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Former UNC basketball star gives take on Hubert Davis coaching future

· Yahoo Sports

Once a consistent competitor in college basketball, the UNC men's basketball program is falling closer towards mediocrity each season under head coach Hubert Davis.

North Carolina's (24-9, 12-6 ACC) once-promising season came to a screeching halt on Thursday evening, with an alarming, 82-78 overtime loss to VCU in both team's NCAA Tournament opener. The Tar Heels looked well in control early in second-half action, leading by 19 points five minutes in, but took their feet off the gas.

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With UNC's defeat, that's now two consecutive seasons with a First Round exit. On the Zach Gelb show Friday afternoon, former North Carolina guard and National Champion Joel Berry gave a long, detailed answer on whether Davis should remain head coach.

“It’s a hard conversation for me because that’s someone that has coached me," Berry said. "I’ve seen him behind the scenes – and seen the competitiveness – and what he’s able to get out of his players. I’m just starting to question some of just the in-game adjustments. And then I’m starting to question the roster construction. Not having enough guys to be able to withstand not having Caleb Wilson. North Carolina usually has players that can make up for having one of your guys out. I just don’t know, my emotions are kind of mixed right now. At one point, I said "Okay, Coach Davis was for the job. But I’m just, I’m having a lot of mixed emotions because it’s the same old story. As a player, as a former player, the standard hasn’t been lived up to.”

It's difficult to look at the positives, but Davis led the Tar Heels to five straight, 20-win seasons. UNC has just one National Championship appearance in those five campaigns, but like Thursday night against VCU (28-7, 15-3 Atlantic 10), a dougle-digit blown lead ended hopes of immortaility.

One thing is clear, though. North Carolina is a shell of its dominant self under Roy Williams – and the question looms large. Will Davis remain head coach much longer?

“I don’t think he (Hubert Davis) will be fired," Berry continued. "If you asked me if he gets fired today, would I be surprised? I would tell everyone, 100 percent no. You have all the facts, you have everything out there that says "Okay yeah, he should be fired. I wouldn’t be surprised, but I don’t think he will because you have to look forward. He’s bringing in a great recruiting class. You have to think about buyout situations, what that takes away from being able to allocate towards next year’s roster. Those are some of the things you have to think about. You can’t just make a decision based on the emotion right now. You’ve gotta sit down, lay all the cards on the table and see okay, if we fire him, what will happen and what won’t happen.”

If the Tar Heels move on from Davis, they need to hire a proven coach outside of the Carolina Family. UNC has too much history to not be competing for championships.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Joel Berry believes the standard hasn't been lived up to for UNC

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Around 500 people sheltering in Darwin school gym as Tropical Cyclone Narelle barrels towards NT coast

· The Guardian

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Purdue's Smith sets Division I career assists record in rout of Queens University in NCAA Tournament

· Yahoo Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Braden Smith scored 26 points and became the Division I career leader in assists, guiding No. 2 seed Purdue to a 104-71 win over Queens University on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament.

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The Boilermakers seized control with a pair of 10-0 runs, once in the waning moments of the first half and in the opening minutes of the second half. Trey Kaufman-Renn's basket after an offensive rebound capped the second surge and stretched Purdue's lead to 58-36 with 16:27 to play.

Purdue (28-8) led by at least 20 the rest of the way.

About eight minutes in, Smith handed out his 1,077th career assist, breaking the record previously held by Duke’s Bobby Hurley. The milestone came when Smith, wearing glittering black Nike sneakers, set up a layup by Kaufman-Renn that gave Purdue a 17-12 advantage.

Smith finished with eight assists and made 10 of 15 shots as Purdue converted at a 63% clip from the field, including 58% from 3-point range.

Kaufman-Renn contributed 25 points and nine rebounds, and Oscar Cluff had nine points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks for Purdue.

Jordan Watford and Nasir Mann, the younger brother of Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann, led the 15th-seeded Royals (21-14) with 10 points apiece.

Coach Matt Painter will go for his 500th Purdue victory in the next round of the West Region against either No. 7 seed Miami or 10th-seeded Missouri. The Boilermakers are seeking their third straight trip to round of 16 and seventh in nine years.

The other two years featured quick exits as a No. 2 seed against Saint Peter's in 2022 and as a No. 1 seed against Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023.

There was no such magic from Queens.

The 1,500-student school from Charlotte, North Carolina, which began as a women’s institute, is the smallest, by enrollment, to ever play in the NCAA Tournament. It won the Atlantic Sun tournament for a spot in the bracket in its first year of Division I eligibility.

The Boilermakers never trailed, making baskets on their first six possessions without much resistance from the nation's 349th-ranked scoring defense. Still, the Royals stayed within striking distance for much of the first half.

Purdue finally pulled away by scoring 10 straight points, including two 3s and a pair of free throws from C.J. Cox, stretching the lead to 45-30 late in the half. Chris Ashby's 3-pointer on the final possession for Queens cut the deficit to 12 at intermission. ___

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

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