March 17, 2025, 03:04 PM ET
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey assaulted the men’s NCAA Tournament Selection Committee after the climber was on the team, and he asked the Attorney General to work closely with the NCAA to ensure the process is transparent and fair.
“West Virginia deserves to be part of the NCAA Tournament,” Morrissey stands on the podium with a sign reading “National Corruption Movement Association.” “This was justice and a miscarriage of robbery at the highest level.”
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West Virginia (19-13) was won by a six-quad quad this season, but lost the opening game in the Big 12 tournament to Last Place Colorado. The climber played most of the season without the coach’s son, the 6-foot-7 Tucker Devillies.
Coach Darian DeBrees, a freshman climber, said the team was “very shocked, saddened and disappointed” that they didn’t make a tournament.
North Carolina athletic director Baba Cunningham, chairman of the NCAA Tournament Select Committee, referred to Devries’ injuries when he spoke about the first four teams left.
“The last four teams out…it was a tough call,” Cunningham said on Sunday’s selection show. “The next team is West Virginia and they had an outstanding year. Unfortunately, I know Tucker Devries is hurt. The player availability is pretty much to talk about.
“Indiana was close, Ohio was close, Boise [State] It was nearby. ”
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One of the last large teams to create the field was North Carolina (22-13).
“This smells bad at the highest level. It doesn’t pass the smell test,” said Morrissey, who reported the incentives that Cunningham will receive by the Tar Heels, who will make the tournament. “…I want people to sink that sink for a while. No matter how you slice it, this is a recurring rot.”
He said it was “too early for a lawsuit.”
North Carolina, selected as the 11th seed, is the last team based on the 8-0 mark against Quad 2 rather than the 1-12 record against Quad 1 team, along with other advantageous metrics, said Keith Gill, vice-president of the Sun Belt Congress Committee and Selection Committee.
Cunningham, as chairman of the selection committee, said he was not part of the discussion, including UNC. Gill said Sunday that he “managed all the conversations” about North Carolina.
West Virginia Attorney General JB McCasky said he wanted to know exactly how the field was chosen.
“What we’re looking for is a level of detail, transparency, accountability, so teams like West Virginia can plan for the future and say, ‘What should we do to get into the tournament?'” “We need to know what they’re looking for.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
