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North Carolina shredded by fans, media for early NCAA Tournament exit after controversial bid
By Mark Kern
Published:
North Carolina was looking to continue to show it deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, but the Tar Heels were unable to knock off Ole Miss, falling 71-64.
North Carolina was the talking point on Selection Sunday. Many people didn’t think the Tar Heels would make the tournament, but they were one of the first teams to see their name called. The Tar Heels made the NCAA Tournament despite having a 1-12 record in Quad-1 games. Their best win of the season was against UCLA, with that being a 2-point win on Dec. 21.
There was a ton of outrage with that decision, along with some controversy. Bubba Cunningham was the chair of the Selection Committee, but he is also the AD at North Carolina. The West Virginia governor came out and said he was going to have an investigation on the NCAA because the Mountaineers appeared to have a better resume in every area but was left out of the field in favor of UNC.
With all that controversy, college basketball fans were cheering on North Carolina’s demise. Once the game went final against the Rebels, social media was quick to pounce on the opportunity to call the team out.
It was a disappointing end to a tough season for Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels. Just three seasons ago, UNC went on a run to the national championship game before losing to the Kansas Jayhawks. It has been a tough stretch since then, and these struggles make this off-season a crucial one for the program.
