West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey isn’t happy the Mountaineers’ men’s basketball team missed out on the NCAA tournament.
Morrisey held a press conference Monday, reading from a podium featuring a sign that read “National Corrupt Athletic Association.” He announced that he has asked state Attorney General John McCuskey to open an investigation into the NCAA selection committee to find out whether any “backdoor deals” were made.
“West Virginia deserved to be in the NCAA tournament,” Morrisey said. “This is a miscarriage of justice, and robbery at the highest level.”
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After going 19-13 overall, and 10-10 in conference play, West Virginia was considered a safe bet to be one of the 68 teams selected to play in the NCAA tournament. A surprise loss to last-place Colorado during the first game of the Big 12 tournament, however, may have dashed the Mountaineers’ hopes of playing for a national championship. When the brackets were revealed Sunday, West Virginia did not make the cut. The team quickly emerged as one of the biggest snubs of the tournament.
Head coach Darian DeVries and athletic director Wren Baker both released statements after West Virginia failed to make the cut. DeVries said the team was “shocked, saddened and disappointed” with the news. He added that he believes the Mountaineers had a résumé worthy of being part of the 68-team field, and that — despite the news — he was incredibly proud of what the team was able to accomplish. Baker said he was “heartbroken” by the snub, and claimed the Mountaineers’ record was “better than several teams in the field.” Baker did not specifically call out any teams that made the NCAA tournament over West Virginia in his statement.
Following the bracket reveal, North Carolina emerged as one of the most questionable selections for the tournament. The Tar Heels went 22-13 overall and finished 13-7 in conference play. The team pulled off an upset over Wake Forest in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament before falling to top-seeded Duke in the semifinal round. Entering Sunday, North Carolina was firmly on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. They made the final cut as an 11 seed.
The team’s inclusion in the field of 68 drew even more ire than other questionable selections considering Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham chaired the selection committee. Cunningham said he was not in the room when the committee decided to include North Carolina in the final bracket. He added that “all of the policies and procedures were followed” when it came to the team’s selection.
That explanation was apparently not enough for Morrisey, who said during an interview with Newsmax on Monday it was “ridiculous” and “outrageous” that West Virginia failed to make the cut. He accused Cunningham of bias, saying there was a “little home cooking going on in North Carolina.”
This isn’t the first time that Morrisey has taken on the NCAA. While serving as state attorney general, he was successful in a lawsuit that challenged transfer rules. He suggested Monday that the Mountaineers’ snub may have been payback over that case.
“Is this retribution? We’re gonna have to get to the bottom of that,” Morrisey said.
