West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said on Monday that the state will initiate an investigation by the NCAA and the selection committee on how the law was elected to the 2025 NCAA tournament.
His traits will come one day after his state flagship school, West Virginia, is excluded from the tournament.
Standing behind a podium emblazoned with a sign that read the “National Corrupt Athletic Association,” said Morrisey West Virginia deserved to enter the tournament.
“This is a miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest level,” he said.
Morrisey, clearly knowledgeable about college basketball, conveniently talked about Quad 1 victories, strength of schedule and network ranking – among the measurement values that the tournament committee probably uses to determine the law.
The debate raged Monday morning after North Carolina was awarded a place within 68 instead of rock climbers. UNC got a seed no. 11 and will play colleague no. 11 San Diego State in a first four match on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio.
West Virginia ended the season with a record 19-13 (10-10 Big 12); Taking Heels was 22-13 (13-7 Atlantic Coast Conference). But when using the Metric of Quad 1 victories, North Carolina was 1-12 and West Virginia 6-10.
“We continue to hear about the importance of these Quad 1 victories, but the UNC could not even get more than one,” said the Republican governor. “They also had the 25th thin schedule in America, just behind WVU.”
Morrisey said he has directed the state lawyer JB McCuskey to work with NCAA to find out which criteria the selection committee uses to choose the law. McCuskey said that knowledge can help teams build game plans and determine the best use of their zero funds.
McCuskey also said that when the tournament has developed into a billion dollar operations, the selection process has not held up.
An animated Morrisey also questioned what influence Bubba Cunningham, the chairman of the selection committee, may have had during the process. Cunningham is the athletic director of North Carolina.
“It is reported by a number of stores that Cunningham had a significant bonus incentive, at least $ 70,000, for the UNC that makes the tournament – without doubt more about the advanced,” he said, leaving the state’s investigation would investigate whether “rear room agreement, corruption, bribes or attacking activities occurred.”
“Anyway you slices it, this thing of corruption,” he said.
Morrisey has tangled with NCAA before. In 2023, when he served as the National National Attorney, he and a coalition of lawyers generally sued in other states NCAA over transfers and won.
“Is this retaliation? I don’t know. We have to get to the bottom of it,” he said.
West Virginia refused to participate in NIT.
“I want to repeat what I said on Sunday that I am extremely proud of this team and what they did this season,” coach Darian Devries said in a statement issued on Monday. “One of our team goals was to do the NCAA tournament and we had a CV that is worth an NCAA tournament election. Our guys poured their hearts in this season and all their collective efforts to make the NCAA tournament. I would like to thank all Mountains nation for their unpatched support from our team this season.”
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark told ESPN that he believed that the selection committee made the wrong decision.
“I was surprised and disappointed to see West Virginia not get a bid for the NCAA tournament,” Yormark said. “In addition to its six Quad 1 victories, the mountain climbers won 10 conference games in one of the toughest leagues in the country.”
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