“This year, though: I am stumped,” Joe Lunardi admitted after the NCAA brackets were announced on Selection Sunday. The ESPN bracketologist’s disbelief wasn’t unwarranted — North Carolina had managed to slide into the NCAA Tournament as the last at-large team despite glaring weaknesses in their resumé. But as if the universe itself was keeping receipts, UNC’s path to redemption hit turbulence — literally.

According to a post from CBS Sports College Basketball on X, “North Carolina hit with travel issues, delaying arrival to Dayton ahead of First Four game Tuesday.” The Tar Heels’ NCAA-provided charter flight ran into mechanical problems, delaying their press conference and practice session by nearly three hours.

This forced the team to reschedule its Monday press conference and practice. Originally slated for 5:50 p.m. and 6:35 p.m., respectively, both were delayed by nearly three hours.

The travel delay capped off a turbulent stretch for Hubert Davis’ squad. North Carolina’s last appearance on the court ended in a gut-wrenching loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals. A late-game lane violation wiped out a game-tying free throw, handing the Blue Devils a narrow win. A victory over Duke might have lifted UNC out of the First Four — instead, the Tar Heels landed in Dayton as a No. 11 seed, scheduled to face San Diego State on Tuesday at 9:10 p.m. ET on truTV.

UNC is a 4.5-point favorite — but the skepticism surrounding their bid looms larger than any point spread.

Selection or sympathy? Hubert Davis’ UNC squad’s NCAA selection raises eyebrows

One fan’s reaction summed up the growing sentiment: “Almost like the universe is trying to tell them something…” Well, the universe — and analysts — seem to agree. Joe Lunardi wasn’t shy about calling out UNC’s inclusion: “You want to include Texas and its seven Quad 1 wins? I can absolutely live with that despite the 15 losses, the 6-12 league record, and the No. 287 nonconference schedule. But then you simply cannot include North Carolina as well. The Tar Heels are the opposite of the Longhorns. The No. 5 nonconference schedule produced exactly one Quad 1 win in a whopping 13 attempts. That is disqualifying to me in an era that has correctly prioritized winning the highest-level games.”

UNC’s numbers back up Lunardi’s criticism. The Tar Heels finished the regular season with just 1 Quad 1 win in 13 tries — a dismal 1-12 record. Despite going 8-0 in Quad 2 games, 7-1 in Quad 3, and 6-0 in Quad 4, their inability to win against top-tier opponents should have left them out in the cold. For context, Texas had a brutal 7-10 record in Quad 1 games but still boasted more high-quality wins than UNC.

Another fan said: “Well-deserved karma!” And then there’s the selection committee angle — which only added fuel to the fire. UNC’s bid was secured by the NCAA tournament selection committee, chaired by North Carolina’s athletic director Bubba Cunningham. Cunningham insisted he followed protocol, but his explanation didn’t exactly inspire confidence. When Seth Davis pressed him about UNC’s inclusion, Cunningham deflected like a point guard avoiding a turnover. “I’m gonna defer that to Keith,” he said. “All of the policies and procedures were followed.” But the optics were hard to ignore: a bubble team led by the selection committee chair’s school getting the last spot? That’s a tough sell.

One fan said: “Even the airlines know they don’t belong…” The numbers make it worse. If teams were ranked solely on Quad 1 wins, UNC would have been 76th — behind teams like Indiana (43rd with a 4-13 Quad 1 record). Indiana also had a better strength of schedule (+13.27, ranked 28th) compared to UNC’s +12.18 (ranked 41st). West Virginia and Ohio State also had stronger cases based on résumé quality.

Another fan said: “There’s a joke in here somewhere…” And yet, UNC got in over those programs — programs with better Quad 1 wins, better strength of schedule, and arguably more deserving profiles. Ohio State finished with a +14.35 strength of schedule (ranked 18th) and went 6-11 in Quad 1 games. West Virginia posted a +13.17 strength of schedule (ranked 30th) and had a 6-10 record in Quad 1 games. Both teams had more valuable wins than UNC — yet they’ll be watching from home while the Tar Heels take the court in Dayton.

One fan said: “Even the plane knows they shouldn’t be there.” Maybe the universe — and the NCAA’s flight logistics — are trying to tell UNC something. The reality is brutal. Programs like West Virginia and Ohio State had more valuable wins and better resumés, with West Virginia’s six Quad 1 wins towering over UNC’s lone top-tier victory. Even with West Virginia’s three Quad 2 losses, their high-value wins outweighed the Tar Heels’ shaky resumé. UNC might have gotten a gift from the selection committee, but karma doesn’t care about seeding.

Now it’s up to the Tar Heels to prove they belong, starting with San Diego State. But if they stumble in the First Four, the chorus of “I told you so-s” is going to be deafening.