WVU thrilled to battle extraordinary pressure in NCAA Tournament home game

No. 4 seed WVU women's basketball is set to host the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend, with action set to kick off Saturday. No. 5 seed Kentucky and No. 12 seed James Madison will clash in the first of two First Round contests, and then the Mountaineers will battle No. 13 seed Miami (OH) in the second game of the day.

Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks was asked on Friday if he had any advice to teams hosting for the first time, or the first time in several years – such as the Mountaineers, who haven't earned the opportunity in 34 years. His answer was sobering for WVU fans.

"You're going to be nervous as hell," Brooks said. "There's an expectation that comes with it. Obviously you get to sleep in your own bed and do things that are very familiar to you, but there is an expectation and a responsibility that you hold because you get a great crowd."

"Sometimes you see the other team play freely, because they essentially have nothing to lose. And then you have everything lose because you're playing in front of your home crown. I'll be very honest with you, we carried that weight - and it's like you've got to win, you've got to win, you've got to win. So there are some nerves involved with it."

However, if you ask West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg about the experience leading into the tournament, which will mark his first time ever as a head coach leading a team into a home NCAA Tournament game, he's doesn't really feel if nerves re really a factor for him or his team.

“I have not felt that," Kellogg said. "I’m still excited for our program, excited for the state. It’s just a tremendous opportunity. It hasn’t happened here in 34-ish years, I believe."

"It’s not just about playing a home game; there’s so much work that goes into it. I know our players are excited to get to play here, too. 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 anxious butterflies I have before we play, just like every game we’ve played the entire season.”

And perhaps if the pressure of the situation isn't weighing too heavy on the Mountaineers yet, it's because they've been too busy with different emotions – the main one seems to be elation when talking to the WVU players regarding the opportunity.

"Every time I put my head in my pillow I go to sleep with a smile on my face, just giggling myself to sleep because I'm so excited," WVU senior guard Sydney Shaw said about the opportunity.

"It feels great," senior Jordan Harrison added. "I just really truly believed that I didn't want it to be my last game – I wasn't even that sad on my senior night because I just felt like we were going to be back here. So for it to come true, I'm very happy about it. I'm just super excited about it."

And it does also provide a massive advantage for the Mountaineers. Kellogg's team is 44-5 at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown over the past three seasons, and will be playing in front of a sellout crowd filled with West Virginia faithful. But Kellogg understands that while the opportunity in front of the team is massive, they cannot get ahead of themselves as they seek their second-ever Sweet 16 appearance.

"Happy for our team," Kellogg said. "It doesn't guarantee us anything, as we've said numerous times, but we're certainly excited to be here and sleeping in our own beds. We’re going to have an electric atmosphere. Now, it's on us to take advantage of the opportunity."