The 2025 NCAA Tournament has officially kicked off, with several big results already taking place. Perhaps the most surprising result in the First Four saw the North Carolina Tar Heels pummel the San Diego State Aztecs. However, their inclusion in March Madness is still something NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is upset about.
North Carolina did not have the 2024-25 campaign they were hoping for, posting a 23-13 record that had many folks believing they wouldn't earn a bid for the tournament. However, they did earn a bid, and they promptly mopped the floor with San Diego State, which didn't surprise their head coach Hubert Davis.
"It doesn't surprise me that they played one of their better games today," Davis said after the win. "It's been a real focused group. I talked earlier in the year about how quiet this team was, and the volume of the voices is exactly where it needs to be, whether it's in the huddle, on the bus, on the floor. Just a real connected group right now."
Just because they've won one game, though, doesn't mean that folks' opinions of them have changed. Barkley still doesn't believe they belong in the tournament, calling out their athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who also serves as the chairman for the NCAA Tournament selection committee, for getting his team a bid.
"You had Harry Houdini on the committee, had a bonus and a check for putting y'all in the tournament," Barkley said on the CBS March Madness show. "Never trust a guy named Bubba."
"You had Harry Houdini on the committee, had a bonus and a check for putting y'all in the tournament. Never trust a guy named Bubba." - Charles Barkley on North Carolina pic.twitter.com/aP4ReZ8aOv
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2025
With their win over the Aztecs, the Tar Heels became the No. 11 seed in the South Region, setting them up for a first round battle with the Ole Miss Rebels. Tip-off for this game is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. EDT on Friday, March 21.
Related: Jay Bilas Takes Strong Stance Against North Carolina After Huge Win Over San Diego State
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This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 3:56 PM.