ESPN’s Seth Greenberg names former SEC coach North Carolina should go ‘all-in’ on
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The North Carolina Tar Heels made the decision this week to fire head men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis after a first-round exit in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
North Carolina has already reportedly been turned down by Boston Celtics executive Brad Stevens, and maybe others. But there are still plenty of candidates out there for one of the bluest of all blue bloods.
On ESPN’s “Get Up!” on Wednesday morning, analyst Seth Greenberg said former Florida national champion Billy Donovan, the current head coach of the Chicago Bulls, would be at the top of his list:
“Billy Donovan makes sense,” Greenberg said. “They’d better hire someone who understands the business of college basketball. It’s very different than the business of the NBA. Although the NBA background is worthwhile with the salaries.”
In a later segment on the show, Greenberg continued:
“I would go all-in on Billy Donovan,” Greenberg said. “I would not go all-in on an NBA head coach, but I’d go all-in on an NBA head coach that had college experience. Billy Donovan, 2-time national champion, he understands the business of college basketball, but he also understands the balancing of a budget, because right now you have a budget in college basketball. …
“Billy Donovan, by far, home-run hire. He would be my No. 1 choice and I would go full-court press on him.”
Then Greenberg shared a few other interesting names should Donovan say no:
“Other names to consider: T.J. Otzelberger at Iowa State, how hard they play, how competitive they are,” he said. “Mark Byington I think would be a great answer to the question. Also Tommy Lloyd.”
Who will ultimately replace Hubert Davis in Chapel Hill? Here’s what Kalshi has to say:
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
