Monday night will be a revenge game for West Virginia women's basketball.
It's odd, but while it is a revenge game, it's not specifically a revenge game for the women's basketball program in particular. They'll just be the program representing a university and a state that has a grudge against a particular athletic department.
No. 6-seed WVU is set to battle No. 3-seed UNC on their home court in Chapel Hill. The Mountaineer women's basketball program has their qualms with UNC themselves -- UNC was seeded much higher than WVU and earned a host seed in the postseason despite being ranked lower than WVU in the NET Rankings, and being an underdog against WVU.
But the university and the state of West Virginia also has a bone to pick with UNC. The Tar Heels men's basketball team were included in the 2025 NCAA Tournament while WVU was snubbed, despite the Mountaineers being considered a lock for the tournament while many bracketologists thought that UNC would be left out.
The connection was later made to UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham being the Selection Committee Chairman, and having a contract that ensured a bonus for an NCAA Tournament appearance.
And it was just in the Spring of 2024 that UNC knocked West Virginia baseball out of the NCAA Tournament in the Super Regionals hosted in Chapel Hill.
It's a game that many prominent Mountaineers -- from assistant basketball coach Chester Frazier to former baseball coach Randy Mazey to Mountaineer start men's basketball star Javon Small -- would likely love a front row seat at.
Tonight, the WVU women's basketball program will be battling for their first-ever Sweet 16 appearance as they battle UNC tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. But they'll also be in a fight for the pride of West Virginia University and the state of West Virginia in a rivalry with another school that has become personal for many Mountaineers.