One of the biggest debates in college sports at the moment revolves around the team from Chapel Hill.
Is this UNC basketball team an NCAA Tournament team?
On CBS Sports Network on Thursday, the panel of Chris Walker, Jon Rothstein and Wally Szczerbiak discussed the topic, a conversation that got heated on set!
Should North Carolina get a NCAA Tournament bid if the Heels beat Duke today?@JonRothstein, @CWalkerSports and @wallyball debate 👀 pic.twitter.com/GDM76YIwLl
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 14, 2025
Walker said a win for North Carolina over Duke on Friday night would be an advantage for them as Selection Sunday draws near. Rothstein didn't agree with this sentiment, using the below argument to "help his case."
“If we’re evaluating blind résumés (for the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina has one Quad 1 victory.
“The selection committee will evaluate that Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown did not play. That’s taken into account.”
Couple things here...
Rothstein emphasized the importance of the "overall body of work" while evaluating "blind resumes," but proceeded to say that the selection committee takes the absence of Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown into consideration while evaluating a potential North Carolina victory over Duke.
If we're looking at "blind resumes," how can you put an asterisk on a win for something they have no control over? Even without Flagg and Brown, it would still be a Quad 1 victory for North Carolina.
Walker also mentioned how the bracketology has fluctuated as teams add results to their resumes. If the "overall body of work" (as Rothstein indicated) is the main factor, why should one loss determine where a team sits in the projections?
Hmm... something isn't adding up here Mr. Rothstein!
Rothstein doesn't care about "recency bias," something that favors North Carolina given how they ended the regular season. Without even saying it, Rothstein made it clear that he doesn't believe the UNC basketball program belongs in the NCAA Tournament field.
A win over Duke, whether Rothstein likes it or not, should secure the Tar Heels a spot among the field come Selection Sunday.