UNC Making The Tournament Is Like The Bride's Brother Being A Groomsman
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the biggest college basketball fan. In fact, I epitomize the phrase, “I’ll watch in March,” and I have absolutely no shame in that. However, I’m fortunate enough to work alongside some of the sharpest minds in college basketball. From Mark Titus to White Boy Rick, I essentially have an encyclopedia of college basketball knowledge at my fingertips.
After spending time listening to their discussions, I’ve come to a conclusion: UNC making the NCAA tournament this year is the basketball equivalent of having the bride’s brother as a groomsman. Everyone knows he doesn’t really deserve to be there. It’s already tough enough deciding who makes the cut, and when you realize that four other guys—who were right on the bubble—got snubbed just to accommodate him, it stings even more.
Think about it: the bride’s brother wasn’t in the trenches with the boys. He wasn’t there grinding through the tough times, running sprints, setting hard screens, or executing a perfect high pick-and-roll. He didn’t earn his spot through blood, sweat, and tears. He got in purely because of his name—because of the unavoidable obligation that comes with it. And that’s exactly how UNC found itself in the tournament this year. If they weren’t UNC, if they didn’t have their athletic director sitting on the selection committee, they wouldn’t have made the cut. Their resume simply wasn’t strong enough. Just like how the bride’s brother would never be in the wedding party if it weren’t for his last name, UNC wouldn’t be in the tournament if it weren’t for their prestigious basketball reputation.
The frustrating part isn’t just that they got in—it’s what their inclusion cost other, more deserving teams. The tournament selection process is already a brutal, cutthroat affair, where every win, every loss, and every metric is scrutinized down to the decimal point. Bubble teams fight tooth and nail all season long for a chance to dance in March, only to see their dreams crushed because a blue-blood program got the benefit of the doubt. That’s what makes this situation so maddening.
The teams that earn their spots should be the ones who get in. But sometimes, politics, reputation, and favoritism tip the scales. And this year, UNC found itself on the right side of that imbalance—just like the bride’s brother, sliding into the wedding party not because he deserved it, but because he simply had the right last name