OPINION: March Madness Committee Chair backlash is well deserved

College basketball fans are left upset after controversial selections and snubs made by selection committee

Sports Reporter Collective

Tuesday, March 17, 2025

By Caden Zimlich | Contributor

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The March Madness Selection Committee released their long-awaited 2025 March Madness Bracket Sunday afternoon. The “Selection Show” is always a highly viewed showing as many teams and their fans anxiously await their seedings, matchups, and occasionally snubbing’s. Every year there are teams that fringe on “The Bubble,” a term created for teams who are on the verge of either barely making or missing the tournament altogether. There will always be controversy and disappointment, however, this year’s selections left many fans distraught after the results were revealed.

In the most shocking decision the Committee made, the University of North Carolina was admitted into the field of 68 teams, despite their lackluster resumé. The Tar Heels posted a regular season record of 22-13, which seems amongst the average until you take a deeper look at their statistics. They finished with a record of 1-12 in Quad 1 games, 8-0 in Quad 2, 7-1 in Quad 3, and 6-0 in Quad 4. Quad victories do not tell the whole tale, but it is hard to reason these metrics compared to other teams.

The team met with the most disappointment, in my opinion, has to be the University of Indiana. The Hoosiers ended as the second team out of the tournament but had more of a convincing resumé in a harder conference. The Hoosiers went 19-13, going 4-13 in Quad 1, not great but they did pull two very impressive wins over highly seeded teams in Michigan State (2-seed) and Purdue (4-seed). They were flawless in Quad’s 2-4 with a record of 15-0 combined.

Though the entire Selection Committee have received backlash, none have received more than Selection Committee Chair, Bubba Cunningham. Along with serving the Committee, Bubba also works as the Athletic Director for the University of North Carolina. Following the Selection Show reveal, Bubba was interviewed by The Selection Committee Hosts, where they asked Bubba about the process of selecting and how UNC’s decision was made.

“As the vice chair, I managed all the conversations that we had about North Carolina, and we had quite a few. Our policies require the AD of any school to recuse themselves and actually leave the room for those discussions. And they’re not allowed to participate in any vote as well.” –University of North Carolina Athletics Director, Bubba Cunningham

Cunningham defended himself and any claims that he had any direct persuasion regarding North Carolina’s decision. However, the claims he made were not received well by many fans and followers. To make matters worse, Cunningham received a $104,166.66 bonus for the Tar Heels making the field. He can add up another $225,000 on top of that depending on their performance in the tournament.

The Tar Heels have a First Four date against the San Diego State Aztecs, Tuesday, March 18th, at 8:10 p.m. Regardless on if they win or not, many fans, myself included, believe they should not have made the bracket at all. As for Bubba Cunningham, many believe his role as Committee Chair should be terminated. While termination may be a bit extreme, the criticism is undoubtedly warranted.

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REPORTER’S BIO | Caden Zimlich is a junior majoring in Recreation and Sports Management in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation at the University of Arkansas.

Caden Zimlich

Note: Featured photo by Todd Greene on Unsplash