WVU women to host NCAA Basketball Tournament: What does it mean for the Mountaineers?

It is official – the West Virginia Mountaineers will be hosting during opening weekend of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

The official announcement came on Saturday, one day ahead of the full bracket reveal. While the seed order wasn't unveiled, the Top 16 seeds in the tournament were dropped in alphabetical order on ESPN in the break between SEC Men's Basketball Tournament semifinal action. And sliding in to steal one of the host seeds were the Mountaineers, bolstered by their Big 12 Tournament Championship win over TCU.

What does the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament coming to Hope Coliseum mean for West Virginia?

For the program, it's a massive accomplishment. It marks the first time in 34 years that the Mountaineers will have the opportunity to bring the event to Morgantown, and the first time it's happened under third-year head coach Mark Kellogg. It's also a sign that a program which has long flown under the radar despite their success is finally getting some national recognition.

"I know this is big," Kellogg said. "I think it will be a magical place. I think that place is going to be packed. But I don't know that. I don't know. But I just feel like when I see other sports, and you see a football weekend and you see a men's game, and we've said, 'I want people in the upper bowl,' that's been in the regular season. Not for this. It needs to be better than that. I want to challenge everybody. Come on now, let's go Mountaineer family."

It's the first time since 2021 they have earned a No. 4 seed or higher in the tournament, but COVID-19 saw the tournament held in a "bubble." The Mountaineers also a No. 2 seed in 2014 and No. 3 seed in 2010, but those tournaments came while the NCAA was using predetermined host sites for the opening rounds, similar to the method used in the men's tournament.

For the team's tournament chances, the opportunity to host is a huge boon. Playing on your own court is always an advantage for a team, but the Mountaineers have been exceptional at home underneath Kellogg's leadership, posting a 44-5 record at Hope Coliseum during his three seasons. While home games are never a guaranteed win, it makes WVU's potential path to their second-ever Sweet 16 appearance a lot easier.

"I think it's really hard to play against us here in the Coliseum," senior guard Sydney Shaw said. "I think we have a great crowd and great fans that support us, and I would hate to be on the opposite end of that."

For the WVU fan base, it gives fans a reason to get excited about basketball in March as the normally successful men's team is set to miss the tournament for the third consecutive season. It also gives them another chance to witness more college basketball in Hope Coliseum this spring, and NCAA Tournament basketball at that. It is an exciting time for Mountaineers fans.

And for Morgantown and the state as a whole, it will also bring significant boost to the tourism economy for a week and put the city and the Mountain State in the national spotlight, giving them a chance to show what makes West Virginia special.

Exactly when the Mountaineers will play next week and who they will face will be revealed on Sunday night at 8 PM EST on ESPN, when the bracket is released in full.