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UNC coaching search: Seth Greenberg names top candidates to replace Hubert Davis

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko03/25/26nickkosko59

Now that UNC is officially looking for its next head coach after firing Hubert Davis, ESPN’s Seth Greenberg has some ideas. The former coach likes Billy Donovan to return to college basketball, but it might not be the best option given the current landscape of college basketball.

There are certain guys in the sport that won’t leave their current spots, per Greenberg. Those include Florida’s Todd Golden and Alabama’s Nate Oats.

But there are some other Power Four coaches that could be enticed to make the jump to a Blue Blood. Greenberg had some ideas for UNC on Wednesday.

“Yeah, Billy Donovan, makes sense,” Greenberg said on Get Up. “Whomever they hire, they got to give him the infrastructure. They got to give them 12 to $14 million in rev share. They got to give him all the resources that they need in terms of coaching staff, general manager and support staff. But I think Billy Donovan maybe, with everything that’s going on in Chicago, they better hire someone to understand the business of college basketball. 

“It’s very different to the business of the NBA … to me, Mark Byington is going to end up being mentioned, TJ Otzelberger and how hard their teams play, how competitive they are. I don’t think they’re going to move a Todd Golden, I don’t think they’re going to move a Nate Oats. I think that’s the one thing people realize. (Kentucky) tried to replace John Calipari, they settled on Mark Pope. Think about that.”

If Greenberg had his choice, it would likely come down to Byington of Vanderbilt and Otzelberger of Iowa State. Donovan hasn’t coached college basketball since 2015, but did lead Florida to two national titles, something UNC is looking to claim in this next era.

During his five seasons at the helm of North Carolina, Davis amassed a 125-54 record. After Davis took over for Roy Williams – for whom he served as an assistant coach from 2011-21 – he led the program to a memorable run to the national championship. UNC not only defeated Duke in Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game but took down the Blue Devils in the Final Four. That was Krzyzewski’s final game before retirement.

However, the Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament entirely in 2023 and declined an NIT invitation. They then went 2023-24 to go 29-8 overall and win the ACC regular-season title en route to a Sweet Sixteen appearance.