North Carolina’s March Madness dreams didn’t just die in the first round; they crashed and burned, leaving behind a 41-year stain on the program’s storied history. Hubert Davis’ team suffered a huge 82-78 upset at the hands of No. 11 VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, raising loud, uncomfortable questions from analysts as they set an unwanted record.

This was the first instance in 41 years (since 1985) that the Tar Heels have lost in the Round of 64 stage of March Madness. CBS Sports expert Matt Norlander broke down the shocking upset and its impact across college basketball. “I’m not going to sit here in the immediate aftermath of this game and say Hubert Davis is suddenly not gonna be the coach at North Carolina,” Norlander said.

“I would think it’s more likely than not, but knowing that job, we know that area, I think the dramatic nature of these kinds of results will spark a lot of introspection and questions as we move forward,” he added further. “We got our best recruit in a long time, potentially our first top draft pick. What do we do next year? How do we ensure that something like this doesn’t happen? This is more than just a No.11 beating a No.6; this is more than just a big upset on the first day of the NCAA tournament. This is a result that will have shock waves around college basketball.”

Norlander’s assessment sits perfectly. The game was a stark reminder that in the NCAA Tournament, a team’s reputation doesn’t guarantee a win. Going into the match, the VCU Rams were nowhere near the conversation of winning, with UNC enjoying nearly a 62% chance.

But beneath those percentages, there was a single doubt. Can they do it without their top recruit, Caleb Wilson? As reality set in, the Tar Heels learned it the hard way, becoming part of one of the most embarrassing upsets on the first day of March Madness.

The game was a tightrope walk, with both teams evenly poised, with leads being exchanged at regular intervals. The Tar Heels made a confident start right after tipoff, racing to a 0-5 lead. Henri Veesaar and Seth Trimble got the offense flowing with an impressive scoring spree. By the time the halftime buzzer went off, Davis’ team already had an 11-point lead. In the opening minutes of the second half, the Tar Heels extended this lead to 18 points, courtesy of Veesaar and Jarin Stevenson’s consecutive layups.

But the Rams kept rallying back with Terrence Hill Jr. and Lazar Djokovic combining to score five from beyond the arc. The Tar Heels’ half-court defense looked shaky, and their cold shooting in the final minutes didn’t help either. In fact, UNC couldn’t score once from the field in overtime, which eventually became the Achilles’ heel for Hubert Davis as we look back.

Even from the line, the UNC players lacked efficiency. They missed 8 free throws that came back to haunt them in a 4-point loss. And Davis knew perfectly that these details matter, especially in a back-and-forth game. “We missed 8 free throws. Sometimes the ball doesn’t go in,” Davis said in his presser with a long face.

With this win, the VCU Rams will now face No.3 Illinois in the second round. On the other hand, the UNC Tar Heels will have to go back to the drawing board once again following a tough loss.

Hubert Davis isn’t thinking of the future roadmap for UNC as of now

The stunning loss immediately raises questions about how the Tar Heels will rebound next season. For now, even head coach Hubert Davis doesn’t have the answers, as he looks to focus more on the team’s departing seniors, who concluded their stints in the roughest way possible with this upset.

“Not really thinking about that right now,” Davis said. “Just thinking about specifically our seniors, Seth Tremble and Elijah Davis. Just thinking about them right now.”

It isn’t just the seniors, Tremble and Davis, who will leave the program after the season. Caleb Wilson, UNC’s star for most of the season, may also have played his final game for the program after his one-year stay with the program. Wilson is one of the top five picks in the upcoming NBA draft, given his prodigious talent and performance this season.

But for now, Wilson, who is recovering from a broken right thumb, hasn’t decided on this yet. “It will definitely be hard to say no and go to the NBA. It’s something I haven’t really come to a true decision on yet,” Wilson said in a recent conversation.

But one thing is for sure: Davis and co will have to bring in some quality players ahead of next season if they want to field a team of the same quality. Especially with two vital offensive players, Tremble and possibly Wilson, slated to leave the program after this season, Davis has a heck of a rebuilding job in his hands.