North Carolina Selected For NCAA Tournament, Social Media Loses Its Mind

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Oh, boy. Five minutes into the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on CBS, social media users were already riled up. Why? Because the selection committee put the North Carolina Tar Heels, a team that went 1-12 in Quad 1 games, into the Big Dance. 

North Carolina entered as one of the biggest question marks, given its terrible Quad 1 record, but its otherwise solid resume: 22-13 overall, 13-7 in ACC play, two wins in the ACC Tournament, and a last-second loss to Duke in the semifinals. 

It's hard not to think that North Carolina's incredible comeback against Duke on Friday night, one that was only derailed by one of the most ill-timed lane violations in history, played an important factor in the decision to include the Tar Heels. 

They trailed the Blue Devils by 21 points at halftime and if they had quietly gone away, I don't think we'd be having this conversation. Instead, North Carolina cut the lead to one point and had a game-tying free throw wiped off the board by the aforementioned lane violation with fewer than five seconds remaining. 

Social media users were BIG MAD that the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee opted to put the North Carolina Tar Heels into the Big Dance.

Social media users were BIG MAD that the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee opted to put the North Carolina Tar Heels into the Big Dance. 

( Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)

But it's important to note that Duke was without its best player, Cooper Flagg, and a second starter, Maliq Brown. Still, the Blue Devils defeated Louisville to win the ACC Tournament on Saturday without both players, as well. 

None of that mattered to users on social media, though, with many irate that the committee elected to put North Carolina ahead of teams with better Quad 1 records. 

I could go on and on. Type "North Carolina" into the X search bar and see what comes up. People are BIG MAD. 

But, at the end of the day, sports is entertainment. The goal of the NCAA Tournament is to crown a champion of college basketball, obviously, but also to garner the attention of all sports fans. 

Like it or not, North Carolina is a MASSIVE brand in college basketball. R.J. Davis, UNC's best player, is one of the leading scorers in ACC history, and he's a bona fide college basketball star. 

Those things matter when it comes to putting together a tournament that is one of the biggest television events of the year. Clearly it mattered, and North Carolina is in. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.

Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.