Maybe it’s a sign that perhaps North Carolina should not be part of March Madness 2025.

The Tar Heels encountered delays upon their arrival in Dayton on Monday, extending their travel time by more than two hours. The NCAA’s charter flight was responsible for the setback, causing the team to miss their media availability leading up to the First Four matchup against San Diego State, as reported by The News & Observer.

Originally scheduled to land at approximately 4 p.m., the Tar Heels’ plane touched down at 6:29 p.m. due to a delayed departure from RDU International Airport at 5:12 p.m., according to the report.

As a result of the disrupted travel plans, the No. 11 North Carolina team was unable to practice during their designated time slot from 6:35 to 7:15 p.m. Instead, they were forced to hit the court at 8:11 p.m. in preparation for the 9:10 p.m. game against the No. 11 Aztecs.

“We just kind of stuck with it,” North Carolina forward Ven-Allen Lubin said, according to the paper. “It was affecting everybody on the team but we stuck together. We just hung out, talked, interacted with each other. We bonded. It wasn’t an issue. We’re here now.”

The rocky travel schedule adds to what has already been an interesting week for the blue-blood program.

The Tar Heels’ inclusion in the NCAA Tournament emerged as one of the biggest storylines coming out of Selection Sunday due to the team’s shoddy 1-12 record in Quad I games.

Many noted the dilemma of having North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham as the selection committee’s chairman, especially when he received a one-month bonus for the Tar Heels making the tournament and can make up to an extra $100,000 with a national title.

The Post has you covered with a printable NCAA bracket featuring the full 68-team March Madness 2025 field.

North Carolina’s inclusion in the bracket kept West Virginia from the field of 68, and Governor Patrick Morrissey ripped the committee Monday.

“Nearly every single sports fan, pundit and Bracketologist had WVU as a shoo-in for the tournament,” Morrisey said. “This was a miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest levels.”

North Carolina can silence some of the haters with a win on Tuesday and the Tar Heels are 4.5-point favorites — even with the disrupted schedule — against the Aztecs.

The winner will face No. 6 Ole Miss in the South region bracket Friday.

“It was a lot of delays, a lot of waiting on scheduling to be sent to us,” North Carolina forward Jae’Lyn Withers told The News & Observer. “A lot of time playing the waiting game.”