The Madness has Begun: Selection Sunday Controversies
Itβs that time of the year again when college basketball fanatics stare at their TVs for three weeks straight, hoping their team becomes a national champion. As always, Selection Sunday left many college basketball fans perplexed by the decisions of the bracket committee, raising questions about the fairness of the entire selection processβ¦
The UNC Decisionβ¦
The biggest topic of conversation after the bracket was released was some questionable nepotism involving a well-known blue blood team, The University of North Carolina (UNC). In previous years, UNC has had its ticket punched into March Madness before conference tournaments even began. However, this season was rough for the Tar Heels, with an awful 1-12 Quad-1 record and a 22-13 overall season record. After their loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals, UNCβs dreams of making March Madness seemed bleak. UNC was competing with teams like West Virginia and Indiana for the last four spots. Some national basketball analysts expected UNC to miss out on the tournament this year.
On Selection Sunday, those same analysts and fans were surprised to see UNC in the South Region of the bracket. After revealing the bracket, sports analysts introduced the head selection committee chair, Bubba Cunningham, who happens to also be the Athletic Director of UNC, to justify the Tarheelsβ selection. Immediately, sports analysts on both CBS Sports and ESPN questioned Cunningham, asking him if his relationship with the Tar Heels gave them the leverage they needed to squeak into the tournament. He responded by saying that they have strict rules disallowing committee members to vote on their own team.
Although Cunningham insists thereβs no influence, one canβt help but imagine the subtle pressure he might exert, consciously or not, as the Athletic Director of UNC, on fellow committee members to favor the Tar Heels.
Even the Governors are Upsetβ¦
While many were shocked by UNCβs inclusion, another team that seemed to be unjustly excluded was West Virginia, which had a much stronger case. The Mountaineers finished off their season with a 6-12 Quad-1 record and won 10 conference games in the Big 12, one of the stronger conferences this season. Comparing these statistics to UNCβs makes many question if the committee made a valid decision or a biased one. The West Virginia Governor is furious with these results and is threatening to bring legal action to the fight against the NCAA. Nevertheless, the bracket is finalized, so we will see what happens in the upcoming weeks. UNC plays tonight against San Diego St to secure a spot in the last 64, so we will see if they let the committee down or go on a run that shocks many.
What is this, Football?
At the beginning of the regular season, Auburn was the powerhouse of college basketball. They spent weeks as #1 in the Weekly AP Poll earlier in the season. But the end of their regular season included back-to-back losses against Texas A&M and Alabama. In the SEC Tournament, Auburn lost to Tennessee in the semifinals, which was not the greatest way to lead into March Madness. In week 19 of the season, Duke took the #1 ranking and has maintained the status.
On Selection Sunday, they announced that the #1 seeds for the bracket would be Duke, Auburn, Florida, and Houston, also stating that the overall #1 seed is Auburn. This really doesnβt make sense anymore. If Auburn had continued dominating like they had for most of the season, then being the overall seed would make sense. However, after losing two games back-to-back and not even making it to finals in the SEC tournament, it doesnβt make sense as to why they hold March Madnessβ overall #1 spot. Duke currently has a 31-3 overall record and ranks #1 in the AP Poll, so it makes me wonder as to why they werenβt chosen as the overall #1 team in the tournament.
All in all, debates like this happen every year. But this yearβs seem to be drawing more attention, especially concerning the teams at the top of the NCAA food chain. For more discussion (and griping), check out the NCAAβs mentions on Instagram.
