IOWA CITY, Iowa — West Virginia steps onto one of the grandest stages in women’s college basketball Monday evening when the Mountaineers face No. 1 seed Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in front of a sellout crowd.
Only Kansas State has found a way to slow the nation’s top-scoring offense inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Wildcats, who defeated West Virginia twice in a pair of competitive contests late in the season, defeated Iowa, 65-58 on November 16 in Iowa City. Since then, the Hawkeyes have won 13 in a row at home. 19 of their wins overall have come by 20-plus points.
“They’ll hit some big shots and make some big plays. That is to be expected. How we respond will tell us more about who we are and what we are about. I am really excited to see us in that environment,” said WVU head coach Mark Kellogg.
“We’ve been in some somewhat similar and some tough road environments in the Big 12. This one will exceed all of them based on what is on the line and the last home game for some of these kids.”
More than just No. 22
While Caitlin Clark has become the face of college athletics, the squad around her has jelled to create a team that has been held below 76 points just twice in 34 games.
“The most elite offense in the country, the best offense I’ve seen since I’ve been coaching. And they’re special because they have obviously our game’s greatest scorer, man or woman, leading the charge. Then they have put the right pieces around her,” Kellogg said.
“And I think [Hannah] Stuelke is playing really, really well. I think Kate Martin is phenomenal, and I’m saying glue as in the greatest compliment I could give her because I think she does everything for that team. And the other kids, Gabbie [Marshall] knows her role.”
Single-elimination season
While Monday’s game is billed as the final home game for Clark and the Iowa senior class, WVU’s three fifth-year players are also looking to prolong their college careers each time they take the court. Jayla Hemingway, Tavy Diggs and Lauren Fields are all in their final season of eligibility.
“I think that every game I played this season, I tried to play like it was my last game and leaving it all on the court,” Hemingway said. “I feel like this game shouldn’t be any different. I try to go out and just always play with as much passion and as much fun as I can and just enjoy living in the moment and try not to think too much about the future.”
Kellogg is the only first-year head coach to lead a team into the second round of the NCAA Tournament this season. He has consistently said throughout the year that his team stays low-key and calm regardless of the circumstances in a game. Perhaps, that can serve them well in a hostile environment.
“We don’t really have any big, strong, huge personalities either. I think that’s where you get that even-keel nature. It’s probably relaxed me a little bit, which is why I’ve said I’ve had so much fun this year, because we’ve just been able to kind of flat line. And I mean that every day we go to work.”
In Saturday’s 63-53 win over Princeton, starting guards JJ Quinerly and Jordan Harrison combined to score 44 points. The duo have been WVU’s top two scorers in six consecutive games.
“So it’s really been a great fit. They’re smaller. I didn’t know if we could get away with two smaller guards like that at this level. But Jordan really picked up where she left off a year ago at SFA and has been a fantastic addition. JJ was already elite, but I’m glad we’ve been able to allow her to take off and shine.”
Too much of a home court advantage?
With the growth of women’s basketball, undoubtedly questions will arise about moving away from the top 16 teams earning hosting rights for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
“We tried it, and I’ve been around long enough that we did try that for a while. It was very unsuccessful. That’s why we abandoned it and went back to this. We tried eight games at a neutral site, or eight teams at a neutral site, and it didn’t work,” said Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder.
“I think it is a huge advantage to the top 16, but maybe they deserve it because they did it during the year. So maybe they deserve it. You’re going to give up a crowd like this and a television experience like this in favor of going to a neutral place? I don’t think so.”
“Man, what a great experience. If you’re a competitor, this is what you live for,” Kellogg said.