University of North Carolina (UNC) athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who is also chairman of the NCAA Selection Committee, is responding to backlash over the Tar Heels sneaking into March Madness after a lackluster season. The Michigan native is claiming that he had nothing to do with North Carolina’s selection.
UNC Finished 22-13 Overall, 13-7 In ACC Play
Bubba Cunningham and Keith Gill, the vice chair of the NCAA Selection Committee, spoke with CBS Sports after the 2025 bracket was released. He said there was nothing shady going on behind closed doors when UNC received an invite to the NCAA Tournament, despite a 22-13 record (13-7 in ACC play) and a mediocre résumé.
“I was not in the room for any of that,” Cunningham said.
He deferred the rest of the question to Gill, who said the rules state the athletic director of any school must recuse themselves from any discussions involving their school and are not given a vote.
North Carolina AD UNC — and Chairman of the Selection Committee — Bubba Cunningham on the Tar Heels being selected to the NCAA Tournament:
“I was not in the room for any of that.” #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/u2xf0UDPG1 https://t.co/cOZ6dcnBdO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 16, 2025
Bubba Cunningham previously served as athletic director at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma from 2005 to 2011 and at Ball State University in Indiana from 2002 to 2005.
CBS Sports analyst Seth Davis questioned North Carolina’s controversial selection as well.
“If anyone wants to know what everyone’s going to be talking about after the show, North Carolina is your answer with that 1-12 Quad 1 record. … That’s gonna be a big-time topic of conversation,” Davis said.
That lone victory came against UCLA on Dec. 21. The Tar Heels did finish with an impressive 8-0 record in Quad 2 games and a 7-1 record in Quad 3, losing just to Stanford 72-71 on Jan. 18.
North Carolina Went 9-3 In February
Although UNC’s Quad 1 record is worse than snubs Indiana (4-13), West Virginia (6-10), and Ohio State (6-11), the Tar Heels had an exceptional run late in the season.
During the month of February, they finished 9-3, with a loss to Clemson and two losses to ACC champion Duke. Clemson is in the tournament as a No. 6 seed, while the Blue Devils won the ACC and clinched a No. 1 seed in the East region.
Selection Sunday vibes 🕺 pic.twitter.com/pu0My0TO4p
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) March 17, 2025
When asked how UNC got in, Gill stated since Memphis won the AAC championship against UAB, it opened the door for the Heels to make the 68-team field. If the result was flipped, the Tar Heels would have missed the cut.
Gill later appeared on ESPN to further discuss the decision, highlighting the Tar Heels’ strength of schedule.
Tar Heels Had A Strong Strength Of Record, WOB
“They’re 8-0 in Quad 2,” he said. “In Quad 1 they were 1-12, but they’re 8-0 in Quad 2, they had a really strong strength of record, they had a strong NET [ranking] they also had a strong WOB [wins above bubble teams]. And when you take all those things into consideration, the committee just felt like they should earn that last spot over some of the other teams.”
“We always talk about strength of schedule,” Gill continued. “And obviously with North Carolina, that was a really important thing. They went out and played a really strong schedule. Some schools get that strength of schedule within their conference, some get it from the non-conference, and some get it from both. So it’s really something that we consider and we talk about a lot. And it’s certainly helpful as we evaluate teams.”
UNC went 12-3 on its home court but just 6-6 on the road. The Tar Heels will take on San Diego State on Tuesday night in the First Four, with the winner facing Ole Miss in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament.
