One state representative is not happy to rule out the team to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey gave a lecture at a press conference Monday signing West Virginia climbers read “National Corruption Athletic Association” after they failed to enter the March Madness Bracket.
The climber was one of the bubble teams, and while some believed there was a strong claim among the 68 selected teams, the committee ultimately thought.
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Patrick Morrissey (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
“West Virginia deserves to be in the NCAA Tournament,” Morrissey said. “This is a miscarriage of justice and a robbery at the highest level.”
Morrisey also announced that it had asked West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey to launch an NCAA Select Committee investigation to see if a “backdoor transaction” was made.
The climbers were the Fringe Tournament team after going 19-13 overall while finishing 10-10 on the Big 12 Conference Play.
Many believed that West Virginia would enter the tournament when the Big 12 tournament began. But a surprising loss for Colorado, who owned the final place at conferences during the regular season, changed all of that.
North Carolina's NCAA Tournament bid will lead to social media backlash. “How did this happen?”
Whether that was a determinant of climbers being off-bracket was not revealed by the Select Committee, but when it happened, the word “snub” was quickly thrown in.
Brackett results led to head coach Daryan Devries and athletic director Len Baker making statements on the issue. DeBrees said he was “shocked” when his team had no chance to compete for the national title.
“Obviously, we are extremely shocked, saddened and disappointed that we have not been selected for the NCAA Tournament,” the statement reads. “I strongly believe that I have a suitable resume for an NCAA Tournament team. I am incredibly proud of this team and what they have achieved.
West Virginia climber coach Daryan DeBrees will face T-Mobile Center's Colorado Buffalo in the first half. (Imagn image of William Purnell-imagn)
Baker said, “We can't understand that this team is being ruled out. Our resume is better than some of the teams on the field, and it's a terrible tragedy that we weren't included.”
One of the team's main statistical support was Quadrant 1 victory, and the Select Committee decided as a game against teams ranked in the top 30 nets at home (NCAA evaluation tool) and ranked 1-75 against teams ranked 1-50 in the away contest.
West Virginia won six in a quad game, but North Carolina has had problems with many teams making tournaments, making it 1-12 in those games. The climbers also won this season with four ranked teams, including the fourth team, the second Iowa State, the third Gonzaga (Neutral Court) and the seventh Kansas.
Three wins against the AP Top 10 teams were the most in the Big 12 this season.
So Morrissey called the mountaineer's firing “silly” and “outrageous” during an interview with Newsmax.
Patrick Morrissey (Aldrago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He also suggested that success in his previous lawsuit against the NCAA could have led to Snubs, while serving as state attorney general.
“Is this retaliation?” he said, referring to a lawsuit in the governing body that challenged the transfer rules in 2024, “We'll have to get to that bottom.”
UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham is also chairman of the Select Committee. He said Sunday that after the bracket was announced he was not in the room due to the decision to include tar heels as the final team on the field.
Instead, he postponed it to vice-chairman Keith Gill. Keith Gill explained how the Tar Heels got in.
Patrick Morrissey (Get McNamee/Getty Images)
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“Our policy requires that school ads reject themselves and actually leave the room for those discussions. And they are not allowed to vote either. …We voted on four teams on the field on Saturday night.
“An accidental vote, it was the last team on the field. And it was based on the Memphis Oub. If Memphis wins that game, it's going to unlock the tournament spot and it's going to be North Carolina.”
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