We’re deep into the month of March now, and that only means one thing for sports fans: March Madness. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has been a March staple for half a century, and its bracket format makes it one of the most entertaining sporting events every year. Shannon Sharpe will be dialed in, but he does think the Selection Committee made some mistakes. Most notably, when it comes to the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.
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UNC is a perennial contender in March, but that wasn’t really the case this year. They finished sixth in the ACC and went just 1-8 against teams ranked in the AP poll. They did have a solid run to the semifinals of the ACC tournament but ultimately fell short against Duke.
Many thought that loss would be the final nail in their coffin. However, the Selection Committee gave them a chance to earn a No. 11 seed with a First Four matchup on Tuesday.
Sharpe has been a Tar Heels fan since 1981, when they lost the Final to Isiah Thomas’ Indiana Hoosiers. However, he was stunned that UNC got a spot this year, even if it was only a First Four bid. It was so unbelievable to him that he put on his tinfoil hat and started throwing out possible conspiracy theories for how they made the cut.
“God heard a lot of prayers… Ocho, Congress must have had a special session to get Carolina in. It either took an act of Congress or something from God. Because I can’t explain how they were able to make the field,” said Sharpe incredulously.
While Sharpe was brainstorming, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, his co-host on Nightcap, suggested that perhaps there was a more sinister reason for their presence in the 68-team field. Sharpe shut that down, however.
“Is it a possibility that the reason they are in is the fact that they have their Athletic Director being part of the Selection Committee? Or that has nothing to do with it? I’m just curious.” Ocho asked.
And Sharpe, while laughing, quipped, “I mean, he’s only one vote.”
Shannon Sharpe also pointed out that there were a few programs that beat UNC, most notably the team that finished just ahead of them in the ACC standings (Wake Forest) and the team that finished just behind them (Stanford). Yet, they didn’t make the tournament.
“How the h*ll do you overlook the inequities and you look at there are more qualified teams? There are teams that beat Carolina, that didn’t make the tournament. And I understand what the Tar Heels are, they’re one of the blue bloods. You look at Carolina, you look at Duke, you look at Kansas, UConn, Kentucky.”
Ocho’s other point about the business of March Madness likely also played a part in the Tar Heels’ bid. However, apart from Duke, the only team UNC has lost to since the start of February is Clemson. It’s possible that, on top of the fact that they are a “blue blood” program that will bring more dollars, their recent hot streak factored in as well.
UNC will take on San Diego State on Tuesday night for a chance to earn the No. 11 seed in the South region’s bracket. Whoever wins gets a date with No. 6 Ole Miss, who were an impressive 10-8 in the tough SEC. There has perhaps never been a more difficult conference in college basketball history: the SEC set a record with 14 teams in the tournament this year.
