March 16, 2025, will be remembered as one of the most controversial days in NCAA history. It was Selection Sunday. The controversy erupted when Hubert Davis’ North Carolina Tar Heels were announced as the last team to make the field of 68. Questions arose about athletic director Boo Cunningham’s role given that he was the chair of the selection committee. To quell the backlash, Cunningham had to publicly state, “I was not in the room for any of that.” But the controversy didn’t end there.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced on Monday that the state will investigate the NCAA and the selection committee over the 2025 tournament picks. “We keep hearing about the importance of Quad 1 wins, but UNC couldn’t even get more than one,” he said hinting at potential corruption tied to Cunningham’s contract incentives for tournament appearances. Despite UNC’s late 8-2 surge and No. 36 NET ranking, West Virginia’s exclusion—with a tougher schedule and six high-quality wins—ignited national outrage, as analysts called it a “miscarriage of justice.” This comes after the Tar Heels had just one Quad 1 win, while West Virginia had six and still couldn’t make the big dance.

The controversy isn’t going to die down easily but Hubert Davis’ North Carolina are minding their own business. They played their First Four game today against San Diego, securing a dominant 95-68 victory. That win confirms their spot in the first round, proving why UNC merit a place in the tournament.

Tar Heel alum Tyler Hansbrough was extremely pleased with the result and couldn’t help but call out Patrick Morrisey while talking about the game in the Field of 68: After Dark podcast. He said, ” Tonight I’m extremely happy, and I’m overwhelmed with joy from watching how well my Tar Heels are playing. And after all the criticism that the media has been giving them and everyone saying that they got -you know, they shouldn’t be in the tournament, all the talk about the AD and, you know, the West governor or whatever is going to take them to court and investigate it. Well, investigate this game.”

UNC played like a team with a point to prove. They played against a San Diego team that led the nation in field goal percentage defense. But the Aztecs were of no match to the Tar Heels. North Carolina shot 61% in the first half itself. It was also a night to remember for star guard RJ Davis who went 6-6 from the three-point line and inflicted more misery on San Diego who had never conceded 95 points before this season.

There will be plenty of talk about their selection, but today’s dominant performance shows that Hubert Davis’ team isn’t here to just participate–they’re here to prove the doubters wrong. So who do they face next in the first round of the tournament? Let’s take a look at that!

Hubert Davis and his Tar Heels are ready for the big dance

For Hubert Davis it was always to focus on the job at hand. “I don’t think it was a weight on us to try to get into the NCAA Tournament. My communication with them is to focus on us. It’s not the noise on the outside in terms of comments and critics. Focusing on our preparation, our practice and our play.”

Now that they’re officially in the tournament, the Tar Heels are even more motivated to prove they belong. After their win over San Diego, UNC will head to Milwaukee to face 6th-seeded Ole Miss in the South Region of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Friday.

This will be their first meeting in March Madness and surprisingly enough UNC head into the game as the favorites. According to ESPN, North Carolina has a 56.3% chance of advancing to the second round. It’s a big turnaround for a program that was just outside the bubble a week ago. The Tar Heels are doing a great job at ignoring the noise for now. Stay tuned for more updates!