Ian Eagle, Clark Kellogg discuss March Madness, Selection Sunday controversy

Selection Sunday always involves some controversy for those left on the outside looking in on the NCAA Tournament field. But on Monday, this year’s March Madness controversy was taken to unprecedented heights when the governor of West Virginia accused the NCAA of corruption and “robbery at the highest levels.”

Standing behind a podium with “National Corrupt Athletic Association” emblazoned on the front — a clear slight to the NCAA — West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey and state attorney general J.B. McCuskey announced plans to investigate the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee over their decision to designate the Mountaineers as the “First Team Out” of the 68-team field released Sunday.

“West Virginia deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament. This was a miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest levels,” Morrisey said Monday, openly suggesting the decision was “retribution” for a 2023 eligibility lawsuit involving former WVU basketball player RaeQuan Battle. “… I’ve asked Attorney General McCuskey to launch an investigation into the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee to determine if any backroom deals, corruption, bribes or any nefarious activities occurred during the selection process.”

This followed a tweet from Morrisey on Selection Sunday implying another lawsuit could be coming, further riling up an already-angry West Virginia fanbase that would face even more disappointment Tuesday when first-year Mountaineers coach Darian DeVries was named Indiana‘s new head coach. And while many college basketball fans, including Arkansas head coach John Calipari, praised Morrisey’s aggressive tactics, it wasn’t as well received by those that cover college basketball the closest.

Ian Eagle: West Virginia governor’s attack on NCAA ‘feels meritless and completely unnecessary’

“I love and respect the passion that people have for their school, this sport, but it felt like a grandstand in my mind,” CBS Sports broadcaster Ian Eagle told On3 in an exclusive interview Tuesday. “It’s one thing to disagree, it’s one thing to share your opinions, it’s another to threaten a lawsuit. That feels meritless and completely unnecessary.”

Fellow CBS broadcaster and NCAA Tournament analyst Clark Kellogg questioned why a state’s top public official was injecting politics into sports. He joined Eagle in sharing his thoughts.

“I’m always a little leery of attempting to politicize things that aren’t meant to be politicized, as a general rule across the board. I’m very much in favor in people having the ability to express their opinions and convictions in a reasonable manner,” Kellogg told On3, “… (But) just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should … that it’s beneficial. And I think when you’re in a position of leadership, a position of authority, a position of greater influence, then I think you have to always measure what it is you’re going to put your thumb on the scale for, and I’ll leave it at that.”

Eagle and Kellogg spoke with On3 as part of a promotional partnership with Wendy’s, the home of the official hamburger of March Madness. CBS’s veteran broadcasting pair is featured in Wendy’s latest “Nothing Beats Fresh” promotional commercial highlighting the fast food restaurant’s famous “fresh, never frozen” beef patties.

West Virginia’s omission coincided with North Carolina‘s inclusion as the NCAA Tournament’s “Last Team In,” prompting fans and media alike to question UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham‘s role as chairman of the Selection Committee. Morrisey even went as far as to accuse Cunningham of malfeasance.

Selection Sunday controversy ‘turned into a perfect storm’ for North Carolina, West Virginia

But despite this year’s perceived conflict, neither Eagle nor Kellogg took issue with current athletic directors or school administrators being part of the selection process, be it the March Madness or the College Football Playoff.

“From my perspective, this has been a part of the selection process for many, many years and occasionally we get a situation like we got this particular year, and it does leave a bitter taste in some people’s mouths. (But) I do trust the people that are working that side of it to maintain a certain standard in which they do their job,” Eagle said. “I certainly would not question the chairman (Cunningham) as to what his role was. I know for a fact that they do exit the room and allow the rest of the committee to discuss. And there’s been years, by the way, where the committee chair’s school did not get in and was a bubble team. … Unfortunately, this turned into a perfect storm.”

It’s even simpler for Kellogg. He placed the onus on the teams that didn’t do more during the regular season to avoid ending up on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

“I’m fine with commissioners and athletic directors being in the role of serving on these committees because they do so with the greatest amount of integrity and care of the game and the experience of the student athletes,” Kellogg said. “I would say this, when you put yourself on the bubble, then you no longer control where you land. And therefore, that part of it is to be owned by those teams that were in that position. The fact that it looks a certain way in this year’s circumstance doesn’t change the integrity and the care with which the committee members go about their work.”