When West Virginia’s men’s basketball team was not chosen as an at-large team for the NCAA Tournament last season, it caused a stir across the Mountain State as a result of what was viewed by many locally and nationally as a snub.
Governor Patrick Morrisey was among those that spoke out against the process conducted by the selection committee, which was chaired by Bubba Cunningham, Director of Athletics at North Carolina.
On Friday, Morrisey offered an announcement claiming a call to action from he and West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey is creating change in the selection process. Morrisey says starting in 2026, new rules will be implemented requiring the selection committee chair to recuse themselves during the selection process for final at-large teams into the 68-team field if their institution is under consideration for one. If that institution is among the last four at-large teams selected, the chair is prohibited from commenting on its inclusion.
The Tar Heels were the final at-large team chosen for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, while the Mountaineers were left out despite being projected in the field by 111 of 111 bracketologists on bracketmatrix.com.
“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.”
BREAKING: The NCAA is implementing rule changes to make the March Madness selection process more transparent. WVU men’s basketball got snubbed, and we’re ensuring it never happens again. pic.twitter.com/xCaKjplXFG
— Governor Patrick Morrisey (@wvgovernor) September 12, 2025
Not long after the Mountaineers’ season concluded in undesirable fashion, Morrisey and McCuskey called on the NCAA to review their policies.
“When we raise issues, we follow up and do what we say,” Morrisey said. “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.”
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McCuskey also offered praise for the change to the selection process.
“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.”