If you think North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball is some untouchable gold standard while Syracuse Orange men’s basketball is reeling… think again.
Because right now?
UNC might be wearing more egg on its face than any program in America.
The conventional wisdom says Syracuse is chasing the ACC giants — Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball and UNC. But while Duke remains Duke, North Carolina suddenly looks… weird.
Very weird.
After blowing a 19-point lead in the NCAA Tournament and getting bounced early, UNC moved on from Hubert Davis. But then things got messy.
They reportedly swung and missed on bigger names like Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May during Final Four week. So instead, they pivoted to… Michael Malone?
The Tar Heel rationalization was out in full effect. NBA champion with Denver. Great basketball mind. But a guy who had never been a college head coach and hadn’t coached in college in decades. For UNC, that’s a bizarre swing.
And now it’s somehow getting stranger.
One of Malone’s smartest early moves seemed to be adding Kim English — the former Providence Friars men’s basketball and George Mason Patriots men’s basketball head coach — as an assistant. Plenty of college experience. Recruiting ties. Real credibility. Even Rick Pitino had praised him during the Big East Tournament.
Perfect bridge guy for an NBA coach entering college.
Except…
English reportedly started Wednesday.
And now he’s leaving.
Less than a week.
Who does that?
Seriously — who gets hired, gets announced, and then bails before the coffee gets cold?
Another PR faceplant. Either UNC didn’t do due diligence, or English saw something and realized he was better off leaving.
Now UNC is back scrambling to fill out Malone’s staff, while the optics get uglier by the hour.
Meanwhile at Syracuse?
Gerry McNamara is building momentum, landing portal talent, energizing the fanbase, and restoring belief.
Funny how fast narratives change. Because for weeks, Syracuse fans were told the Orange were the desperate program.
But look around.
UNC fired its coach, missed on targets, hired a total outsider, and now can’t keep top assistants for a full week.
That’s not stability. That’s chaos in Carolina.
