Let the Madness begin! The Dogs compare their NCAA Tournament brackets, and bark about their teams not getting into the dance…
Snubbed
Greetings from The Booth!
I’m pretty sure I’m through with college sports…at least until football season. I’m very sure that I’m done with the NCAA.
To the disbelief of many experts and analysts around the sports world yesterday, the West Virginia University men’s basketball team was left out of the NCAA Basketball Tournament on Selection Sunday. Like many WVU fans, I was expecting my team to have its name called, but as each region’s bracket was announced, reality set in. WVU was on the outside looking in, the first team out of the tournament. Despite many “bracketologists,” including Joe Lunardi, deeming the Mountaineers safely in the 68-team field in the hours leading up to Selection Sunday. The NCAA Selection Committee felt differently.
However, the committee did feel like North Carolina and 15-loss Texas were deserving of a spot, and also invited 14, count ’em, 14 teams from the SEC to the party, a new record for a conference. UNC seems to be the team that displaced West Virginia, so let’s consider the following:
The 19-13 Mountaineers had 6 Quad 1 wins (wins against tournament-quality teams), while the 22-13 Tar Heels had a Quad 1 record of 1-12. WVUÂ had quality wins, albeit early in the season against Gonzaga, Arizona, and Kansas (at Kansas). The Mountaineers also had a very bad loss to 16-seed Colorado in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament, and probably would have been a lock had they won that game. WVU was also 10-10 in the Big 12, one of the toughest basketball conferences in the country. Admittedly, West Virginia did not play well in the second half of the season, but if the committee considers the entire body of work, as they say they do, there’s no question that the Mountaineers are deserving of a place in the big dance. Carolina is clearly in the tournament field on blue blood reputation.
It’s not a good look for the selection committee that its chairman is Bubba Cunningham, who is the AD at…wait for it…North Carolina. With a name like Bubba, surely there couldn’t be any backroom backslapping, right? Cunningham supposedly left the room during any discussion about his Tar Heels, but I’m not buying into the purity of that. Committee members know who their chairman is. I might also point out that Cunningham has a bonus system that increases the further Carolina advances in the tournament. Also not a good look.
Bubba’s reason (excuse) for WVU being left out? The Mountaineers would be without the injured Tucker DeVries in the tournament. DeVries, the son of West Virginia Head Coach Darian DeVries, hasn’t played since December, and suited up for a grand total of 8 games for West Virginia. Tucker DeVries hasn’t played for most of the season, so this reasoning makes absolutely no sense. Obviously, Cunningham didn’t do his homework, or had to pull something out of his backside to explain himself.
And, let’s not forget that WVU sued the NCAA in the 2023-24 season to get ineligible player RaeQuan Battle reinstated. The Mountaineers won that case and Battle returned to the court in the second half of the season. Would the NCAA hold a grudge against West Virginia because of that lawsuit? Just asking for a friend.
I wrote recently that doing the eye test would show that WVU is not tournament-worthy. But to be left out this way reeks of something like the infamous WWE “Montreal Screwjob.” However, there is little that can be done. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey held a presser today (Monday) and hinted at litigation, but I’m not sure anything will come of this. It will be difficult to prove that there was a conspiracy to leave the Mountaineers out of the NCAA Tournament . I still like the move, as it continues to keep the kitchen light on as the roaches scurry.
In the meantime, dominos have started to fall at WVU. The Mountaineers have declined invitations from the NIT, and a new 16-team postseason tournament called The Crown. Freshman 3-point ace Jonathan Powell has entered the transfer portal, and rumors that Coach DeVries is leaving for Iowa continue to grow.
It is not a great day to be a Mountaineer.
RW
The Perfect Sports Day
Greetings from The Booth!
It doesn’t happen often, but on Saturday the stars aligned and I had the perfect sports day. That doesn’t happen very often because I am a fan of the WVU Mountaineers, who have crushed my hopes and dreams time and time again. I am also a fan of the Washington Football Franchise, a laughing stock for over 20 years now. I also root for the Washington Capitals, who, with the exception of their 2018 Stanley Cup, always seem to be one and done in the playoffs. Saturday, I hit the trifecta.
My perfect sports day began around 5, when West Virginia Men’s Basketball took the floor of the WVU Coliseum against #2 Iowa State on Jerry West Day, as the packed house celebrated the life of the most famous sports icon in the history of the Mountain State. Surely, “Zeke From Cabin Creek” would be looking down on the boys as they tried to take down their 4th nationally ranked team of the season. And that’s exactly what happened, as Darian DeVries’ gritty Mountaineers stunned the Cyclones. WVU boasts one of the top players in the country in Javon Small, and he took over the game down the stretch, as the Mounties improved to 13-4. When the clock hit zero, and fans rushed the floor to sing Country Roads, I knew it was going to be a good day.
At about 7, the Capitals hit the ice to take on their archrival Pittsburgh Penguins. The Caps have been a pleasant surprise in a season that was supposed to be all about Alex Ovechkin’s all-time goals record. Instead, the Capitals have the NHL’s best record, and seem poised for a Stanley Cup run. In contrast, the Pens are going in the other direction, and the game was no contest, as Washington easily won 4-1.
Finally, the cherry on the sports sundae was the stunning 45-31 victory by the Washington Commanders over the number-one seed Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional round. Playing in a hostile environment against arguably the best team in the NFL did not faze the Commanders, as the legend of Jayden Daniels added another chapter. The moment was not too big for the rookie QB, who kept the high-scoring Lions at bay time after time with clutch plays. Despite giving up over 500 yards, the burgundy and gold defense forced five Detroit turnovers as Washington shocked the football world, and is now just one win from playing in the Super Bowl. The game may not have ended until almost midnight, but the clock has not yet struck twelve for the Commanders, who kept their magical season alive for at least one more week.
So, thank you Mountaineers, Capitals, and Commanders for a great sports day this past Saturday! My only regret is that I didn’t buy a lottery ticket.
Until the next visit from The Booth…”LET’S GO!” “ALL CAPS,” and “HTTC!”
RW