West Virginia women look to make the most of a rare chance to host March Madness
West Virginia hopes to make the best of a rare chance to play an NCAA women's tournament game on its home court
By JOHN RABYMORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — coach Mark Kellogg has made a huge impression in his first three seasons at a major college. All that’s missing is a deep run in the women's .
No. 4 seed West Virginia (27-6) is a tournament host for the first time since 1992. A win over No. 13 seed ) (28-6) in the first round on Saturday night would tie the Mountaineers’ best three-year stretch in program history with 78 wins.
Since Kellogg in 2023, West Virginia has lost only five times at home.
“I think our kids, to their credit, have earned the right to play here,” Kellogg said. “Super excited about that.”
The hard part will be moving on. In 16 previous NCAA appearances, the Mountaineers have never won more than once, bowing out in the second round under Kellogg the past two seasons.
West Virginia comes in on a six-game winning streak, to win the Big 12 Tournament for the first time since 2017.
“Our best basketball is yet to come,” West Virginia guard Sydney Shaw said.
The opener of the Morgantown region Saturday pits No. 5 seed (23-10) against No. 12 (26-8). The first-round winners will meet on Monday.
Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks, whose team hosted the first two rounds in the NCAAs last year, said there's some added stress of being a host school because of expectations to win, while visiting teams can play freely because “they have nothing to lose.”
Kellogg wasn't taking the bait, saying he hasn't felt the pressure.
"That’s a veteran coach, I think, just trying to plant a seed, potentially,“ Kellogg said.
Shaw sees it differently, too.
“Every time I put my head on my pillow, I go to sleep with a smile on my face, giggling myself to sleep because I’m so excited,” Shaw said. “It’s a big deal to not have to pack your bags, honestly. You get to sleep in your own bed. So I’m grateful for that.”
Brooks graduated from James Madison in 1992. He went 337-122 and led the Dukes to six NCAA berths over 14 seasons, leaving in 2016 as the school’s winningest coach. He’ll watch his former school from the other sideline on Saturday.
“It’s 10 years removed and I’m obviously proud as an alum of everything that’s happened to James Madison,” Brooks said. “But tomorrow it will be another game.”
Before coming to Kentucky two years ago, Brooks spent eight seasons at Virginia Tech. The Hokies lost to James Madison in the 2019 National Invitation Tournament. Brooks led Virginia Tech to the Final Four in 2023 before losing to eventual national champion LSU.
Sean O'Regan was Brooks' longtime assistant at James Madison and took over for his former boss in 2016. The Dukes won the Sun Belt Conference tournament and are in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four seasons.
Miami’s men’s basketball team captured most of the attention on campus back in Oxford, Ohio, finishing as during the regular season at 31-0, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and on Wednesday.
Not to be outdone, the women’s team set a program record for wins that included their first Mid-American Conference tournament title since 2008.
If the RedHawks leave Morgantown with a trip secured to the Sweet 16, they’ll likely stop somewhere for ice cream — a road-trip tradition under third-year coach Glenn Box, who like Kellogg is in his first major-college head coaching job.
“I’m willing to give them whatever they want after they win,” Box said. “Winning should be fun.”
West Virginia isn't known for putting on shooting clinics, instead relying on its full-court pressure defense to create scoring opportunities.
The Mountaineers force 22 turnovers per game, led by Big 12 steals leader and defensive player of the year Jordan Harrison. West Virginia's 18.2-point scoring margin is the 13th highest among teams in the NCAA field. In three meetings with TCU this season, West Virginia held the Horned Frogs to their two lowest point totals of the season.
Shaw remembers when she arrived at West Virginia a year ago and learned the rigors of playing against her own defense.
“It was rough. I was struggling out there,” Shaw said. "So I can only imagine (the challenge for) a team that’s never seen it.”
Miami averages nearly 16 turnovers but has its own defensive prowess. Both teams are limiting opponents to under 59 points per game.
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