The West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball team had a historic season last year, with Mark Kellogg helping lead the team to a Big 12 Tournament Championship, a host seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a third consecutive trip to the Round of 32. But no moment may have been quite as special as the unlikely upset over Duke led by "The Greenbrier Five."
That name was bestowed upon the five-woman lineup who had to play the entire second half at the Greenbrier Tip-Off against then-No. 15 Duke, following a bench-clearing confrontation that left the Mountaineers with only five eligible women to finish the contest. And despite trailing by three points at the break, they would comeback to post an unlikely comeback win.
And on Thursday, the program announced that there will be another opportunity to create a special moment on the same court this season.
Mark Kellogg set to lead West Virginia against Northwestern at The Greenbrier Tip-Off
On Friday, November 13, the Mountaineers will return to the Greenbrier Tip-Off at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulpher Springs, W.Va, where they will face-off once again against a Power 5 opponent – this time, the Northwestern Wildcats.
Are you ready for a little more Greenbrier magic 🪄
— WVU Women's Basketball (@WVUWBB) July 23, 2026
Excited to be back at the Greenbrier Tipoff this year for a matchup with Northwestern!
📰 https://t.co/1VKU3zMwIL#HailWV pic.twitter.com/JNl1HJPIbK
The Mountaineers will bring a significantly different look to the court in 2026, with several players either graduating or transferring – only Gia Cooke and Maddie Parrish are set to return from last year's edition of the team. But the Mountaineers did replace that group of departing players with one of the best portal hauls in the country, so they'll be ready to compete.
They'll face a Northwestern team that will likely provide a much easier challenge than Duke was last season, as the Wildcats went just 8-21 overall last year. But they do welcome a head coach whom the Mountaineers are familiar with, as Carla Berube takes over the program after leading Princeton to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. She led Princeton against WVU in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
And while as crazy a game as fans were treated to last yearmight be tough to replicate, the Mountaineers will get the opportunity to return to the site of one of the program's greatest moments. And hopefully, they'll be able to create another magic moment this November at the Greenbrier.
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