UNC AD Bubba Cunningham to serve on men's basketball NCAA tournament selection committee
Posted April 2, 2020 2:42 p.m. EDT
North Carolina has won the NCAA tournament six times in men's basketball but the Tar Heels have never had someone on the tournament selection committee.
That will change in September when UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham will start a five-year term on the Division I men’s NCAA tournament selection committee. Cunningham will replace Duke AD Kevin White on the committee.
“Representing the University of North Carolina and the ACC on the NCAA men's basketball committee is truly an honor and something I look very much forward to when things settle down and we can get back to managing games again," Cunningham said in a statement released by the school.
"The NCAA tournament has proven over and over to be the NCAA's greatest event and one of the premier sporting events in the world. We all felt badly for the teams who were unable to compete this year, but I also felt for Dan Gavitt and his staff at the NCAA, for whom the championship is a year-long commitment, and (Duke Athletic Director) Kevin White, the current chair, and the members of his committee, who came within days of announcing the field and organizing another great tournament."
Cunningham started his tenure in Chapel Hill in Nov. 2011 and the Tar Heels have a 21-7 record in tournament play, including a win in the 2017 NCAA tournament championship game.
"As the AD at North Carolina, I've been fortunate to see first-hand the level of dedication and purpose the committee members have each year to make sure the players, coaches, administrators and fans of all 68 teams have the best experience possible," Cunningham said. "I look forward to serving that mission as well."
In addition to Cunningham, also on the committee will be 2020-21 chair Mitch Barnhart (Kentucky), Tom Burnett (Southland Conference), Charles McClelland (Southwestern Athletic Conference), Bernadette McGlade (Atlantic 10 Conference), Mike O'Brien (Toledo), Jim Phillips (Northwestern), Jamie Pollard (Iowa State), Chris Reynolds (Bradley) and Craig Thompson (Mountain West Conference).
