Jay Bilas acknowledges the complaints surrounding North Carolina’s entry into the NCAA Tournament, yet he finds himself less troubled by the situation. While he didn’t share the concerns noted by other media members regarding the Tar Heels making it to the ‘Big Dance,’ he remarked that discussions about the 35th-best team in the country seem excessive.
The Tar Heels’ designation as the final team included in the 2025 NCAA Tournament drew substantial criticism, particularly given the school’s AD, Bubba Cunningham, chairs the Selection Committee. This suggests a potential conflict of interest, leading to a perception issue. In light of this, we at Awful Announcing proposed including bracketologists on the Selection Committee. Although Seth Davis labeled it the “worst idea ever,” Bilas could have easily dismissed our efforts as futile.
When appearing on First Take recently, Bilas called for an end to the complaints about the selection process: “I used to kind of lose my mind about eight or 10 years ago about decisions like North Carolina versus West Virginia or Ohio State or Indiana,” he said, noting that the committee often strays from its stated principles. “But because they do this every year, there are decisions that don’t align with their rhetoric. I’ve kind of said, ‘You know what? They’re going to do this every year.’”
His analogy hit the mark: “It’s like complaining about the lines at the DMV,” Bilas stated. “We can complain all we want to; it’s not going to change. They’re going to keep doing this, so you might as well just — like, I don’t even care anymore. Put them in the field, and then we’ll deal with the tournament.”
“It’s like complaining about the lines at the DMV. … It’s not gonna change.” 😳 @JayBilas didn’t hold back with @stephenasmith on his thoughts about the NCAA tournament selection process 👀 pic.twitter.com/OIaWBC0mnG
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 19, 2025
In conclusion, while the system is indeed flawed and the criticisms are warranted, Bilas has chosen to accept it. Perhaps it’s time for the rest of us to do the same.
