Hubert Davis' goes above and beyond to support Jae'Lyn Withers after brutal UNC loss

A tough year for Hubert Davis and the North Carolina basketball program got even tougher on Friday night, as a furious second-half comeback against hated Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals fell agonizingly short when Tar Heels forward Jae'Lyn Withers committed a lane violation on the potential game-tying free throw with just seconds remaining.

The free throw would have been good, likely sending the game to overtime with momentum squarely in the Tar Heels' corner; instead, Duke sank two free throws and escaped with a 74-71 win despite being without star Cooper Flagg.

Losing like that to your arch rival is tough under any circumstances. But it's even tougher when you consider what was on the line for the Heels: A win would've been just UNC's second in a Quad 1 game all year, and done wonders for their chances of an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament — and getting Davis off the hot seat in a year in which fans have been calling for his head.

Given the context, you could've forgiven Davis for being preoccupied after the game. But the head coach wasn't worried about what it meant for his team's bubble chances, or saving his own skin.
He was only worried about two things: taking care of Withers, and making sure that his team stuck together.

Hubert Davis exemplifies leadership after UNC's heartbreaking loss to Duke

Withers was guaranteed to face tough questions about his mistake from the media, questions that would have no good answers; it's hard to offer much of an explanation for the inexplicable. But Davis made sure he at least wouldnt' have to face those questions alone, standing with his arm around his player as the two of them conducted their postgame interviews together.

Withers, for his part, was up-front about the play, saying that he was simply too focused on crashing the glass for a rebound in the event of a miss and describing himself as being in "disbelief" afterward. Davis did nothing but heap praise on his team, reiterating how proud he was to be their coach while emphasizing that UNC wouldn't have even been at the doorstep of a conference championship game were it not for Withers — who has really come on strong in the Heels' frontcourt of late.

In short, it was exactly the way you'd hope a coach would respond in this sort of situation. It doesn't absolve Davis of what's been an immensely frustrating season, nor does it guarantee that he's the right man to get UNC back to the top of the mountain. But it does underline that Davis' character has never been in question, and while the wins may or may not come with enough frequency to save his job, he at the very least represents his alma mater with class.