Morgantown, WV – Mountaineer Nation was met this afternoon with the shocking news that the WVU Men’s Basketball team will NOT be competing in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. After being featured as a unanimous choice to make the dance, the North Carolina Tar Heels were selected as the final team over the Mountaineers.
This rubbed WVU athletic director Wren Baker the wrong way, prompting him to speak out against the selection committee late Sunday afternoon.
Here is what Baker had to say about the Mountaineers being left out of the big dance:
“Heartbroken for (WVU Men’s Basketball). 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 Darian DeVries, our coaching staff and players. They deserved better than what the committee delivered today. Let’s rally around these young men and let them know how proud we are of them!”
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
Baker, who isn’t one to voice a lot of emotion, referred to the committee’s decision as a “travesty.” Once the numbers are investigated, he would be 100% correct in this opinion.
The Mountaineers not only had more ‘Quad 1’ wins than the Tar Heels, but had more than the last four teams in the tournament COMBINED. The only truthful explanation for this laughable decision by the committee extends no longer than the chairperson.
UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham.
The committee can spin this decision any which way they please, but anyone with common sense knows that Cunningham played a large part in the Tar Heels being favored over the Mountaineers. There was simply no possible way the committee was going to leave their leader’s program out of the tournament.
It is simply a dilemma of ‘wrong place, wrong time’ for the Mountaineers. Had they defeated Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament, this likely isn’t the conversation being had today. Unfortunately, this was the corner the Mountaineers were backed into. Nepotism won today in the world of men’s collegiate basketball.
There will be better days ahead, Mountaineers. As for now, this is nothing short of a gargantuan disappointment.
(Photo by WVU Athletics)
