UNC’s selection hinged on the outcome of the American Athletic Conference (AAC)Championship game between Memphis and UAB. According to selection committee vice chair Keith Gill, the Tar Heels were the last at-large team to make the field, and their fate depended entirely on Memphis securing an automatic bid.
“Saturday night we took our final vote, and we voted in four teams in the field and we had a contingency vote,”
Gill explained.
“If Memphis won that game, then that was going to free up a spot in the tournament, and that was going to be North Carolina. If UAB had won, then Memphis was going to be in the tournament, UAB would have been in the tournament and North Carolina would’ve been the first team out.”
Memphis did its part, defeating UAB 84-72, clearing a path for the Tar Heels.
Breaking Down the First Four Matchup: UNC vs. San Diego State
Now that North Carolina has its spot in the tournament, the question remains — how will the Tar Heels fare against San Diego State? The Aztecs, despite struggling offensively down the stretch, have a disciplined pack-line defense that forces opponents to beat them from beyond the arc.
That could work in UNC’s favor, as the Tar Heels have been shooting a scorching 42% from three-point range over the past month, fueling an 8-2 finish to the regular season. Senior guard RJ Davis has been the driving force behind North Carolina’s offensive resurgence, averaging over 16 points per game since February.
San Diego State, on the other hand, will rely on Florida Atlantic transfer Nick Boyd, who has emerged as a key scoring option despite his inconsistency from deep. Boyd, who shot just 28% from three in Mountain West play, will need to step up in a big way to keep pace with UNC’s offense.
The Aztecs’ offensive struggles are a concern — they rank 182nd in effective field goal percentage and a dismal 334th in free throw shooting (66%). If they can’t generate consistent scoring, UNC could capitalize and cover the -3.5 spread set by FanDuel Sportsbook.
Selection Controversy: Did Bubba Cunningham Influence UNC’s Bid?
While UNC fans celebrated their inclusion in the tournament, others weren’t so thrilled. The biggest point of contention? The fact that North Carolina’s athletic director, Bubba Cunningham, is also the chairperson of the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Given UNC’s weak resume compared to teams like West Virginia — who had six Quad 1 wins to UNC’s one — many questioned whether Cunningham’s role gave the Tar Heels an unfair advantage. Cunningham, however, dismissed any allegations of bias.
“I was not in the room for any of that,”
he stated, emphasizing that the committee has strict policies in place to prevent conflicts of interest. Gill supported this, explaining that when UNC was discussed, Cunningham had to leave the room and was not allowed to vote. Despite these assurances, the optics of the situation fueled controversy, especially considering West Virginia and Indiana — two teams with arguably stronger resumes — were left out of the field.
UNC’s inclusion also raised questions about the selection committee’s evolving criteria. This year, new analytics such as Torvik ratings and Wins Above Average (WAB) played a role in decision-making, potentially giving the Tar Heels a statistical boost despite their lackluster record.
“The hardest part about being on the committee is having to draw that line,”
Cunningham admitted.
“With only one real upset this year, there were an awful lot of teams on the bubble that got in.”
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