UNC set to hire Michael Malone as next men's basketball coach after firing Hubert Davis: report

Michigan Head Coach Dusty May joins Colin Cowherd to preview Michigan’s Final Four matchup against Arizona, and to discuss how Michigan got this far in this year’s March Madness tournament.

The UNC Tar Heels are dipping into the NBA pool for its next men’s basketball coach.

After Hubert Davis was fired following a shocking loss to VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament earlier this month, the Tar Heels are set to hire Michael Malone, according to ESPN.

North Carolina was previously linked to top college coaches, including Michigan’s Dusty May, who will be competing for an NCAA title on Monday night against UConn. But May took his name out of any running across college, while Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd and Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger were also rumored to be in the Tar Heels’ favor.

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Head Coach Michael Malone claps on the sidelines during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on April 6, 2025. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

But Malone, who spent the past 10 seasons leading the Denver Nuggets, is the man they’re settling on to lead the Tar Heels back to greatness.

Malone is the winningest coach in Nuggets history, tallying 471 career wins across his career there, while also winning an NBA title in 2023.

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However, Malone, despite what he means to the franchise record books, was fired by the Nuggets in April 2025. He quickly entered the sports media space, joining ESPN in May 2025, but he’s back in the saddle now in a whole new collegiate world compared to the pros.

Perhaps North Carolina wouldn’t have been searching for another head