The most anticipated event for college basketball fans is finally here, but this year the madness is on the rise for West Virginia fans. West Virginia has a strong college basketball program, composed of highly talented athletes and a compassionate fan base. The Mountaineers compete in the NCAA Division 1conference, as a member of the Big 12 Conference.
March Madness is the NCAA Division 1 championship tournament, consisting of 68 teams for the men’s league. The tournament is structured with two rounds playing each weekend, over a span of 3 weekends. These single elimination events are in competition for the national championship title.
The Mountaineers had been projected by most experts to be included in this tournament, but over the weekend of determined selections, WVU was not among the chosen. The selection sparked outrage among supporters because other teams with lesser recorder like the University of North Carolina were chosen.
Unfortunately, West Virginia Men’s Basketball team suffered from the greatest snub (ignore or refuse to acknowledge) of this year’s NCAA tournament. This decision sparked outrage within West Virginia’s Governor, Patrick Morrisey. He threatened to take legal action towards the selection committee of the NCAA Tournament.
According to the news article, Reuters, On March 17th, “West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday that the state will launch an investigation into the NCAA and the selection committee over how the teams were picked for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.”
The Governor, loyal to his state’s school, didn’t stop with just the threat as the article continues with, “standing behind a podium emblazoned with a sign that read “National Corrupt Athletic Association,” Morrisey said West Virginia deserved to get into the tournament.” Not only did he use a sign to express his disapproval in the committee, but he also later stated that the decision “is a miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest level”.
In response to the public outrage from Gov. Patrick Morrisey and the Mountaineers, the selection committee revealed their reasoning. According to CBS Sports the biggest reason for their decision has been revealed. “The tournament’s selection committee revealed that one of the biggest reasons for the Mountaineers’ omission was the fact that senior guard Tucker DeVries was potentially going to miss games. DeVries had shoulder surgery last month, although hasn’t played in a game since early December.”
