North Carolina made the NCAA Tournament by a nose on Selection Sunday despite plenty of evidence that they shouldn't. This is an argument we have every year – whether or not a team in the Last Four In should've received the nod ahead of a team in the First Four Out – and North Carolina is a good barometer on where you fall in said debate.
On the one hand, North Carolina was utterly outclassed against Quad 1 opponents. On the other, they played well down the stretch and came one lane violation away from pushing Duke to the brink in the ACC Tournament. Lately, they've been playing better than most teams considered 'on the bubble'.
It sure doesn't help that UNC AD Bubba Cunningham led the tournament committee this time around, even though he reportedly removed himself from any and all conversations involving his program.
North Carolina proved their NCAA Tournament worth, whether Seth Greenberg likes it or not
The Tar Heels played their first tournament game on Tuesday night against San Diego State and won handily. The Heels were up by 24 points at halftime and won 95-68 when all was said and done. It was arguably their most complete performance of the season so far. Rather than compliment North Carolina on an impressive all-around display, many in the college basketball media, including Seth Greenberg, still opted to suggest the Heels shouldn't have been there to begin with.
"It doesn't justify that they got into the tournament... Once you're in the tournament, quad 1 wins mean absolutely nothing, it's all about matchups," Greenberg argued postgame.
Greenberg had every right to argue against North Carolina's inclusion prior to Tuesday night's game. Even we here at FanSided were confused about the committee's argument to punch UNC's ticket. One victory does not change the fact that the committee's decision was a flawed one. However, it does prove that North Carolina is among the best 68 teams, whether we like it or not. They defeated another bubble team by over 30 points.
You will not see Hubert Davis or North Carolina taking a victory lap just yet. They remain happy to be here, and they have a long weekend ahead starting with a matchup against No. 6 seed Ole Miss, which sits at 28th in the NET rankings.
Greenberg himself sits next to two former Duke players in Jay Williams and Jay Bilas on the College Gameday set. He is a former ACC Coach of the Year who went 3-9 against the Tar Heels during his ACC career. I wouldn't go as far as to say his criticism is unwarranted, but at this point we should be past basic bubble debates.
North Carolina proved their worth – for now.