North Carolina's NCAA Tournament bid leads to social media backlash: 'How did this even happen?'

Perhaps the biggest daze aft the 2025 NCAA Tournament men’s hoops bracket was revealed connected Sunday was seeing the North Carolina Tar Heels arsenic 1 of the "First Four" teams that volition play San Diego State to find who volition beryllium the No. 11 successful the South Region. 

There’s a ample contingent that isn’t excessively blessed with that determination by the enactment committee. 

Social media erupted with backlash aft the Tar Heels were named arsenic the past squad of 68 to marque it in, and there’s immoderate backing to that vitriol. 

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North Carolina Tar Heels caput manager Hubert Davis reacts successful the 2nd fractional astatine Spectrum Center. (Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)

UNC, contempt the program’s historical pedigree, was conscionable 1-12 successful Quadrant 1 games, which the enactment committee determines arsenic a crippled against a squad that is ranked successful the apical 30 of the NET (the NCAA’s valuation tool) astatine home, against a squad ranked 1-50 connected a neutral court, and 1-75 successful distant contests. 

Bubba Cunningham, the Tar Heels diversion manager who besides happens to beryllium the seat of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, explained the process that went into UNC making it in. 

"Obviously, I’m going to defer that to [vice committee chair] Keith [Gill]," Cunningham responded aft being asked astir UNC getting successful and however it wasn’t a struggle of interest. "But each the policies and procedures were followed. And Keith tin code precisely however North Carolina was discussed due to the fact that I was not successful the country for immoderate of that."

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Gill responded, "Our policies necessitate the AD of immoderate schoolhouse to recuse themselves and really permission the country for those discussions. And they're not allowed to enactment successful immoderate ballot arsenic well. ... We voted successful 4 teams successful the tract connected Saturday night, and we had a contingency vote.

"The contingency vote, that was the past squad successful the field. And it was based connected Memphis-UAB. If Memphis won that game, past that was going to escaped up a spot successful the tourney and that was going to beryllium North Carolina."

North Carolina Tar Heels defender Seth Trimble shoots arsenic Duke Blue Devils defender Sion James defends successful the 2nd fractional astatine Spectrum Center. (Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)

Despite the responses astir wherefore UNC got in, societal media commenters wasted nary clip reacting erstwhile seeing the Tar Heels’ decision. 

"Maybe the worst squad ever to get an at-large bid," 1 commenter connected X said. 

Another added, "How did this adjacent happen??"

"1-12 vs Q1," 1 explained. "NC State was the highest NET squad ever near retired successful 2019 with a nett of 33. The crushed was a 3-9 Q1 record."

It wasn’t wholly backlash, though, arsenic immoderate brought up the Tar Heels’ caller games against immoderate of the champion teams successful the country. 

"Like it oregon not, the Tarheels implicit the past period are amongst the Top 30-40 teams successful the state conscionable based disconnected existent form," 1 commenter said. "If you privation the maximum prime successful the tourney, it’s a nary brainer."

Another added, "Why is anyone upset astir UNC having to play into the NCAA Tournament? They were 33rd successful [KenPom ratings] and 36th successful NET. Their Quad 1 losses include, Kansas, Alabama, Auburn, Michigan St, and Duke, with galore coming down to the wire. UNC deserved to get in."

UNC finished 22-13 wide and 13-7 successful ACC play portion winning 2 games successful the ACC Tournament earlier being bounced by the No. 1-seeded Duke Blue Devils successful the semifinals. 

North Carolina Tar Heels defender Seth Trimble (Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)

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Meanwhile, teams similar Indiana, West Virginia, Boise State and UC Irvine – each of which were connected the bubble – didn’t get successful contempt having competitory resumes. 

Each year, teams connected the bubble are heartbroken erstwhile their sanction isn’t called during the enactment show. It’s an unfortunate portion of the game, but ultimately, the determination is final. 

The Tar Heels volition play the Aztecs connected Tuesday nighttime to find who volition beryllium the No. 11 effect facing disconnected against No. 6 Ole Miss successful the South Region. 

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