West Virginia felt it had a resume plenty good enough for the NCAA Tournament.
The selection committee saw otherwise, leaving the Mountaineers out of the 68-team field as announced Sunday evening.
West Virginia was the first team left out, as revealed during the selection show.
“West Virginia had an outstanding year and knowing Tucker DeVries was hurt, player availability is something we talk about quite a bit,” said Bubba Cunningham, Chair of the NCAA Selection Committee, who also serves as Director of Athletics at North Carolina.
Heartbroken for @WVUhoops. I can’t comprehend this team being left out. Our resume was better than several teams in the field and it’s a terrible travesty that we weren’t included. I have so much appreciation for @Coach_DeVries, our coaching staff and players. They deserved… pic.twitter.com/SDOemgXeZ0
— Wren Baker (@wrenbaker) March 16, 2025
The Tar Heels were the last team to make the field as one of four at-large play-in teams.
The Mountaineers (19-13, 10-10) finished No. 51 in the NCAA Net Rating, having defeated six Quad 1 opponents in 16 matchups.
WVU was 11-2 at one point, including a 6-2 start with DeVries in the lineup before he was shut down for the season due to a shoulder injury.
Statement from coach Darian DeVries. pic.twitter.com/AWPchdJ3du
— WVU Men’s Basketball (@WVUhoops) March 17, 2025
UNC finished 22-13 and with a No. 36 net rating, but won once in 13 tries against Quad 1 opponents.
“That’s the hardest part of being on the committee is having to draw that line,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham cited “a lot of metrics” being factored by the committee and two that were added to the mix — Torvik Rankings and WAB (Wins Above Bubble).
The Mountaineers (No. 34 Torvik, No. 41 WAB) are ahead of UNC (36, 42) in both.
“All of the predictive metrics, the result-based metrics have been around for quite some time,” Cunningham said. “So we used a few additional ones. It was a tough call.”
After defeating Utah on the road March 4 and then winning its regular season finale against Central Florida, West Virginia was thought to be relatively safe to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
But the Mountaineers lost Wednesday in their Big 12 Championship opener to Colorado, which finished last in the Big 12.
WVU finished 4-3 in Quad 2 matchups and was 9-0 against Quad 3 and 4 opponents.
UNC plays San Diego State in a play-in game, a matchup of two of the last four at-large teams selected to the field. The others are Xavier and Texas.
The Aztecs (21-9) are No. 52 in NET with a 3-6 mark against Quad 1 foes.
The Musketeers (21-11) have a No. 45 NET and are 1-9 against Quad 1 opponents. The Longhorns (19-15) are No. 39 in NET and 7-10 against Quad 1.