Top 5 highlights from Hubert Davis' first year as coach of North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis took the college basketball world by storm this year.

After Davis took over from legendary head coach Roy Williams, many basketball fans weren't expecting the Tar Heels to contend for a national championship. However, after a string of impressive performances near the end of the 2021-22 NCAA season, it was clear the confidence with Davis and the Tar Heels was starting to build.

It's not often a first-time head coach experiences success in the first year of being in charge. Heading into the NCAA tournament, North Carolina was ranked as an eighth seed, and many didn't know if the team would make it out of the first couple of rounds.

That was before Davis and the Tar Heels went on an impressive NCAA tournament run, all the way up to a spot in the national championship game. It was an impressive season for Davis and North Carolina.

On that note, here's a look at the top five highlights for Hubert Davis during his first year as head coach of the Tar Heels:

Hubert Davis in his first year as UNC's head coach:

▪️ Led Tar Heels to a 29-10 record
▪️ Defeated Duke in Coach K's last home game
▪️ Upset No. 1 Baylor
▪️ Eliminated Duke in Final Four
▪️ Took No. 8 UNC to the national championship game

What. A. Year 👏 https://t.co/stvjqzoKhE

#5 Leading the Tar Heels to a 29-10 record

When a first-time head coach takes over for a historic program, there's usually a lot of turnover. Often, it's tough to get big-time recruits to come play for a team with a new man in charge. After many players transferred away, including now Auburn big man Walker Kessler, many weren't expecting the Tar Heels to make noise in the 2021-22 NCAA season.

Proud of this group 🙌
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In the team's last year under legendary coach Roy Williams, the Tar Heels posted a 18-11 record, and it didn't look the team had the overall upside to take a sizeable leap the next year.

It makes the job Davis did this year even more impressive, as he got his team to believe in themselves down the stretch and prepare for a strong run in the NCAA tournament.

#4 Defeating Coach K in Duke's Final Home Game

Some might argue that this is where everything started to fall into place for Davis and the Tar Heels.

After winning four straight games during the final stretch of the regular season, North Carolina headed to Duke to take on their bitter rivals in a game that was getting plenty of attention around the world. It was the last home game for Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski, and the basketball world was buzzing as the heavily favored Duke team was expected to roll over the Tar Heels.

“Everyone a savage until they face to face with one”. - Anonymous https://t.co/2E4XXBLoIC

Obviously, North Carolina wasn't impressed as they went on to put forth one of the most impressive performances of the year, upsetting the Blue Devils 94-81. That gave the Tar Heels their fifth straight win, the type of momentum-changing victory that could set the tone for the rest of the season.