The NCAA Tournament brackets were revealed on Sunday, and among the teams selected was a bit of a shocker in the North Carolina Tar Heels. North Carolina didn’t quite have the best season, finishing 22-13 overall and 13-7 in ACC play. But what really had fans up in arms on social media about North Carolina getting into the NCAA Tournament was the role the school’s AD played on the tournament selection committee.
North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham is the head of the NCAA Tournament selection committee. When it was revealed that the Tar Heels had qualified for the big dance, social media lit up with jokes and conspiracy theories suggesting shady business afoot.
“How did North Carolina get in over Indiana?”
Bubba Cunningham: pic.twitter.com/mW70IhMem1
— Chris Meister (@cmeis1991) March 16, 2025
North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham wasn’t in the room and had no say in UNC getting into March Madness bracket.
Yeah. pic.twitter.com/JSiqZ3bDBh
— MidwestMark (@TundraGators) March 16, 2025
Bubba Cunningham walking into selection committee room pic.twitter.com/vvrgn7BPJr
— John Minadakis (@JohnMinadakis) March 16, 2025
So Bubba Cunningham recused himself from the room but before doing so was like hey guys do me a solid. Is that how it works?
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) March 16, 2025
Bubba Cunningham needs to be arrested. He just forced his team into the tourney.
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) March 16, 2025
Bubba Cunningham looks like he got away with murder. pic.twitter.com/0T1TzswfrU
— Chad Lykins (@ChadxLykins) March 16, 2025
Not only that, but some fans also joked that Cunningham could have played a role in the Duke Blue Devils not earning the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.
Bubba Cunningham is the epitome of corruption. How is UNC in and Duke not the number 1 overall seed?
— Duke Central (@duke_central) March 16, 2025
Reportedly, Cunningham removed himself from the room when the selection committee was determining whether or not North Carolina was going to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Regardless, that’s not going to stop fans from speculating and talking about whether or not the Tar Heels belonged in the tournament; especially if they have a poor showing.
North Carolina has made the NCAA Tournament in 13 of the past 14 seasons. Under head coach Hubert Davis, they’ve now reached the tournament in three of his four seasons. In 2022-23, the Tar Heels declined an invitation to the NIT.
But even amid the hoopla, North Carolina isn’t quite in the NCAA Tournament just yet. They have a First Four matchup with the San Diego State Aztecs for the right to grab the No. 11 seed in the South Regional. The winner of that game will square off against No. 3 Iowa State.
Last season, the Tar Heels reached the Sweet 16 before falling to Alabama. In 2021-22, Davis’ first season as head coach, they reached the national championship game where they fell to Kansas.
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