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NCAA Announces First Four Teams Out Of The 2025 Tournament

Originally posted on The Spun | By Matt Hladik | Last updated Mar 16, 2025 6:59 PM ET

The 2025 men's NCAA Tournament bracket was unveiled moments ago on CBS.

As always, there's plenty of debate going around about the field, mostly related to seeding, which teams snuck in and which ones were left out in the cold. The inclusion of North Carolina as the last team in has already sparked controversy on social media, with fans and media alike questioning the committee's decision.

The Tar Heels were the final entry in the "Last Four In" category behind Texas, Xavier and San Diego State. Of course, if you have a "Last Four In," you have to have a "First Four Out," which is the group no team wants to be a part of.

Unfortunately, West Virginia was the first team out this year, followed by two Big Ten programs, Indiana and Ohio State, and Boise State.

The Last Four In and First Four Out: pic.twitter.com/xvo7L61v88
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) March 16, 2025

On social media, the Mountaineers' exclusion has been met with widespread shock and disagreement.

"UNC getting in over West Virginia, which had neutral site wins over Gonzaga and Arizona, along with a win at Kansas, is, well, um, kind of a bad call," said FOX Sports' Chris Fallica.

"West Virginia, which was in the field for 111 of 111 brackets on @bracketproject becomes the first unanimous selection to ever miss the dance. Shocking to say the least," added Boise State writer Nathan Carroll.

"North Carolina: 1-12 vs. Quad 1 ----- Indiana: 4-13 vs. Quad 1 West Virginia: 6-10 vs. Quad 1 Ohio State: 6-11 vs. Quad 1 The Tar Heels made it. The other three did not," added SiriusXM's Barrett Sallee.

"West Virginia getting left out but UNC, Texas, and Oklahoma getting in is absolutely insane. West Virginia fans have every right to be pissed," chimed in the Baylor observer.

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 12: The West Virginia Mountaineers mascot and cheerleaders entertains prior to a game against the Baylor Bears during the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 basketball tournament at Sprint Center on March 12, 2015 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

You can find the full 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket here.

The games get underway on Tuesday and Wednesday with the "First Four" in Dayton, while the first round starts on Thursday.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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