When RJ Davis boldly claimed “I think … we are a tournament team,….. You couldn’t ask for a better team than that,” before Selection Sunday, most might have laughed it off as an unserious claim. But the NCAA heard him loud and clear. Following an inconsistent season and a horrid 1-12 record against quad 1 opponents, Hubert Davis’s team has still in the most miraculous way found its way into March Madness. A late surge that included key wins in the AAC Championship allowed them to ultimately get a pass. But not everyone is celebrating, as the decision has sparked up a ton of controversy. And the root cause of the cry? Unfair practice. And the allegation? Bubba Cunningham is the chairman of the selection committee!

North Carolina took the last at-large bid in the field and managed to make history—but not in a way anyone will be proud of. The Tar Heels are in a First Four game as an 11-seed, their lowest-ever seed in school history, where they’ll face San Diego State. Considering their dismal record against Quadrant 1, it’s no wonder their inclusion was peppered with questions. And in a world where everything is open, the UNC had to justify their selection. But what did they say in their defense that no one’s willing to buy?

To complicate things even further, UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham stepped out of the room when the selection committee spoke about the Tar Heels. “As vice-chair, I managed all the conversations we had about North Carolina, and we had quite a few,” Sun Belt Conference commissioner Keith Gill said. NCAA rules require ADs to recuse themselves, but let’s be honest—does that happen?

Even if UNC’s selection wasn’t outright fraudulent, was it deserving? To be honest, the Tar Heels’ bubble was without a doubt shakier than West Virginia’s. The Mountaineers had a stronger resume than UNC, but the Heels just had a harder schedule. The committee could have justified UNC’s inclusion in better ways; rather, Cunningham picked how West Virginia lost star guard Tucker DeVries in December! “Player availability was something we talked about quite a bit,” he said. That odd explanation didn’t sit right with many people either, making the process seem even dirtier.

And not everyone is buying it. The Virginia governor, furious over the issue, threatened legal action on West Virginia’s exclusion! Not just him, it has made everyone talk about it. Why did UNC get the bid despite its challenges? Given the timing of UNC’s bracket placement despite its lackluster performance this season, many are holding back their approval.

Fans didn’t hold back at UNC’s inclusion

To some, the selection of UNC felt like any old case of nepotism. As one fan claimed, there was a conflict of interest by taking dig: “Bubba Cunningham got a $68,000 bonus for North Carolina making the NCAA Tournament but don’t worry guys, he wasn’t in the room when the committee decided UNC was the last team in.” But do they lose anything from this? Yes, the trust.

And the eyebrows are raised, it can go brutal. Another fan suggested: “North Carolina’s AD is the chairman of the NCAA committee. He also gets a $100K bonus if UNC makes the tournament. Yet people are surprised when an undeserving Carolina sneaks in as the very last team in🤣“. Cunningham’s contract indeed includes a significant financial incentive if UNC makes the tournament. Some reports have indicated he could receive as much as $104,000, adding more fuel to the controversy. If there were ever a time to debate the fairness of the selection process, this may be it.

For neutral basketball lovers, the issue didn’t go down well either. “North Carolina making the NCAA tournament is a bad look for college basketball. It stinks of favoritism and a fix. And this brings up the playin games. Why did they ever start those. Surely they make the cut off at 64. If you need two extra games might as well go to 68.” A frustrated fan wrote questioning the entire play-in system.

The notion that “blue blood” like UNC are consistently given favorable treatment is not a new one. “North Carolina being in the NCAA Tournament over teams like Indiana and West Virginia is a miscarriage of justice,” read one reaction. The committee’s history of questionable bracket choices makes it difficult to fully discredit those claims. And when the time comes to refute the claims, the logic gets even fishy, just like the player availability debate here.

Oh, wait, the postmortem didn’t stop here. Some fans are even calling for an investigation “The NCAA committee needs to be investigated. West Virginia not getting in while the SEC got 14 teams and North Carolina getting in is ridiculous,” one fan demanded. With transparency still a major issue, the calls for accountability are getting louder. So the Governor is not alone, and if it gets serious, the NCAA might get bullied for its actions.

But, UNC is in, and the debate is not going anywhere. Will the Tar Heels prove the naysayers wrong and go on a Cinderellaesque run? Or will this Selection Sunday decision go down as another all-time NCAA head-scratcher? Regardless, all eyes will be on them when the tournament kicks off.