North Carolina blows a huge lead and makes another early March Madness exit under Hubert Davis

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — North Carolina went from rolling to a 19-point lead to struggling to make a shot, watching that margin whittled away by a VCU team that refused to quit.

Just like that, the Tar Heels were one-and-done in March Madness, their latest early exit under Hubert Davis.

The Rams beat the Tar Heels 82-78 in overtime in Thursday’s first round of the South Region, capping a season that showed high promise well into February only to be derailed by a major injury. It’s another postseason frustration for a blueblood program that has won six national titles but is defined these days by its inability to reach the round of 32.

Davis, closing his fifth season as the successor to retired Hall of Famer Roy Williams, wasn’t ready to talk about whether something is missing that would keep his program among the country’s elite.

“Yeah, that’s a big-thinking question, and I apologize, I’m just not there right now,” Davis said. “Just really sad that we’re not continuing to play and to move forward because I have loved and enjoyed this team. I enjoy and love all of them, but I’ve just really enjoyed coaching this team.

“I really wanted this group and these kids to experience more. But other than that, it’s I’m just thinking about these guys and the rest of the guys that are in the locker room.”

Davis’ up-and-down ride

Davis is the only coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history to win 20 or more games in each of his first five seasons. Yet sustained postseason success, long a hallmark of the UNC program, has eluded Davis since an unforgettable ride to the 2022 NCAA title game in his debut season, which included a Final Four win over rival Duke that ended the career of rival Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski.

In 2023, the Tar Heels became the first team ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 to miss the NCAA Tournament. UNC bounced back to win the ACC regular-season title a year later and earn a No. 1 seed, only to fall in the Sweet 16.

Last year, the Tar Heels squeaked into the First Four and blew out San Diego State, then lost in the first round to Ole Miss.

They were poised for more this time around, with top recruit and high-end NBA prospect Caleb Wilson proving to be an immediate star. The Tar Heels beat Kansas and Kentucky, made a huge comeback to win at Virginia, then gave Duke one of its two losses all year on Seth Trimble’s last-second 3-pointer.

But Wilson broke his left hand days later at Miami. Then, when he was on the verge of returning in early March, Wilson — later chosen an AP second-team All-American — broke his right thumb in a during a non-contact drill and was lost for the season.

The Tar Heels didn’t win again.

They lost at Duke, fell behind by 18 before falling short in a frantic comeback against Clemson in the ACC Tournament, then faded against VCU after leading 56-37 on Trimble’s layup with 14:58 left.

“I feel like we were at a really good spot and then obviously Caleb’s injury, I think that affects our season,” big man Henri Veesaar said. “But I don’t want to put it on that. … I think he’s done a hell of a job of putting us in the right spots, giving us belief, trust everything.”

UNC falters with a short rotation

The Tar Heels faded badly in the VCU game, with Davis shortening his rotation to keep four players on the floor for the entire second half while another played 15 minutes. By the end, UNC couldn’t make a shot or a free throw while committing costly turnovers.

The Tar Heels missed their last nine shots, including all six in overtime. And they went 12 of 20 at the foul line, including three missed free throws in OT to continue season-long troubles.

Davis said he didn’t sense his players got fatigued, though Trimble said he thought it was a factor during earlier interviews. When asked why he mostly played a six-man rotation after halftime, Davis responded: “Because that was my decision.”

That came shortly after Trimble sat in a corner of the locker room surrounded by reporters and fighting back tears. A rarity in today’s transfer-portal era, Trimble had just finished playing all four years for Davis at UNC, a run that included him briefly entering the portal after his sophomore year before opting to return.

He backed his coach, who signed a two-year extension through 2029-30 last year.

“Everybody has their flaws,” Trimble said. “Coach Davis, he isn’t a perfect coach. But he’s a coach who’s made me better, he’s a coach who’s made guys better. He’s shown that he can win here.

“I know he gets hate. Over the last four years I know he’s gotten a lot of it. But I’m going to continue to ride with him.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness