College basketball Reddit reacts to UNC proving the haters wrong with NCAA Tournament win

Don't poke the bear. It's a lesson we all learn as children, but few actually heed it when the moment arrives. There it is — a massive grizzly bear, sound asleep. And man, don't you just want to poke it? It's so easy to poke it. There's a stick right there. Just ... reach out.

The North Carolina Tar Heels were the subject of a media firestorm on Selection Sunday when UNC was announced as an 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They were the last team to secure an at-large bid, and it happened to trigger a $104,000 bonus for Tar Heels AD Bubba Cunningham, the chair of the selection committee. No, uh, that's not a conflict of interest. Definitely not.

North Carolina cracking the field of 68 was not particularly shocking. We all knew it was undeserved — West Virginia and Boise State getting snubbed still feels particularly egregious — but it's North Carolina. That program is steeped in tradition. It shouldn't matter, but it does. Folks want to watch UNC in March, and the Tar Heels will always get the benefit of the doubt.

Still, with a single Quad 1 win to their name, folks doubted whether UNC could hold up to a significant stress test in the postseason. Their first challenger was San Diego State, another 11-seed looking to earn the right to face 6-seed Ole Miss this weekend. There was a healthy debate as to which team would emerge from this game, but UNC came out on top. By a lot.

The final score was 95-68, which somehow does not do justice to how thoroughly the Tar Heels walloped SDSU.

Social media came strong with the takes.

College basketball fans react to stunning North Carolina win over San Diego State in March Madness First Four

North Carolina fans are obviously jubilant. But they're also asking the tough questions, as jkten99 did on r/tarheels.

"Um, where has this team been all year? They are playing great defense and there’s actual movement on offense?!?!"

Great point! UNC has been a shell of its expected self all season. R.J. Davis always comes with the buckets, but rarely have we seen the Tar Heels so engaged and in-tune on both ends. Something tells me the public outcry over their mere inclusion in the tournament might've sparked something. It's amazing what a simple chip on the shoulder can accomplish.

Some, like Redditor Fine_Art3725, think the seeds were planted long ago.

"That tough non-conference schedule is paying off in the first four. Time to take it to the first round."

UNC has certainly faced its share of tough opponents this season. Have the Tar Heels, like, beaten any of them? Not really, but experience is a boon nonetheless. Sometimes breakthroughs come late in the season. It's never too late, folks! Remember that.

ZeusPeabody believes critics should stop focusing exclusively on UNC's lack of Quad 1 wins. They did win plenty of Quad 2 games, after all.

"It makes sense. They led 4 metrics and were top 3 in 2 others against other bubble teams. People only wanted to talk about Quad 1s, which were bad, but only one metric."

As always, X was a bountiful source of reactions as well.

This was an impressive statement from UNC, which didn't allow San Diego State to collapse the defense hardly at all. The Aztecs were completely stagnant, with their usually strong defense unable to put a lid on UNC's 3-point downpour.

It's only one win, and Ole Miss presents a much tougher opponent (Quad 1 ... *shudders*), but man... the talent is real. Hubert Davis has a knack for inspiring his team late in the campaign. UNC has a dynamic backcourt, a few rough and tumble bigs, and NBA-bound freshmen with explosive potential on any given night. Maybe, just maybe, this team can bust a few brackets on their way out the door. (I have UNC in the Sweet 16, and have since the bracket went live.)