By R.L. Bynum
As impatience with Coach Hubert Davis continues to ramp up among some boosters and a segment of the North Carolina fanbase, you have to wonder if the same sort of heat would be coming if Roy Williams was leading this team.
It’s highly unlikely that would happen given the love for Williams, his three national championships and a Hall of Fame career.
Carolina’s second consecutive one-point loss, a 67–66 setback Tuesday night at Wake Forest, was Davis’ 129th game as head coach, dropping the Tar Heels to 12–8 overall and 5–3 in the ACC.
The difference in coaching strategies, how they constructed their rosters and the ability to react to what the opponent is doing is up for debate. In bad times, Williams often told the media that he had to coach better but Davis hasn’t said anything like that.
Even Davis’ most ardent supporters wouldn’t compare him as a coach to Williams — much like Williams never thought he should be compared to Dean Smith. But comparing the numbers to gauge performance is fair.
There’s no doubt that since Williams’ team won the 2017 NCAA championship — with Davis as an assistant coach — the Tar Heels have come close to meeting the high standard fans expect of the program once: during the 2022 Final Four run in Davis’ first season.
In metrics such as wins, ACC finishes and NCAA tournament finishes, the Tar Heels’ performance in the first 129 games with Davis as head coach is better than the last 129 games of Williams’ career.
Davis has more wins (90) than Williams coached (82) during those spans. With 10 regular-season games remaining in his fourth season, Davis already has more victories than Williams’ total for his final four seasons (87).
Davis’ records of 90–39 (69.9%) overall and 48–20 in the ACC (70.6%) are both better through 129 games than Williams’ of 82–47 (63.6%) and 43–29 (59.7%) in the league in his last 129.
While Williams’ average ACC finish in his last four seasons was between fifth and sixth (5.5), Davis’ average finish in his first three seasons was 3.3, and would be 3.8 if UNC finishes fifth, a position it currently shares with SMU.
Williams’ 2018–19 team finished tied for first in the ACC, and Davis’ team won the regular-season title outright last season in their best respective finishes.
Williams’ 2017–18 team made the ACC tournament championship game, two others (2018–19 and 2020–21) made the semifinals and the 2019–20 team lost in the second round. Davis’ team made the championship game last year after his first team (2021–22) made the semifinals and the Tar Heels have lost in the quarterfinals.
Although Williams’ teams didn’t miss the NCAA tournament in his last four seasons, the 2019–20 team that finished 14–19 would have had the event not been canceled. That leaves them equal in that regard after Davis’ 2022–23 team went 20–13 and missed the tournament.
With a challenging schedule coming up after Saturday’s Boston College game and Carolina clearly on the bubble, that comparison could change, providing a glaring difference if two of Davis’ first four teams are left out of the NCAA field.
Under most major metrics, Davis hasn’t done that badly compared to Williams’ last four UNC teams.
Williams’ final three NCAA tournament teams lost in the round of 32 (2017–18), made the Sweet 16 (2018–19) and lost in the round of 64 (2020–21). Davis’ first two teams to make the tournament were the national runner-up (2021–22) and made the Sweet 16 (2023–24).
Four-season comparison
Roy Williams
2017–18 — (first five games, all wins, don’t count on total of his last 129 games) 26–11, 11–7 | tied for 3rd in ACC | lost in ACC tournament final | NCAA round of 32
2018–19 — 29–7, 16–2 | tied for 1st in ACC | lost in ACCT semifinals | NCAA Sweet 16
2019–20 — 14–19, 6–14 | tied for 13th in ACC | lost in ACCT second round | postseason canceled
2020–21 — 18–11, 10–6 | tied for 5th in ACC | lost in ACCT semifinals | lost in NCAA round of 64
TOTALS 87–48 overall 64.4% | 43–29 in the ACC 59.7% | average ACC finish 5.5
LAST 129 GAMES: 82–48 63.6%
Hubert Davis
2021–22 — 29–10, 15–5 | tied for 2nd in ACC | lost in ACCT semifinals | NCAA runner-up
2022–23 — 20–13, 11–9 | 7th in ACC | missed NCAA tournament; turned down NIT bid
2023–24 — 29–8, 17–3 | 1st in ACC | lost in ACCT championship game | Sweet 16
2024–25 — 12–8, 5–3 | tied for 5th
TOTAL 90–39 69.9% | 48–20 70.6% | average ACC finish 3.3
| Date | Time/ scores | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |||
| 9 | W, 88–70 | Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro | |
| 18 | 5 p.m. | Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis | B1G+ * |
| 27 | 7:30 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte | ACCN Extra |
| November | Regular season | |||
| 2 | 7 p.m. | Monday | vs. Western Carolina | ACCN |
| 6 | 7 p.m. | Friday | vs. Wofford | ACCN |
| 10 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming | ACCN |
| 13 | 7 p.m. | Friday | vs. Georgia | ESPN2 |
| 20 | 9 p.m. | Friday | vs. Marshall | ACCN |
| 23 | 7 p.m. | Monday | vs. Monmouth | ACCN |
| 27 | 7 p.m. | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte | ESPN |
| December | ||||
| 1 | 7:30 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas | ESPN |
| 6 | 3 p.m. | Sunday | vs. Butler | ESPN2 |
| 12 | Noon | Saturday | at Georgetown | Peacock |
| 15 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro | ESPN2 |
| 19 | 2:30 | Saturday | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York | CBS |
| 21 | 8 p.m. | Monday | vs. The Citadel | The CW |
| 30 | 4 p.m. | Wednesday | vs. California | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 2 | 4 p.m. | Saturday | at Boston College | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 5 | 9 p.m. | Tuesday | at Louisville | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 9 | Noon | Saturday | vs. N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 13 | 7 p.m. | Wednesday | at Florida State | ESPN2 or ESPNU |
| 16 | 2:15 | Saturday | vs. Stanford | The CW |
| 19 | 9 p.m. | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia | ESPN |
| 23 | Noon | Saturday | at Syracuse | ESPN or 2 or U |
| 26 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | vs. SMU | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 30 | 6 or 6:30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. | ESPN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | at Notre Dame | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 6 | 2:15 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech | The CW |
| 8 | 6 p.m. | Monday | vs. Louisville | ESPN |
| 13 | 5:30 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke | ABC |
| 20 | 7 p.m. | Saturday | at Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 22 | 7 p.m. | Monday | vs. No. 24 Miami | ESPN |
| 27 | 7 p.m. | Saturday | at Virginia Tech | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 2 | 9 p.m. | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 6 | 6 or 6:30 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo by Smith Hardy
