UNC fans who still want Hubert Davis fired were just hit with a sobering reality

With the way some fans have been going after North Carolina and Hubert Davis, you'd think this team was on the bubble watch and on the verge of missing the NCAA Tournament. Instead, the Tar Heels are ranked No. 18 in the country and are 22-6 on the season.

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Even without Caleb Wilson, UNC has won three of its last four games, highlighted by the nail-biting Top 25 win over Louisville on Monday night. Say what you want about Davis, but he's made the right adjustments of late and this group is only going to get stronger once Wilson is back to full health.

With that said, if North Carolina suffers an early exit in both the ACC Tournament and Big Dance, could the veteran coach and program legend be on his way out of Chapel Hill? Not so fast, ESPN's Jeff Borzello wrote this week.

UNC head coach Hubert Davis appears to be safe after another 20-plus win season

In his piece for ESPN, Borzello divided things into the following categories: jobs already open, jobs that could open, probably at least a year away, potential retirements to monitor, high-profile candidates to keep an eye on, and who's ready to make the jump? Davis was listed in the 'probably at least a year away' section and it's easy to see why.

"Hubert Davis entered the season on one of the hotter seats in college basketball, but the Tar Heels are now ranked in the top 20 and are a second-weekend threat with Caleb Wilson expected to return from a hand injury," Borzello said. "Barring a catastrophic finish to the season, Davis isn't at risk of losing his job. He signed a contract extension in December 2024 that keeps him in Chapel Hill through the 2029-30 season, and he would be owed around $5 million if Carolina moved on. A couple of NCAA tournament wins might also ease some of the perceived pressure from the fan base, though this season's performance, combined with a top-10 recruiting class coming in next season, cools off his seat moving forward."

Is Carolina expected to win it all or make the Final Four this season? No, but Davis and the Heels have exceeded expectations thus far after the rough campaign last year that nearly saw UNC miss out on the NCAA Tournament. At this point last year, people had had it with Davis and his staff, with calls for him to get fired getting louder by the day.

Now, however, things have been different, with Wilson, Henri Veesaar and others being welcome additions. Wilson is expected to leave after this year for the NBA Draft, but 5-star talents Dylan Mingo and Maximo Adams are on the way via the 2026 signing class. The future is bright for this team and Davis is expected to keep pushing things forward.