West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey (left) and Gov. Patrick Morrisey
CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey and Gov. Patrick Morrisey are praising the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s updated principles and procedures for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament selection.
Two new rules have been approved by the NCAA selection committee. First, the committee chair cannot be present for the selection of the last four at-large teams if the school the chair represents is still under consideration. Second, if the team the committee chair represents is among the last four at-large teams selected, then the committee chair may not publicly comment on the school’s selection.
For the 2025 tournament, West Virginia University’s men’s team was one of the first four teams left out of the 68-team field. Morrisey and McCuskey were vocal critics of the snub. WVU finished the season at 19-13 and 10-10 in the Big XII. North Carolina was the last team to make the field, and UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham was chairman of the selection committee.
“I am pleased the NCAA implemented changes to its tournament selection process,” McCuskey said. “Like most West Virginians, I love college basketball. March Madness is an unmatched experience for student athletes and fans.
“These new rules ensure transparency and fairness in the selection process. And they will go a long way in making sure deserving teams are in the tournament, which is all our student athletes and fans want.
“Throughout this process, the NCAA was willing to hear our concerns and to work with our team to make the selection process fairer and more transparent for all teams involved. We shared a common goal of making the system better for student athletes, and I applaud the NCAA’s efforts to do just that.”
Morrisey agreed.
“Leaving WVU out of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament was unjustified, and the selection process left fans and supporters in the dark,” Morrisey said. “I’m proud to announce that our call to action has produced real results to eliminate potential bias and bring more transparency going forward. …
“When we raise issues, we follow up and do what we say. Eliminating conflicts of interest is important in sports and in real life to ensure that the rules of competition are based upon merit, not special preferences. While this change of rule doesn't fix the blatantly wrong decision of the NCAA selection process, it will help ensure such a conflict never happens again. …
“As your Governor, I’m going to keep pursuing new ways to safeguard impartiality and justice in the sports that mean so much to our state, and to keep fighting for the people of West Virginia.”
