Brett Yormark: 'West Virginia deserved a spot' in NCAA Tournament, pans committee over snub

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark decided not to mince words with the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee after West Virginia was left out of the 68-team field. He vigorously defended the Mountaineers and their resume.

“I was surprised and disappointed to see West Virginia not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament,” Yormark stated, via ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “In addition to their six Quad 1 wins, the Mountaineers won 10 conference games in one of the toughest leagues in the country. West Virginia deserved a spot, and fans across the country agree.

“Coach Devries and his team did an incredible job fighting adversity and winning big games all season. Regardless of this disappointing outcome, I’m incredibly proud of how they represented the Big 12 all season.”

Plenty of bracketologists and experts had them projected West Virginia to be in the field. However, it didn’t come to fruition, as teams like North Carolina and Texas made it instead. That didn’t sit right with many college basketball fans, and Mountaineers Athletic Director Wren Baker decided to stand up for his program, as well.

“Heartbroken for WVU hoops. I can’t comprehend this team being left out,” Baker posted on X. “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 better than what the committee delivered today. Let’s rally around these young men and let them know how proud we are of them!”

All told, West Virginia finished with a 19-13 overall record, including 10-10 in the Big 12 Conference. Some of the more impressive parts of their resume that Yormark alluded to included the Mountaineers boasting six wins over Quad 1 teams.

They also defeated such quality opponents in the process, such as Iowa State, Gonzaga, Kansas, and Arizona. West Virginia was only one of 30 teams in college basketball to win six or more Quad 1 games, but they still were left on the outside looking in.

Nevertheless, they’re not done playing basketball, as West Virginia has accepted an invitation to play in the inaugural College Basketball Crown, a 16-team tournament that will be played in Las Vegas from March 31-April 6.

Owned by Fox and AEG, preference is given to Fox-affiliated conferences which include the Big 12, Big Ten and Big East. The CBC is expected to be a first-class event, with an official announcement and bracket coming on Monday.

— On3’s Wade Peery contributed to this report.