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The North Carolina basketball season was the biggest disappointment in the NCAA. After entering the year with a No. 1 preseason ranking, the Tar Heels went 20-13 to finish seventh in the ACC standings.
That output wasn’t good enough to land a spot in the NCAA Tournament, and now it appears the postseason is out of consideration altogether. UNC announced Sunday that it will not participate in the NIT.
The news has caused many around the college basketball world to post their reactions online. Most are not kind to the Heels as they believe it to be an embarrassing low for a proud program.
Coming off an appearance in the national title game the year prior, North Carolina went just 11-9 in league play in what many considered to be a down season for the ACC.
The team was squarely on the bubble entering the conference tournament, but a loss to Virginia in the quarterfinals put the Tar Heels’ fate out of their control. When all was said and done, they were left out of the NCAA Tournament as they became the first preseason No. 1 to ever miss the field.
That omission led the program to make an interesting decision.
Shortly after the March Madness bracket was solidified, UNC announced that it would not participate in the NIT.
For those not familiar, the NIT is typically the landing spot for Power Five programs that just missed the cut for the Big Dance, as well as top mid-majors that failed to receive an automatic bid.
While the Tar Heels could’ve used the postseason tournament as a way to both build momentum heading into next year and give seniors one last ride before graduation, North Carolina decided that is was above playing in the event.
Here’s a statement from head coach Hubert Davis on the UNC NIT decision.
“All season, our focus and goal have been on being the best team we can possibly become and reaching our full potential to give us another opportunity to compete, play for and win an NCAA championship.
“Although we no longer have that opportunity and this season wasn’t what we had hoped for, I want to thank our players and staff for their hard work and love for Carolina Basketball.
“Many factors go into postseason play, and we believe now is the time to focus on moving ahead, preparing for next season and the opportunity to again compete for ACC and NCAA championships.
“I also want to thank our great fans for their incredible support. Our commitment to you is what drives us to improve our program in every way.”
Fans were quick to react.
Now THIS is a bad look…
— Erick Zehr (@ErickZehr) March 12, 2023
WOW. This is soft. A disgrace to the game and the program.
— Hedge House Trading (@The_Hedge_House) March 12, 2023
Even Carolina fans were upset with the announcement.
Any opportunity to keep playing basketball, you take it.
This is a mistake.The sense of entitlement is astounding.
Signed,
An overly disappointed Carolina fan— Maurice Corbett (@Maleco_BC) March 12, 2023
Some are already calling for Hubert Davis to be fired.
Hubert needs to go. Wow. This is crazy. The team is that much in shambles? Fire him tonight.
— King ♕ (@KingMcGrath3) March 12, 2023
With UNC opting to sit out of the NIT, it means the Heels will be home for March for the first time since 2001-02.