North Carolina made the 2025 men's NCAA tournament despite having an extremely weak resume. Many believed the Tar Heels were set to miss the big dance but wound up included as a First Four selection and will face San Diego State in Dayton.
UNC making the field was extremely controversial and many were shocked they wound up being included. The reaction to their inclusion was swift and strong.
NORTH CAROLINA GOT IN? pic.twitter.com/oscqGnTbfE
— ESPN BET (@ESPNBET) March 16, 2025
I’m sorry but North Carolina is in?? Their AD is the Chair of the Selection Committee….. That’s wrong imo
— OfficiatingObserver17 (@RefObserver17) March 16, 2025
North Carolina getting into the tournament is awful.
— Made For March (@madeformarch) March 16, 2025
I'm sorry.
North Carolina seeing they got in pic.twitter.com/j1u2Cg7zDT
— McNeil (@Reflog_18) March 16, 2025
NORTH CAROLINA IS IN. What a dreadful choice to include them. Just awful.
— Sean Paul (@SeanPaulCBB) March 16, 2025
North Carolina making the NCAA Tournament is a JOKE.
— Daniel Hager (@DanielHagerKSR) March 16, 2025
1-12 in Q1. Lol.
The Tar Heels finished the season 22-13 but were 1-12 in Quad 1 games. They were battling teams like Xavier, Texas, and Indiana to get into the tournament. Conventional wisdom claimed UNC's record against top teams would keep it out of the big dance.
Entering Sunday, North Carolina was No. 36 in the NET rankings, 33rd in KenPom and had the 42nd-ranked strength of schedule.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as North Carolina Sneaking Into Men’s NCAA Tournament Had Hoops World Sounding Off.
