West Virginia
March Madness 2025: West Virginia responds to NCAA tournament snub — 'Shocked, saddened and disappointed'
As the 2025 NCAA tournament bracket was revealed on Sunday, there were bound to be a few notable exclusions. One of these was West Virginia, who fell just short of the tournament as the first team out.
With a 19-13 record, and a 10-10 Big 12 record, the Mountaineers were quickly viewed as one of the tournament’s biggest snubs. West Virginia seems to agree, with the Mountaineers publicly stating they believe they deserved a berth in the tourney.
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A couple of hours after the bracket was announced, West Virginia posted a statement from head coach Darian DeVries on social media addressing the snub.
“Obviously, we are extremely shocked, saddened and disappointed with not being selected for the NCAA Tournament. We strongly believe that we have a résumé that is worthy of an NCAA Tournament team,” DeVries said. “I am incredibly proud of this team and what they accomplished. They poured their hearts into this season and put all their collective efforts into making the NCAA tournament, and I believe they did that.”
Soon after the snub, West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker released a statement on social media, saying he was “heartbroken.” He posted the statement alongside a list of the Mountaineers’ accolades from the season, which included six wins over Quad 1 teams and four wins over ranked teams, including then-No. 2 Iowa State and then-No. 3 Gonzaga.
“I can’t comprehend this team being left out. Our résumé was better than several teams in the field and it’s a terrible travesty that we weren’t included,” Baker wrote.
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
West Virginia was passed over in the tournament in favor of North Carolina, which made the tournament as the last at-large team in the field.
UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham is the chair of the selection committee, prompting some to raise eyebrows at the Tar Heels’ inclusion. Cunningham and Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill, who is the committee’s vice chair, told CBS that Cunningham was not in the room when UNC was being discussed, as per the committee’s policy.
Gill said the Tar Heels would not have made the tournament if UAB had beaten Memphis in the AAC championship game on Sunday.
Still, the snub is a tough blow for West Virginia, with many getting the sense that the committee made the wrong choice. After the selection show, Cunningham cited a season-ending injury for Mountaineers guard Tucker DeVries — the coach’s son — as part of the reasoning for leaving West Virginia out. But DeVries played in only eight games before suffering the injury in December. He underwent shoulder surgery last month.
Instead, UNC will be the ones going dancing, playing San Diego State in a First Four game on Tuesday for the No. 11 seed. West Virginia, meanwhile, will be staying home.
Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.
Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble
Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State
Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana
First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati
Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall
Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State
How is this even possible?
Short answer? I don’t really know.
My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.
Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.
If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.
The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.
The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.
At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.
Buckle up, Upshur County. Starting Friday, March 6, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will step up seatbelt enforcement as part of a statewide Click It or Ticket campaign running through March 23.
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) announced the high-visibility mobilization as a warm-up to the national seatbelt campaign in May. The goal is to ensure every occupant — front seat or back, driver or passenger — is buckled on every trip.
“During this mobilization, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will be out in full force. They will be strictly ticketing drivers who are unbuckled or who are transporting children not properly restrained in car seats,” said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP.
The numbers behind the campaign are sobering. In 2023, 40% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in West Virginia crashes were unrestrained. The state’s seatbelt usage rate has also slipped — from 91.9% in 2024 to 91.6% in 2025.
Rural drivers face elevated risk despite a common assumption that country roads are safer. In 2023, 65% of the state’s traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, compared to 35% in urban centers.
Under West Virginia law, wearing a seatbelt is required. A citation carries a $25 fine, though McNeely says the real point isn’t the penalty.
“Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” he said. “A ticket is a wake-up call. It is far less expensive than the alternative — paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.”
For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WCHS) — A West Virginia man accused of threatening to attack President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers was federally indicted this week.
Cody Lee Smith, 20, of Clarksburg was indicted on two counts of threats to murder the president, one count of influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder and one count of influencing a federal official by threat of murder, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Smith is accused of making a series of public posts on Instagram encouraging and threatening the murder of Trump, those who support him, Israelis and “all government officials,” the news release said.
The indictment also alleges that Smith sent a direct message via Instagram to Donald J. Trump, Jr., stating he would kill his father by cutting his “jugular.”
In a phone call with the ICE tip line, Smith also threatened to kill ICE agents in Clarksburg and employees staffing the tip line.
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Smith faces up to 5 years for each of the presidential threat charges and faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts.
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