NCAA Men's Tournament 2026

[OKCDomer23]

Davis signed an extension through 2029–30 and would be expensive to buy out. This is also the program that values Carolina ties and Tar Heel "family" culture, evidenced by their hiring of Matt Doherty, Roy Williams and....Hubert Davis. Roy was a former player and long time assistant but had Kansas on his resume where he'd already won. A lot.

I never understood it. Even as a former player and long time assistant to Roy, Davis had never been a head coach before and UNC Basketball is a huge job. Dean and Roy set an incredibly high bar here. Hiring former players should not be as important as it is to some people. I seriously don't get it. Feels like a very outdated mindset and hiring practice. Roy was a Tar Heel, but he also busted chops at Kansas before going to UNC and that wasn't the first time the job was offered to him.

I think Davis gets one more year, but if it falls apart and they pull the plug, they will be under serious pressure to get this right. Scheyer (ironically, a former player and assistant at Duke) isn't even 40 yet and he's already stacking his resume at Duke. You better believe UNC notices. It might be find the right guy time for UNC, and if that means someone with our UNC ties, go hire that guy if he's going to get you back.

My bigger issue for UNC moving on from Davis after the absymal blown lead yesterday is the program isn't going anywhere. Roy won 3 titles there in 18 years and killed it in recruiting. Davis recruiting isn't great like Scheyer's. Biggest difference between the 2 and difference is massive. Scheyer usually gets minimum 3 5 stars a class where Davis is lucky to get 1. UNC was never a title threat this year even with a healthy Wilson. Davis has had enough time to prove himself. Blowing 19 pt leads in 2nd half tourney games, mismanaging the clock, and non elite consistent recruiting should be enough to call it done if there's another candidate UNC wants. Loyalty can only go so far.

 

[Dale]

Davis signed an extension through 2029–30 and would be expensive to buy out.

5 million is a drop in a bucket for UNC and being signed through one recruiting cycle from now is bare minimum for a big time HC.

 

[Me2SouthBend]

Maybe they can move Belichick over to MBB.

 

[Irishdawg]

Maybe they can move Belichick over to MBB.

Or his girlfriend

 

[sfk324]

Gerry McNamara to 'Cuse.

 

[stpeteirish]

Kentucky has to be most fundamentally unsound team I’ve seen in years

 

[NorthDakota]

Kentucky has to be most fundamentally unsound team I’ve seen in years

Playing without a point guard against Iowa State seems like an uphill battle

 

[Irish#1]

Boilers continue to play well. I thought their experience was the difference. They just don’t get rattled.

I was surprised Texas took out Gonzaga.

 

[Dale]

 

[BeauBenken]

We made the sweet 16?

 

[Dale]

“That was kind of the wave for a couple years, teams that sold themselves as playing a ‘pro-style’ offense and spread out … but when you play that way, you allow a lot of volatility to enter the equation,” Golden says. “When you have the opportunity to recruit bigger, stronger, faster athletes and play a style that allows you to raise your floor with high two-point field goal percentage and get on the glass, that just gives you a better chance to be consistently successful.”

 

[Dale]

Basketball following football in that you will always have your “portal kings” but HS recruiting is back in that you basically are gonna see teams load up on big freaks (OL/DL CFB and forwards CBB) out of high school (or international) and supplement with portal.

Nebraska and St John’s are the only non Year 1 or 2 coaches with 3+ portal starters. Pitino is your only really Kiffin style portal coach.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

5 million is a drop in a bucket for UNC and being signed through one recruiting cycle from now is bare minimum for a big time HC.

It's doable. It should not make them feel like they're stuck with him, but it's a good chunk of money. If you can get Mark Few, Scott Drew, Nate Oats you definitely pay the money. I'm not sure who the viable candidates are but if they do move on, they need to make a Roy kind of hire this time around after they've determined Davis' tenure to be a failure.

The buyout language is interesting.

If they were to move on from Davis before the contract expires, the school would owe only his base salary multiplied by the number of years remaining, not his supplemental income. That keeps the financial cost of a potential coaching change manageable by blue blood standards.

So, as an example, if Davis had five years remaining on his deal the buyout would total $6.25 million. Not bad by relative standards.

They have struggled since the extension was signed. It really boils down to having a power hitter lined up who is ready to say yes and come in. Who "the guy" is remains to be seen.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

My bigger issue for UNC moving on from Davis after the absymal blown lead yesterday is the program isn't going anywhere. Roy won 3 titles there in 18 years and killed it in recruiting. Davis recruiting isn't great like Scheyer's. Biggest difference between the 2 and difference is massive. Scheyer usually gets minimum 3 5 stars a class where Davis is lucky to get 1. UNC was never a title threat this year even with a healthy Wilson. Davis has had enough time to prove himself. Blowing 19 pt leads in 2nd half tourney games, mismanaging the clock, and non elite consistent recruiting should be enough to call it done if there's another candidate UNC wants. Loyalty can only go so far.

If blowing a 19 point lead is some straw that breaks the program's back, that's one thing, but I don't know that they should make a final decision emotionally predicated on that. They really should think about who they have lined up to come in and determine if the juice is worth the squeeze. This is a program that has typically not had to get it right because Dean and Roy were there for so long. They screw up this hire, it's a scary proposition for a program that hasn't had a revolving door of coaches in the last several decades.

I don't like Duke or UNC. Wish losses on both. LOL

 

[Irish#1]

There were some great games and crazy endings over the weekend. Best ratings since 2011.

March Madness has best TV start since 2011, viewership up 5%

The NCAA tournament is off to its best start since CBS and TNT began showing all of the games in 2011.

www.espn.com

 

[Irish#1]

Mid-majors were pulling the upsets because they were fielding teams of 4th & 5th year players. Now you have the major programs doing the same. The difference is the talent the majors recruit is typically better than what the mid-majors can pull in.

 

[burmafrd1944]

Iowa knocking off Florida was the biggie; lots of people saw their bracket bets go up in smoke

 

[Irish2155]

Just keep Davis off of Game Day. That laugh makes my ears bleed.

 

[Irish#1]

The Purdue Texas game was stellar. Tons of ties and lead changes with neither able to get separation. Boilers were cold from the three point line, but I think their maturity got them the narrow win. Thought the refs didn't bring their A game.

Arizona looks like the solid favorite after dominating Arkansas. Illinois with a surprise win. Big mistake by Nebraska.

 

[RDU Irish]

LOL huskers only four defenders on the floor. Guy who drilled game winning three vs UF - might want to prioritize him in that situation with one of your four defenders.

 

[pumpdog20]

I remember when Indiana was a basketball school. Those were the days.

 

[MeanGreenBeans]

Today I'm on:

1. St. John's +6.5 and moneyline
2. UConn moneyline
3. Tennessee +4 and moneyline

 

[Irish#1]

LOL huskers only four defenders on the floor. Guy who drilled game winning three vs UF - might want to prioritize him in that situation with one of your four defenders.

Really unbelievable that could happen.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Illinois v Iowa might be the best thing to happen to bars in the 312 area code since the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup runs.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Illinois v Iowa might be the best thing to happen to bars in the 312 area code since the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup runs.

don't count Purdue out of that midwest love triangle

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

don't count Purdue out of that midwest love triangle

They have a large alumni base in Chicago, sure, but they're playing Arizona.

Illinois against Iowa in the Elite 8 is going to be an event around here.

 

[arrowryan]

So Will Wade bought a house in Baton Rouge on February 23rd? Seems shady. No doubt, LSU has the slimiest athletic department in college sports.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

They have a large alumni base in Chicago, sure, but they're playing Arizona.

Illinois against Iowa in the Elite 8 is going to be an event around here.

Sorry I met Purdue vs Iowa or Illinois in future

 

[NorthDakota]

So Will Wade bought a house in Baton Rouge on February 23rd? Seems shady. No doubt, LSU has the slimiest athletic department in college sports.

Is LSU basketball even a better job?

LSU is doing a lot of sowing.... reaping comes later

 

[Hautian Domer]

So Will Wade bought a house in Baton Rouge on February 23rd? Seems shady. No doubt, LSU has the slimiest athletic department in college sports.

Michigan, respectfully, says hold my beer. Nothing LSU has done has come close to Michigan's antics. Also, fwiw, I don't really see anything wrong with what LSU has done here. The trying to wiggle out of paying purple-face and firing him for cause, sure. Here? Not so much.