NCAA men's basketball committee makes changes to selection process, chair's role in at-large talks

The NCAA men’s basketball committee has made multiple changes to its selection process this year, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger. Most notably, the chair must recuse themselves from at-large talks if their school is under review and cannot publicly comment on its inclusion if it makes the field.

The decision comes after North Carolina athletics director Bubba Cunningham served as chair of the committee in 2024-25. The Tar Heels were the last team in the field despite a lack of Quad 1 victories during the regular season. According to committee rules, Cunningham was not in the room for discussions about UNC and deferred to vice chairman Keith Gill both in the room and in ensuing interviews.

In a statement, the NCAA said it evaluates its process each year, and the policy change will go in effect for 2025-26. According to the new policy, the vice chair will be responsible for answering all questions related to the chair’s team if it makes the field.

A notable change to NCAA men’s bball committee selection process: the chair must be recused if their school is under review for final at-large selections. If their school is among the last 4 at-large teams, the chair cannot publicly comment on its inclusion.

NCAA statement below pic.twitter.com/ogWSKYn8kO

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 12, 2025

“The Division I Men’s Basketball Committee reviews its principles and procedures annually after each year’s championship as part of its comprehensive review of the championship,” the NCAA said in a statement, via Yahoo! Sports. “The current draft was approved by the committee this summer and will be in place for the 2026 championship.”

North Carolina ended the 2024-25 season at No. 36 in the NET rankings, but struggled in Quadrant 1 games. A Q1 game, according to the NCAA, is defined as a home game against Nos. 1-30; a neutral site game against Nos. 1-50; and an away game against Nos. 1-75. In games against Quadrant 2-4 opponents, UNC had a 21-1 record.

But when the Tar Heels came up in the discussions in the room, Cunningham said he stepped out. That’s part of the longstanding policy in place during the selection process, and he said he knew that when he took over the role of committee chair.

“Any of us that have to chair the committee, you come in with that knowledge,” Cunningham said after the selection show. “I’ve been on the committee now for five years, I’ve watched four others lead the committee. And I think it’s been a great learning experience. You do have an opinion, you do have your own thoughts and your own ideas.

But the responsibility of the chair is to have the committee work together to be fair, to find the best 37 to put in the field, and allow everyone to speak their mind. We follow those procedures as they have been prescribed and used for a number of years.”