West Virginia governor says he'll take legal action against NCAA over tournament snub

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) on Monday said he will take legal action against the NCAA over West Virginia University’s (WVU) snub from the March Madness 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 WVU Mountaineers are not a part of this year’s March Madness tournament, which also includes the storied men’s basketball teams of Duke University, Gonzaga University and the University of Kansas. The Mountaineers are also not ranked in The Associated Press’s poll of the top 25 men’s college basketball teams.

“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.”

The men’s March Madness tournament starts this Tuesday, beginning with a game between St. Francis University and Alabama State University at 6:40 p.m. EDT.

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.

The Hill has reached out to the NCAA for comment.

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