Hubert Davis has earned a lot of criticism over the past few weeks due to the struggles the UNC basketball program has had since the new year began.
After one half of basketball in Charlottesville on Saturday afternoon, it felt like the Tar Heels were on the verge of another ugly loss, one that would have certainly added to the chatter about Davis' future as the program's head coach.
When you win, everyone loves you. When you lose, fans want answers. It is a harsh reality that comes along with being the head coach at North Carolina.
I's only fair that you give Hubert Davis the credit when he deserves it. While he is an individual who doesn't curse, we'll let this one out on his behalf:
Hubert Davis coached his ass off in the second half, and that was the difference in UNC's comeback victory.
Credit where credit’s due, that must have been one hell of a halftime speech from Hubert Davis. Adjustments worked, too. Give him his flowers!
— Jacob Turner (@JacobTurnerNC) January 24, 2026
MASSIVE comeback win for #UNC, who was behind by as much as 16 in the 1H. UVA collapsed, but Heels made it happen.
How we feeling?!
Major Adjustments
Davis seemed to click all the right buttons over the final 20 minutes of action. The team not only came out with a fire we didn't necessarily see in the first half of play, but the adjustments that were made not only helped North Carolina go on a tear offensively but also sparked some life in them on the defensive side of the floor.
One of the big decisions Davis faced was whether to insert Henri Veesaar back into the game down the stretch. Veesaar struggled and was also hampered by foul trouble, but you could've easily justified Davis bringing back in his second leading scorer and one of his top rebounders.
However, Davis went with his gut and stuck with the hot hand, electing to run with a front court of Jarin Stevenson and Caleb Wilson.
That move was H U G E!
Stevenson connected on some timely shots in his best performance thus far as a Tar Heel, scoring 17 points in just 16 minutes of action. Keeping the junior forward on the floor paid off for the Tar Heels in their comeback effort, a move that Davis deserves a ton of credit for.
Sure, the first half featured some questionable decisions from the Tar Heels head coach (such as Zayden High entering the game before Stevenson and having an ugly stretch that led to a UVA run). However, he made up for it throughout the second half, putting his team in the best position to win.
No doubt, this is a top five regular season win for North Carolina during the Hubert Davis era, as the head coach of the Tar Heels deserves his flowers for the adjustments he made throughout the comeback effort.