On Thanksgiving, UNC took a tough 74–58 loss to Michigan State, and a huge audience was watching, with the game peaking at 13.41 million viewers on FOX. Fans didn’t hold back afterward, flooding social media with calls to fire Hubert Davis. And honestly, it’s not the first time they’ve gone down this road.

As per reports, this game set a record as FOX’s most-watched college basketball broadcast, with an average of 5.49 million viewers throughout. And in a high-profile game like this, UNC found itself stuck in the mud. The Tar Heels shot a season-worst 38% from the field and just 4-of-23 from deep, never finding the rhythm they needed to keep up with the Spartans.

Even though Henri Veesaar gave UNC a good start in the second half by scoring the team’s first nine points, Michigan State always had an answer. The Spartans dominated the paint 46–34, with Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler combining for 24 points and 17 rebounds. Defensively, UNC wasn’t as bad, but their every stop was followed by another empty possession, another missed three, making opportunities slip away.

“I feel like we had some open shots from the perimeter and we didn’t shoot the ball very well, but after the game, I told the guys, ‘This is an opportunity for us to learn and to grow, and that’s what we’ll do,” Hubert Davis said in a post-game interview.

In the game, the team’s senior guard, Seth Trimble’s absence could be felt as his leadership and scoring presence would have come in handy, but the star player has been ruled out of the season indefinitely after suffering a broken bone in his left forearm during a team workout.

But as the game ended with a loss under the Tar Heels’ belt, social media quickly erupted with calls to fire head coach Davis.

UNC supporters demand an immediate coaching change by removing Hubert Davis

The frustration wasn’t just about a single defeat; it was about how it happened.

For a moment, it felt like North Carolina was gearing up for one of those late-game surges they’ve leaned on all season. They had flipped the switch after halftime against Kansas, against North Carolina Central, against St. Bonaventure, piling on 50-plus points each time.

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But Michigan State wasn’t going to let that script repeat itself. The Spartans’ size, strength, and discipline disrupted UNC at every turn. And so, the closing minutes unraveled slowly and painfully. Shots that normally fall looked rushed or forced.

In that final 8:43, North Carolina managed just two makes on eight attempts. Michigan State, by contrast, converted eight of its last eleven. They had only six points in nearly nine minutes, and not a single made field goal in the last 4:15. Against one of the top teams in the nation, the Tar Heels posted their lowest second-half output of the season, fading right when they needed a spark the most.

Hence, one fan wrote bluntly, “My response is find some damn players that can shoot 3 pointers and Fire that f—-— loser Hubert Davis!!!!” The criticism kept coming as supporters questioned both the effort and direction of the program.

Another fan wrote, “Fire Hubert Davis.” And one more added, “Pathetic. Fire Hubert Davis. This is NOT Carolina Basketball.”

In this game, UNC turned in one of its roughest perimeter shooting nights in recent memory. The Tar Heels knocked down a three right after halftime, but couldn’t convert another long-range attempt the rest of the way, going 0-for-10.

It was their least productive outing from deep since the ACC Tournament defeat to Duke in 2024, when they managed only three threes. On the other end, Michigan State hit more than half its shots from the field and matched that efficiency from beyond the arc as well.

Then, the rebounding issues that have surfaced throughout UNC’s early schedule showed up again.

The Spartans repeatedly extended possessions with offensive boards, adding to a growing problem for the Tar Heels. UNC has now surrendered double-figure offensive rebounds in six of its first seven contests, with the 13 they gave up to Navy still standing as the season’s worst mark.

And so, people dumped the onus on Davis, since it isn’t the first time these concerns have emerged under his leadership.  “People might think our biggest weakness is depth at the 5, but it’s actually that our coach is a m—–,” one fan wrote.

Since Davis’ first year at UNC, the program has struggled to find consistent success. After all, in the next season, the team became the first #1 preseason team to miss the tournament altogether. 2023-24 then saw him bouncing back; however, all that momentum came to a screeching halt the following season.

Due to this, there were growing calls to replace the HC entering the 2025-26 season. As Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated wrote:

“Davis is under significant pressure to bounce back after a rough 2024–25 season that saw the Tar Heels barely sneak into the NCAA tournament. He has had two good seasons and two bad ones at North Carolina. And now enters a pivotal fifth season without many excuses to win.”

“North Carolina has one of the most expensive rosters in the country, built with the help of a revamped “front office” that includes new general manager Jim Tanner. This team should be much improved, and if it is toiling around the bubble again, there will be significant pressure to make a move,” Sweeney added.

So, fans wrote, “Breaking news: Hubert Davis is still a bad basketball coach.”

The recent defeat revealed the struggles of the Tar Heels on both ends of the floor, while Michigan State’s went on to continue their perfect 7-0 start under Tom Izzo. As UNC fans voice their fury online, all eyes now turn to how Davis will respond in the upcoming games and whether the team can recover from such a high-profile setback.