North Carolina Makes 2025 NCAA Tournament as Last At-Large Team: Selection Committee Explains Decision

The 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket reveal on Sunday featured a surprising inclusion as North Carolina secured an 11-seed in the South region despite being widely projected to miss the field following their ACC Tournament semifinal loss to Duke. The selection raised eyebrows particularly because the committee is chaired by North Carolina's own athletic director, Bubba Cunningham.

Committee Protocol Ensured Fair Evaluation

In the post-selection show interview with CBS, Cunningham immediately addressed the elephant in the room by confirming he was not involved in any discussions or votes regarding North Carolina's tournament fate.

"All of the policies and procedures were followed," Cunningham explained before deferring to committee vice chair Keith Gill, who managed all UNC-related deliberations.

Gill, the Sun Belt Conference commissioner, detailed the recusal process: "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."

The Final At-Large Bid Came Down to Sunday's AAC Championship

According to Gill, North Carolina's tournament hopes hinged on Sunday's American Athletic Conference championship game between Memphis and UAB.

"Saturday night, we took our final vote. We voted in four teams in the field on Saturday night, and we had a contingency vote," Gill revealed. "If Memphis won that game, then that was gonna free up a spot in the tournament and that was gonna be North Carolina. If UAB had won, then Memphis was gonna be in the tournament, UAB would have been in the tournament and North Carolina would've been the first team out."

When Memphis defeated UAB 84-72, North Carolina's tournament berth was secured as the final at-large team in the field.

How UNC Edged Out Other Bubble Teams

Despite North Carolina's poor 1-12 record against Quad 1 opponents (compared to Indiana's 4-13 and West Virginia's 6-10), several factors worked in the Tar Heels' favor:

• A perfect 8-0 record in Quad 2 games (Indiana went 5-0, West Virginia 4-3)

• Higher advanced metrics rankings: 36th in NET rating and 33rd in KenPom (compared to Indiana at 54th/48th and West Virginia at 51st/53rd)

• Strong finish to the season, going 8-2 in their final 10 games

• Overall 22-13 record with a 13-7 mark in ACC play

The committee ultimately determined that North Carolina's overall resume, particularly their momentum heading into the tournament and their strength in advanced metrics, outweighed their struggles against top-tier competition.

North Carolina will now look to justify their selection as they enter the tournament as an 11-seed in the South region, hoping to prove the selection committee made the right decision in giving them the final at-large bid.