More Warmth For The Hubert Davis Hot Seat

The writer here is respectful but clearly anxious about his Tar Heels.

We've talked a bit about what it will mean in the Triangle to have Will Wade at NC State. The first thing to keep an eye on his ethics. He joked recently that NIL stands for Now It’s Legal, which is funny but doesn’t excuse his willingness to flout the rules at LSU and perhaps earlier.

And it’s also important to remember that there are other ways to cheat, like academic fraud, tampering and...let’s say movements of money that aren’t properly monitored.

But give him a chance to prove himself. If he blows it again, well, we can put it down to “NC State stuff” once more.

The really interesting thing is what happens if NC State moves ahead of UNC competitively.

This article from Fansided by a passionate UNC fan perfectly illustrates the case. There is concern about the transfers of Elliot Cadeau (Michigan), Ian Jackson (St. John’s) and most of all Ven-Allen Lubin, who will be in Wolfpack red.

And by the way, watch what happens with Cadeau and Jackson. If they truly excel at their new schools, Hubert Davis is going to feel some reflected heat.

The focus is going to be closer to home though. If NC State clearly surpasses UNC this season, which is possible, the pressure on Davis and his boss, Bubba Cunningham, is going to be immense.

In addition to Davis, Cunningham has hired retread Mack Brown and now has to deal with the circus surrounding Bill Belichick and his half-century younger girlfriend.

If Davis underperforms again this season, as the writer of this article is clearly concerned he will, it’s hard to see how he survives.

And then we’re in uncharted waters because other than Wes Miller, who has a mediocre 82-59 record at Cincinnati so far, there’s no Roy Williams in the wing. And that means that after 64 years, the Dean Smith epoch at UNC might be about to draw to a close. And if that’s where we are, there’s a strong chance that UNC cleans house, starting with Cunningham.

Here’s a prediction: if Davis goes into February flailing, particularly if State is soaring, Cunningham will, one way or another, be forced out. That’s so his successor, whoever it ends up being, is in position to to fire Davis as soon as UNC’s season ends. And that’s going to be the coaching search to end all coaching searches.

If it happens, make sure you get your popcorn, available in Duke blue and State red buckets.