North Carolina legend Justin Jackson finished his Tar Heel career with back-to-back national championship appearances and a 2016-17 NCAA Tournament title.
But over the last two seasons, the UNC basketball program has failed to meet those lofty standards.
This past Thursday, the No. 6 seed Tar Heels blew a 19-point second-half lead against the No. 11 seed VCU Rams — falling with an 82-78 final score in overtime. Last year, North Carolina suffered another first-round exit after narrowly sneaking into the NCAA Tournament field as a First Four team.
These back-to-back Round of 64 exits have resulted in some serious chatter regarding the future of North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis.
Some feel it’s time for the program to move on. Others are pushing for Davis to remain as the team’s leader moving forward.
Jackson is somewhere in between.
“I just want to see the program be The University of North Carolina,” Jackson said during a SiriusXM Radio appearance. “I just want to see the brand stay that same strength. … I don’t think Carolina should ever shift out of being a blue-blood, top-5 program when it comes to the talent that comes in and the wins.
“I don’t know what the answer is. Like I said, I have nothing but love for [Hubert Davis], but the program has to be the program. … The program is bigger than just one person.”
More Basketball: Iowa’s Ben McCollum Fires Subtle Shot at Florida After Todd Golden Incident
“If that means we stick with Coach Davis and the staff … then so be it,” Jackson continued. “If that means we have to go on a different route and that will help us in the long run, then unfortunately that’s the move. I don’t have the answer.”
Davis took over as North Carolina’s head coach following Roy Williams’ retirement in 2021. Before that, the former UNC player spent nine seasons as an assistant coach on Williams’ staff.
More Basketball: Florida’s Todd Golden Reveals What Refs Told Him After Double-Tech Controversy
Davis’ head coaching tenure has been marked by a series of dramatic highs and lows. After beating Duke in the Final Four and making a trip to the national championship game in 2022, the Tar Heels became the first program in college basketball history to miss the NCAA Tournament after beginning the year as preseason No. 1. The program then secured a No. 1 seed in the 2024 tournament before suffering a Sweet 16 exit.
This year’s North Carolina team was 19-4 before freshman phenom Caleb Wilson suffered an injury against the Miami Hurricanes on Feb 10, beating Kansas, Kentucky and Duke in 2025-26.
UNC officials are reportedly in discussions regarding Davis’ future with the program.
