Basketball
West Virginia’s basketball team has been in the news cycle pretty heavily over the last handful of days from coaching rumors to being snubbed from the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
The selection committee’s decision to put North Carolina in the field over West Virginia has everyone who covers the sport baffled. The Mountaineers’ resume is clearly stronger than the Tar Heels, but the presence of UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham had in the process may have played a part in the snubbing of WVU.
Cunningham is the chair of the selection committee and many talking heads find it shady that North Carolina just happened to get the last spot in the tournament, one they weren’t deserving of.
On Monday, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, alongside Attorney General JB McCuskey announced that they have launched an investigation into the NCAA and NCAA selection committee to see if there were any “backroom deals” made to put North Carolina in.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith called out the Governor for taking this action during Tuesday morning’s episode of First Take.
“In all seriousness, it’s embarrassing for an elected official to take the position he’s taking. Literally calling for an investigation. You can complain and he has legitimacy with his complaints, but to go this far and really try to force an investigation, it’s utterly ridiculous. It’s childish and you would like to think our elected officials would have something better to do with their time. Clearly, he does not. It’s utterly ridiculous to take this position that he’s taken.
“Having said that, I will say this, his anger and his disgust is valid. North Carolina was 1-12 against Quad 1 teams. North Carolina should be in the NIT. North Carolina does not deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament. And Bubba Cunningham, some dude named Bubba, is not only on the selection committee, he’s the head of the selection committee. And to tell us he has to leave the room when the conversation entails North Carolina is utterly ridiculous. So you haven’t been talking about North Carolina around that point? Breakfast, lunch, dinner with other committee members, you didn’t have that conversation? Stop that. We were born at night, not last night.
“In the case of West Virginia, they did have a better resume because they had six Quad 1 wins, and North Carolina, like I said, went 1-12. But let’s be very very clear about something, let’s not act like West Virginia is something to write home about. The bottom line is they were 19-13. They were 10-10 in their own conference. And when they went into the Big 12 tournament, they lost the very first game of the tournament to last place Colorado.
“It’s a rare occasion when it is justified to tell a politician, sit your a** down. This is one of those situations. Sit your a** down. This is not something that warrants an investigation.”
“It’s embarrassing for an elected official to take the position he’s taking…it’s utterly ridiculous, it’s childish and you would like to think our elected officials have something better to do with their time.” Stephen A. Smith on West Virginia Gov Patrick Morrisey pic.twitter.com/WBJTVKBguL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 18, 2025
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