UNC’s AD Bubba Cunningham has some explaining to do after he cashed a $104,000 bonus on the Tar Heels making the NCAA Tournament

We’ve officially reached NCAA Tournament conspiracy season, and the latest one actually makes sense. UNC’s athletic director Bubba Cunningham just cashed a six-figure bonus because the Tar Heels made it to the Big Dance.

Doesn’t seem sinister by only writing that but when you include that Cunningham also just so happens to be the NCAA selection committee chair, then we start to have a legitimate problem.

Bubba Cunningham’s contract includes a $104,000 bonus for UNC making the tournament.

Not for winning a game. Not for making a deep run. Just for getting in. Wouldn’t you know it, the Tar Heels—22-13 overall, 1-12 against Quad 1 teams, widely projected to miss the field—somehow found their way into the dance as one of the last four teams in.

Did Bubba Cunningham make sure UNC made the tournament to get a fat bonus check?

Bubba Cunningham (again, UNC's AD who doubles as Selection Committee Chair) gets $104,000 bonus for UNC making the NCAA Tournament (one month's salary), AND there's another $225,000 in bonuses in play based on what happens in the tournament.

Something to sleep on. https://t.co/0R6psS7jJF

— Chris Anderson (@CMAnderson247) March 17, 2025

Now, to be fair, NCAA rules say that Cunningham had to leave the room when UNC was being discussed.

Seriously though, does anyone actually believed that happened? You’re telling me Bubba Cunningham spent hours, days, WEEKS in that war room with the same group of people who ultimately decided UNC’s fate, and he never once had any type of influence on anyone?

Bubba Cunningham has some explaining to do…lol

How about the NC athletic director Bubba Cunningham making an extra $104,166.66 for the @GoHeels making @NCAA Tournament – just happens to be the chair of @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/Aviy9I9BEw

— Bill Gillispie, CMAA, CIC (@GillispieBill) March 17, 2025

Even if he didn’t explicitly lobby for UNC, that’s like pretending a coach never lobbies a ref after a bad call—you don’t need to say much to plant the idea.

And let’s talk about the actual bracket for a second. UNC sneaks in with one quality win all season, yet West Virginia, Indiana, and other teams with more legitimate cases get left out? It’s the perfect storm of blue-blood privilege meets backroom politics.

UNC March Madness:

• The Tar Heels finished 22-13 overall.
• Their only Quad 1 win came against UCLA in December.
• The committee’s chair is literally UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham.

SNUBBED: West Virginia & Indiana

If you’re a West Virginia or Indiana fan, today is pure misery. West Virginia put together SIX Quad 1 wins and still got left out of the big dance. Indiana wasn’t far behind, notching four Quad 1 wins of their own, yet somehow UNC with just ONE Quad 1 win made the cut instead.

Go figure…

Were either of these teams world-beaters? No of course not, but were they were undoubtedly more deserving than North Carolina. Either Bubba Cunningham is horrible at his job or he was looking for a pay day. I don’t see how it could be any different.

March Madness: Auburn earns top seed, UNC sparks controversy, and Cinderella picks to watch

Honestly, if the NCAA wants to make this interesting, put some stakes on it. If UNC wins its First Four game, fine—Bubba gets his bag. But if they lose? That $104,000 should go straight to an NIL fund for mid-majors who got snubbed in favor of big-name programs with weak resumes.

This is what makes NCAA Tournament conspiracy theories undefeated. A selection committee chair who directly profits from his team making the field? I don’t even think “conspiracy” is the right word here because it’s so blatant. You literally could not script a better controversy.

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