Hubert Davis gives update on controversy with Duke assistant coaches

Nearly anyone with a pulse understands the rivalry between North Carolina and Duke basketball is one of the biggest –not only in college hoops — but in sports in general. It’s mentioned in sentences with the Yankees and Red Sox, the Redskins (now Commanders) and Cowboys.

After last week’s stunning upset where the Tar Heels stole the show on a night meant to honor Coach K’s final home game, various reports have emerged about bad blood between the two coaching staffs. On Tuesday, North Carlina head coach Hubert Davis shared insight into where the relationship stands as of now as the two rivals prepare for the postseason.

UNC coach Hubert Davis just told reporters that since Saturday, he has spoken with Duke assistants Jon Scheyer and Chris Carrawell. Said their relationship was in a good place before Saturday, still is, and that everyone wished each other good luck moving forward after the calls.

— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) March 8, 2022

Hubert Davis and the UNC Tar Heels played the role of the villain at Cameron Indoor on Saturday, as the Tar Heels dominated the Duke Blue Devils en route to a 94-81 road win in head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game.

RELATED: Jerry Stackhouse pokes fun at Duke, Coach K’s ‘temper tantrum’ after UNC’s win

Duke coaches snub UNC staff in handshake line

While the victory was huge for North Carolina and the Tar Heels’ seeding in the NCAA tournament, it was clear some members of the Duke coaching staff were less than thrilled at the conclusion of the monumental upset that spoiled Coach K’s final game at Cameron Indoor.

The win, however, came with a bit of controversy, which Davis discussed later. In the Duke-UNC postgame handshake line, Davis extended an open hand to shake each Duke coach in his path. But one coach — Chris Carrawell — seemed to completely brush him off, refusing to shake Davis’ hand. Then, Nolan Smith, the next Duke coach in the handshake line, appeared to shake hands with Davis while looking the other direction, opting not to make any eye contact.

So what was this all about? He definitely blew off Hubert Davis’ handshake. #UNCvsDuke #Sportsmanship pic.twitter.com/XoYQ0xlK8C

— Jason Staples (@DocStaples) March 6, 2022

Asked about the incident postgame, Davis seemed as confused as college basketball fans across Twitter, who thought it was an immature display of poor sportsmanship.

“I don’t know what that’s about,” the North Carolina basketball coach said, via The News & Observer. “I didn’t play against him, I don’t know him personally.”

The News & Observer then reported that it reached out to Carrawell, the Duke assistant, for comment following his refusal to shake hands with Davis, UNC’s head coach. But Carrawell said that Davis “did not shake our hands before the game.”

Davis, a former UNC player, did shake hands with Krzyzewski after the game. But when the two teams took the court for pregame warmups — a period during which the coaching staffs typically exchange pregame handshakes — Davis was not yet on the sideline for UNC, so Duke staffers didn’t have a pregame exchange.

Still, the video of the handshake line went viral and the Duke staff garnered national heat from how they treated North Carolina in a moment of defeat.

Really disappointed in how the @DukeMBB reacted to the @UNC_Basketball coaching staff after the game. Unacceptable. Respect the game and your opponent. This is a simple rule. A lesson coaches need to demonstrate to their players.

— Seth Greenberg (@SethOnHoops) March 6, 2022

Report: Duke was salty that North Carolina didn’t honor Coach K at UNC

As he embarked on his final season at Duke, several teams honored Mike Krzyzewski at their home arenas. North Carolina, however, didn’t honor Coach K — and a story from ESPN shed light on the reaction.

ESPN’s Wright Thompson wrote the cover story ahead of Krzyzewski’s final home game, which took place against the Tar Heels on Saturday. He brought up a brutal part of the schedule, including a stop in Chapel Hill against North Carolina. But when Duke headed to the Dean Dome, the Tar Heels didn’t do anything to send Coach K off into retirement. That led to some ruffled feathers within the program.

“Duke entered its toughest stretch of the season, four games in eight days, five in 12,” Thompson wrote. “Those became coded mantras — 4-in-8, 5-in-12 — and the whole program hunkered in battle mode, like a warship that sounds general quarters and turns on red lights.

“Duke won the first game against North Carolina — folks inside the program bristled that the Tar Heels didn’t honor Krzyzewski during the game — and then turned around and lost to Virginia, a well-coached team that gives Duke fits.”

These are the kinds of scenarios that happen in rivalry scenarios, and there’s a chance North Carolina and Duke could meet again in the postseason, which likely prompted Davis to clear the air today.