North Carolina has taken big swings in their coaching search as it embarks on finding a replacement for Hubert Davis.
The top two names that have been the target of UNC - Celtics executive Brad Stevens and Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd - have both rebuffed Carolina overtures. The Tar Heels are now left with waiting for Billy Donovan, who won't engage until the end of the Chicago Bulls' season on April 12, which is smack in the middle of the Transfer Portal window, or going further down their list and making a run at a less-proven coach.
This might come as a surprise to North Carolina fans who believe their status as a blue blood should have every coach in America looking to make the jump to Chapel Hill. It's not surprising, however, to anyone who has paid attention to the college basketball landscape in recent seasons.
Being a blue blood doesn't matter much anymore. Not in the NIL and pay-for-play era of college sports.
That reality has become obvious to UNC great Tyler Hansbrough, even if Carolina fans are taking longer to accept it.
"It's tough to leave when you're having a season like this," Hansbrough said about Lloyd staying at Arizona. ... "But right now, Carolina might not be as heralded as we once thought."
The North Carolina job isn't as coveted as it used to be
It doesn't help North Carolina's sake that all the high school prospects coming through nowadays have no recollection of NBA success from players out of Chapel Hill. Carolina hasn't had an NBA All-Star since 2008 with Antawn Jamison and Rasheed Wallace.
The aura of Michael Jordan doesn't mean a lot to kids who never saw him play.
North Carolina is a blue blood, but if you aren't one of the top paying schools, on top of not producing elite NBA talent in nearly two decades, your job becomes less attractive than ever before.
This coaching search has been a harsh reality for the Tar Heels. One they still aren't willing to accept, but the proof is in the pudding.