Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Excitement Outweighs Pressure for Mountaineers Heading Into Saturday’s NCAA Opener
March 20, 2026 03:34 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – One of the questions Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks answered during this morning's NCAA Tournament news conference was belt-high and center-cut, and he knew exactly what to do with it.
"This is West Virginia's first time hosting a regional in like over three decades, and there is a certain buzz that comes with that," the questioner began. "I'm assuming the first year you guys hosted at Virginia Tech might have been a similar situation.
"Having gone through that first time as a host, is there anything you can share with us …?"
Brooks, a smile forming on his face, replied, "You're going to be nervous as hell," he said to laughter.
"There is an expectation that comes with it," he continued. "You get to sleep in your own bed. You get to do things that are very familiar to you, but there is an expectation, a responsibility that you hold because you get a great crowd. They're rowdy, but sometimes you see the other team play freely because they essentially have 'nothing to lose' and (the host team) has everything to lose because you are playing in front of your home crowd."
Sensing he was on to something, Brooks forged ahead.
"There is an expectation; there is a responsibility that comes with it," he explained. "I'll be very honest. We carried that weight. It was like 'Okay, you've got to win, you've got to win, you've got to win,' so there are some nerves involved in it. We're on the other side of it now this time, so we're just going to come out and go play freely, but at the end of the day, you have to will yourself to win, whether you're hosting or the underdog. You just got to go out there and play."
Of course, there is still a little bit of work that needs to be done in order for fifth-seeded Kentucky to face fourth-seeded West Virginia on Monday night.
Kentucky must defeat 12th-seeded James Madison in the first game of tomorrow's NCAA Tournament first round game at Hope Coliseum, and West Virginia must beat 13th-seeded Miami, Ohio in the nightcap.
Both of tomorrow's games will be played in front of a sold-out Coliseum - the first advanced sellout in WVU women's basketball history.
An environment Brooks referenced as "rowdy" will be loud and electric the way the Coliseum usually becomes for big men's games. On Saturday, the atmosphere initially will undoubtedly be behind James Madison before transitioning to West Virginia for the nightcap.
Mountaineer coach Mark Kellogg, on the other side of this for the last two years playing NCAA Tournament second-round games at Iowa in 2024 and at North Carolina last year, shrugged when asked if he feels any extra pressure hosting NCAA Tournament games for the first time here since 1992.
"I have not felt that at all," he said. "Did you follow up and ask him if he would rather be on the road or at home, or would he trade it? I doubt he would probably say that. That's a veteran coach, I think, just trying to plant a seed.
"I'm excited, obviously, for our program and for our state," Kellogg said. "It's just a tremendous opportunity. It hasn't happened here in 34-ish years, I believe, and so for me, there's so many other people who have put in all the time since we found out we were hosting, and there's a ton of work that goes into it.
"I know our players are excited to get to play here," he observed. "Pressure? I don't know. It's a privilege, I guess, if that's such a thing. I'm sure I'll have the same kind of anxious butterflies I have before every game we play the entire season."
Senior guard Sydney Shaw said she's grateful for the opportunity to play in front of 14,000 mostly friendly faces wearing gold and blue.
"I wouldn't say it brings pressure, but I would say every time I put my head on my pillow, I go to sleep with a smile on my face, just like giggling to myself to sleep because I'm so excited," she said. "It's a big deal to not have to pack your bag, honestly, and you get to sleep in your own bed.
"I feel comfortable playing here; I think we all do, so I think we're just happy to be here and have our fans," senior guard Jordan Harrison added.
Kellogg said if there is any pressure, he'd rather have his players deal with that instead of being in an unfamiliar setting in a hostile environment such as the one his team faced at sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2024.
"I have been on the other end of it, too, where supposedly you're playing freely or when you are on the road, but I do know there (are) some moments in there when the crowds get into it and stuff that I would rather be on the flip side of it, he said.
"I guess ask me when it's over, and I might have a better answer for you," Kellogg concluded.
The Kentucky-James Madison game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPNU. The West Virginia-Miami, Ohio, night cap is slated to begin at 5 p.m., also on ESPNU.
Based on advance ticket sales, the school-record attendance of 13,447 posted against top-ranked Baylor in 2013 could be surpassed tomorrow evening.
"This is West Virginia's first time hosting a regional in like over three decades, and there is a certain buzz that comes with that," the questioner began. "I'm assuming the first year you guys hosted at Virginia Tech might have been a similar situation.
"Having gone through that first time as a host, is there anything you can share with us …?"
Brooks, a smile forming on his face, replied, "You're going to be nervous as hell," he said to laughter.
"There is an expectation that comes with it," he continued. "You get to sleep in your own bed. You get to do things that are very familiar to you, but there is an expectation, a responsibility that you hold because you get a great crowd. They're rowdy, but sometimes you see the other team play freely because they essentially have 'nothing to lose' and (the host team) has everything to lose because you are playing in front of your home crowd."
Sensing he was on to something, Brooks forged ahead.
"There is an expectation; there is a responsibility that comes with it," he explained. "I'll be very honest. We carried that weight. It was like 'Okay, you've got to win, you've got to win, you've got to win,' so there are some nerves involved in it. We're on the other side of it now this time, so we're just going to come out and go play freely, but at the end of the day, you have to will yourself to win, whether you're hosting or the underdog. You just got to go out there and play."
Of course, there is still a little bit of work that needs to be done in order for fifth-seeded Kentucky to face fourth-seeded West Virginia on Monday night.
Kentucky must defeat 12th-seeded James Madison in the first game of tomorrow's NCAA Tournament first round game at Hope Coliseum, and West Virginia must beat 13th-seeded Miami, Ohio in the nightcap.
Both of tomorrow's games will be played in front of a sold-out Coliseum - the first advanced sellout in WVU women's basketball history.
An environment Brooks referenced as "rowdy" will be loud and electric the way the Coliseum usually becomes for big men's games. On Saturday, the atmosphere initially will undoubtedly be behind James Madison before transitioning to West Virginia for the nightcap.
Mountaineer coach Mark Kellogg, on the other side of this for the last two years playing NCAA Tournament second-round games at Iowa in 2024 and at North Carolina last year, shrugged when asked if he feels any extra pressure hosting NCAA Tournament games for the first time here since 1992.
"I have not felt that at all," he said. "Did you follow up and ask him if he would rather be on the road or at home, or would he trade it? I doubt he would probably say that. That's a veteran coach, I think, just trying to plant a seed.
"I'm excited, obviously, for our program and for our state," Kellogg said. "It's just a tremendous opportunity. It hasn't happened here in 34-ish years, I believe, and so for me, there's so many other people who have put in all the time since we found out we were hosting, and there's a ton of work that goes into it.
"I know our players are excited to get to play here," he observed. "Pressure? I don't know. It's a privilege, I guess, if that's such a thing. I'm sure I'll have the same kind of anxious butterflies I have before every game we play the entire season."
Senior guard Sydney Shaw said she's grateful for the opportunity to play in front of 14,000 mostly friendly faces wearing gold and blue.
"I wouldn't say it brings pressure, but I would say every time I put my head on my pillow, I go to sleep with a smile on my face, just like giggling to myself to sleep because I'm so excited," she said. "It's a big deal to not have to pack your bag, honestly, and you get to sleep in your own bed.
"I feel comfortable playing here; I think we all do, so I think we're just happy to be here and have our fans," senior guard Jordan Harrison added.
Kellogg said if there is any pressure, he'd rather have his players deal with that instead of being in an unfamiliar setting in a hostile environment such as the one his team faced at sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2024.
"I have been on the other end of it, too, where supposedly you're playing freely or when you are on the road, but I do know there (are) some moments in there when the crowds get into it and stuff that I would rather be on the flip side of it, he said.
"I guess ask me when it's over, and I might have a better answer for you," Kellogg concluded.
The Kentucky-James Madison game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPNU. The West Virginia-Miami, Ohio, night cap is slated to begin at 5 p.m., also on ESPNU.
Based on advance ticket sales, the school-record attendance of 13,447 posted against top-ranked Baylor in 2013 could be surpassed tomorrow evening.
Players Mentioned
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