Frank McGuire, Dean Smith, Bill Guthridge, Matt Doherty, Roy Williams, Hubert Davis.
That’s the list of UNC basketball coaches over the last 70-plus years. Six coaches, six NCAA championships. All in the “Carolina Family.”
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Following the departure of Davis after five seasons, the Tar Heels are looking beyond the family tree for their next coach. The 2026 NCAA Tournament comes to a close at the Final Four on Monday, April 6. The transfer portal opens the following day.
Here’s a breakdown of five candidates, pros of cons of each option, and a final verdict on who would be the best fit for the Tar Heels.
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona Wildcats coach
Pros: As a 22-season assistant coach under Mark Few at Gonzaga, Lloyd is sort of connected to UNC’s extended family. Few has often referred to Roy Williams as a mentor and the two have been friends for a very long time. In addition to that connection, Lloyd has won more than 80% of his games at Arizona, including six conference championships in five seasons with the Wildcats. He’s advanced to the Sweet 16 in four of five seasons, plays a fun style and recruits at the highest level.
Cons: Well, the thing about being good is the Tar Heels may have to get to the end of the runway before Lloyd’s season is complete at Arizona. The Wildcats blistered Arkansas in a 109-88 win and look like the favorites to cut down the nets as national champions in Indianapolis. The longer the wait, the harder it may be for UNC to convince Lloyd to leave Tucson.
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Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls coach
Pros: Donovan gives the Tar Heels the best of both worlds as a coach who won multiple national championships in college before carving out a lengthy career in the NBA. That experience at both levels could help UNC become better equipped to navigate the challenges of the transfer portal and NIL era. He knows how to win in college and he knows how to get players to the NBA, because he’s been there.
Cons: Donovan is 60 years old, which shouldn’t matter much considering six of the coaches in the Sweet 16 are at least 62. Houston’s Kelvin Sampson (70), Tennessee’s Rick Barnes (71), Michigan State’s Tom Izzo (71) and St. John’s coach Rick Pitino (73) are 70 or older. Still, the age question is an issue for some fans, along with the fact that Donovan hasn’t coached at the college level since 2015.
Dusty May, Michigan Wolverines coach
Pros: May, 49, got his start as a manager at Indiana under Bobby Knight and has become one of the rising stars in the sport. During his time in Indiana, May also coached Bloomington Red on the AAU circuit, a team that featured former UNC player and current assistant coach Sean May. After leading Florida Atlantic to the Final Four, May has built a powerhouse at Michigan in his second season. In addition to his coaching chops, May seems to be a personality fit as the potential face of UNC basketball.
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Cons: Like Tommy Lloyd, May could be in a position in which he’s maxing out the college basketball season with a team that could be playing on April 6 in the national championship. If the Wolverines keep winning, UNC might not be willing to wait it out.
Ben McCollum, Iowa Hawkeyes coach
Pros: The 44-year-old McCollum is a winner and is finally garnering national attention because of Iowa’s run to the Elite Eight. The Hawkeyes took out reigning national champion Florida and McCollum is 4-1 in two March Madness appearances as a Division I coach. Before that jump, he won four national titles at Division II Northwest Missouri State. If UNC wants to get back to the mountaintop and stay there, McCollum knows a thing or two about carrying squads to the summit.
Cons: Would McCollum be a big enough splash for a blueblood? It may not matter to those who only care about results, but is McCollum ready to go from Drake and Iowa to one of the all-time great programs in the sport? There’s also the question of getting elite talent to Chapel Hill. Would he get the same support and resources as a big-name coach?
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Mark Byington, Vanderbilt Commodores coach
Pros: A 49-year-old coach who played at UNC Wilmington, Byington got experience in the ACC as an elite assistant at Virginia and Virginia Tech before carrying that grind-and-win mentality to his own programs at Georgia Southern, James Madison and Vanderbilt. He led the Commodores to 27 wins this season and a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. He’s an elite program builder. He’s not a big name, but do you want to win the press conference or basketball games?
Cons: Vanderbilt is a private institution, so buyout numbers aren’t public, but would UNC be willing to pay a substantial buyout for what would be considered a backup plan? Byington is a winner and turned around a struggling Vanderbilt program. But UNC’s standards aren’t to make the NCAA Tournament, they’re to win the whole thing.
UNC basketball coaching search: Who should be coach of Tar Heels?
All of these coaches are worthy candidates and some of UNC’s options may go beyond this list of five names. But in taking a look at the situation and what the Tar Heels want in their next leader, the university needs to do everything in its power to snag Tommy Lloyd, Billy Donovan or Dusty May as the guy to break the family line. Donovan would be an excellent choice because of his connection to the college game and NBA. May has proven capable of creating a juggernaut overnight. But Lloyd seems like the home-run hire because of that longtime connection to Few, a familiar playing style and his ability to construct elite rosters with a mix of talented recruits, returners, transfer portal additions and international prospects. Lloyd should be priority No. 1 for UNC.
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Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to rbaxley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball coaching search candidates and who would be best fit