For those who don’t know, the University of North Carolina has arguably the most excellent basketball program ever. They were an underdog coming into this past tournament and shocked the nation as they made the National Championship game. Also, Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, career was ended by North Carolina. Duke and North Carolina are historic rivals, and many thought this North Carolina team deserved the utmost praise as they were the team that triumphed over Coach K, in his final game. North Carolina made it to the national championship game, led by Brady Manek, Caleb Love, and RJ Davis. First-year head coach Hubert Davis took over the reins from Roy Williams, a legend who won three national championships as the Tar Heels head coach. UNC fans shouldn’t feel upset that they lost this national championship because their star player, guard Caleb Love, is only a sophomore.
Love will probably play at UNC for one or two more years, so there’s a good chance that UNC will make it to at least another national championship game. Coach Hubert Davis has shown he is more than capable as a leader to take championship-caliber players to a championship game. Davis was in tears as he won the ACC, the conference that North Carolina plays in, as UNC beat Duke to win the ACC conference. The poise Davis displayed the whole regular season, and the post-season was exemplary. Unfortunately, Davis or his players didn’t show the coolness when they needed it most in the national championship, as UNC blew a fifteen-point lead to Kansas. A cinderella-Esque season came to an end in the national championship game, unfortunately for UNC. However, there’s a lot to build up from because of the success this season brought to UNC. Now, it’s time to implement all of North Carolina’s lessons from this past regular season, especially the postseason.
Davis received high praise from Roy Williams. Williams is a legendary North Carolina head coach who won many individual accolades as North Carolina’s head coach and many collective. Most of which were three national championships. Williams stepped down as North Carolina’s head coach, and many saw Davis’s task of trying to be a coach of Williams’s caliber as a tall task. However, Williams had high praise for Davis and all he accomplished this past season as the Tar Heels head coach. Williams said about Davis winning the ACC conference championship: “It’s perhaps the greatest moment in my basketball career. I’ve never had any more faith and love for one man, and to think he’s just won it—he’s been better than I ever was.” Williams and Davis were upset with North Carolina losing to Kansas in the National Championship game. However, both were thrilled that, as an underdog, they made it to the National Championship game.