Darian DeVries reflects on West Virginia's Selection Sunday snub for Hubert Davis' UNC: "Was the last thing on our minds"
Former West Virginia coach Darian DeVries was certain that his Mountaineers team would be playing in last season's NCAA Tournament. However, Selection Sunday dashed their hopes as the team failed to make the tournament.
West Virginia finished 19-13 in the regular season, boasting a NET ranking of 51 and a KenPom ranking of 53, with six wins against Quad 1 opponents, but it was not enough to convince the selection committee.
Meanwhile, Hubert Davis' North Carolina Tar Heels, who had a 23-14 record with a NET ranking of 36, received an at-large bid into the tournament despite just one win in Quad 1.
On Thursday, Darian DeVries joined Jon Rothstein on the CBS Sports show to discuss his decision to leave Morgantown after one season while reflecting on the Mountaineers' Selection Sunday snub.
Rothstein believed that West Virginia's resume should have been enough to earn a spot in March Madness, and asked DeVries about his thoughts during that day.
"I've been doing this long enough, like, we understand, when you're on the bubble and things and what that means," DeVries said. "Everybody's disappointed when you don't get in. This year was different, though, because there wasn't really anybody within our circle, certainly felt like we weren't going to get in.
"We had kind of a private Selection Show party at my house with the team and administration and families and things. So that was the last thing on our mind, was us not making it. It was more like, Are we going to be able to avoid Dayton was probably our bigger concern."
DeVries added that he still does not understand how or why his team wasn’t selected despite their resume. He felt disappointed knowing the team's seniors would not get another chance to play in March Madness.
Darian DeVries now leads Indiana, which also missed the First Four last season
After failing to make the NCAA Tournament, the Indiana Hoosiers parted ways with Mike Woodson and hired Darian DeVries as their new coach. Indiana and West Virginia had a similar regular season record of 19-13 last season, but neither team made the tournament bubble.
The Hoosiers had a NET ranking of 54 with four Quad 1 wins. With DeVries now leading the team, they will look to improve their record in the upcoming season and hopefully secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years.