part of his preparations for the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring in May, which he on Saturday will be taking part in. The F1 star won the race on track, driving the #3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, operated by Winward Racing. He shared the driving duties with Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon for the event.

After the race, Max Verstappen’s mother and former racing driver herself, Sophie Kumpen, congratulated the driver and his team via her Instagram on Saturday. She reshared a photograph of the three-man team, as she wrote:

“Congrats, simply lovely”

However, after the race, it was announced that the #3 entry, featuring Max Verstappen, had been disqualified from the race due to a technical infringement, meaning they lost the race result. This reason was a tire infringement, as the team used seven sets of tires on race day as opposed to the legal six.

However, the purpose of taking part in the event for Verstappen and his team was always to get familiar with the track and car ahead of the 24-hour event. The same team, car, and driver lineup, with the addition of Lucas Auer, will be taking part in the endurance race in May.

Verstappen also admitted after the race that he could potentially return for one more event at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife in April since the F1 calendar is now vacant in the month of April, due to the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.

Mercedes Motorsport release statement after NLS2 disqualification for Max Verstappen

Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, Stefan Wendl, released a statement after Max Verstappen and Co. were stripped of their NLS2 win on Saturday. Wendl explained that the tire infringement that lead to the disqualification occured during qualifying, rather than the main race.

Explaining the situation, Wendl said that the team had “mixed feelings” after NLS2, as he added:

“During routine checks by the technical commission, it was found that the team used seven sets of tires instead of the permitted six. The error occurred during qualifying, when multiple driver and tire changes were practiced.”

Wendl also added that everyone involved was disappointed as a internal team mistake cost the #3 outfit the race win in the end. He concluded the statement by saying that everyone involved has begun analyzing how the issue happened, as they begin to prepare for the 24h at the Nurburgring, which is scheduled from May 15 to May 17. For Max Verstappen, the F1 Japanese GP is up next, which is scheduled from March 27 to March 29.