Xavier Roger
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North Carolina men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis allowed his players to vote on whether to play in the NIT, and the school opted out of the tournament after the majority of players voted against it, the fathers of three Tar Heels told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday.
The voting results took effect when the Tar Heels failed to make the NCAA Tournament, said the fathers of junior guard Caleb Love, junior swingman Puff Johnson and sophomore guard D’Marco Dunn.
Davis allowed the team to vote, according to Dennis Love, Gilbert Johnson and Greg Dunn.
“I think it should’ve been Coach’s decision, not the kids’ decision,” Gilbert Johnson said. “They should have played in the NIT. Win or lose, they needed that experience.”
Later Tuesday, Johnson said he had no knowledge of a player vote.
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The vote was anonymous, said Greg Dunn.
“I thought it would have been best to give the players more time to play more minutes,” Greg Dunn said, adding that his son voted in favor of playing.
Dennis Love said, “The competitor in me says let’s go play, let’s go win. But I can see where maybe Coach looked at it and said, if we play and we lose, then it’s more hurt feelings because we didn’t live up to the expectations.”
Players had a role in the decision, according to Steve Kirschner, associate athletic director for sports information and media relations at North Carolina.
“Players, coaches and staff all had input into the decision that Coach Davis and (athletic director) Bubba Cunningham ultimately made,” Kirshner said by text message, while also saying North Carolina would not address “all the details of the process that went into the decision not to play in the NIT.”
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SITTING OUT:North Carolina coach Hubert Davis explains why Tar Heels men turned down NIT invitation
College Basketball Hall of Famer Tom Penders said UNC should be fined for opting out of the NIT and urged the NCAA basketball selection committee to “remember this slap in the face,” according to a tweet posted to Penders’ account Sunday night.
“ARROGANCE!” Penders wrote. “UNC should get fined big bucks! The NCAA basketball committee should remember this slap in the face. The NIT started before the NCAA tournament.”
The 32-team NIT, which takes place on campus sites but will conclude in Las Vegas, starts Tuesday. The mere idea of North Carolina playing in it was once unthinkable.
The Tar Heels were ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls coming off a 72-69 loss to Kansas in the 2022 NCAA title game. Four of North Carolina’s top six scorers returned for this season, yet the Tar Heels finished 20-13 before failing to secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“I don’t like the way they ended it,” Gilbert Johnson said. “To cap it off with them saying no to the NIT? Why give them that decision? Apparently they struggle to make the right decision. Seen that all year. Why leave that in their hands?”
Jeff Williams, the NIT coordinator, said the selection committee learned of North Carolina’s intentions before invitations were extended.
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“We’ve had very few teams that have opted out of the NIT,” Williams said, noting the exception during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
Dennis Love said his son voted in favor of playing in the NIT. Caleb Love was the team’s leading scorer with 16.7 points a game.
Gilbert Johnson said he was unsure how his son voted. Puff Johnson played in 27 games and made two starts.
Dunn played in 27 games.
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