AD Bubba Cunningham's reported contract incentives should put North Carolina's NCAA Tournament bid under microscope

The Tar Heels (22-13, 13-7 ACC) floundered against the best teams in college basketball throughout the season. According to the NCAA's NET rankings, North Carolina went 1-12 against Quad 1 teams. It has also lost to rival Duke three times (including the ACC Tournament).   

However, North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham — who is the chairman of the selection committee — receives huge financial rewards when the Tar Heels make the Big Dance.

In May 2022, Cunningham signed a five-year contract extension that runs through June 30, 2027. 247 Sports' Greg Barnes reported Cunningham's contract stipulates that he receives a one-month bonus (8.33%) of his yearly salary ($814,868) when the Tar Heels make the Big Dance.

It also includes a $100,000 bonus if the Tar Heels win the national championship. Cunningham would still earn $75,000 for a Final Four trip and $50,000 for a Sweet 16 berth. 

To cut Cunningham slack, he wasn't in the room when the committee discussed whether North Carolina should make the tournament. 

"As the [committee's] vice chair, I managed all the conversations that we had about North Carolina, and we had quite a few," Keith Gill told CBS Sports Sunday. "Our policies require the AD of any school to recuse themselves and actually leave the room for those discussions. And they're not allowed to participate in any vote as well."

Gill said the committee had a "contingency vote" based on the AAC Championship between UAB and Memphis. Had UAB won instead of Memphis, North Carolina would've missed the tournament. 

Still, putting North Carolina in the tournament may have taken away from another deserving team like West Virginia (19-13, 10-10 Big 12), which had a better record (6-10) against Quad 1 teams. 

It's fair to wonder if the committee should reevaluate its decision-making process. The criteria for teams on the bubble still seem unclear.