The West Virginia Mountaineers men’s basketball team was deemed one of the biggest snubs of March Madness.
Now the state’s governor is considering legal action against the NCAA to investigate why his state’s team did not make the tournament.
According to The Hill, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) said he will take legal action against the NCAA over WVU’s exclusion from the NCAA tournament.
“I’ve asked Attorney General [JB McCuskey] to launch an investigation into the NCAA tournament selection committee to determine if any backyard deals, backroom deals, corruption, bribes or any nefarious activity occurred during the selection process,” Morrisey said during a Monday press conference.
The governor of West Virginia is announcing potential legal action against the NCAA selection committee after snubbing the Mountaineers. https://t.co/2RkXWqRbDx
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) March 17, 2025
“Many of us were looking to see how WVU was going to be seated in the tournament,” Morrisey said Monday.
“Nearly every single sports fan, pundit, bracketologist, everyone had [WVU] as a shoe-in for the tournament. In fact, leading up to ‘Selection Sunday,’ 111 out of the 111 bracketologists projected WVU to make the tournament.”
Despite not ending the regular season ranked in The Associated Press’s poll of the top 25 men’s college basketball teams, many experts had penciled in West Virginia into the field of 68.
An NCAA spokesperson said the group “does not have a statement at this time.”
In a similar move in late 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) went after the College Football Playoff committee’s decision to exclude Florida State University from the four-team playoff field.
“What we learned today is that you can go undefeated and win your conference championship game, but the College Football Playoff committee will ignore these results. Congratulations to @FSUFootball for an outstanding season and winning the ACC championship!” DeSantis said on the social platform X at the time.