WVU avenges losses to TCU, wins Big 12 tourney

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- West Virginia lost two heartbreakers to TCU during the regular season.

In a rematch Sunday, the Mountaineers were looking to avenge those defeats, win the program's second Big 12 tournament title and perhaps earn a coveted spot among the NCAA tournament's top 16 seeds.

To say the least, No. 2 seed West Virginia had a ton of motivation and it showed, as it downed top-seeded TCU, 62-53, in the conference championship game.

"It was very important," said West Virginia senior guard Jordan Harrison, who had 21 points, 4 assists and 3 steals in the final en route to winning tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. "We knew the things that were on the line. That's something that we talked about: We wanted to try to get those two games in Morgantown."

Being one of the top four seeds in each NCAA region comes with the right to host first- and second-round games in the women's tournament. This year for the first time, the NCAA will announce those top 16 teams in alphabetical order Saturday as a teaser to Selection Sunday, when the full bracket comes out.

If the Mountaineers do get to host, it will be a historic achievement for the program. The only NCAA tournament women's game that has been played at West Virginia was in 1992, when the field was just 48 teams. The Mountaineers were a No. 4 seed with a first-round bye, then beat Clemson at home in the second round before falling at Virginia in the Sweet 16.

West Virginia was a No. 4 seed in 2021, but that year the entire NCAA tournament for the women was in the COVID-19 "bubble" in San Antonio. The Mountaineers were a No. 2 seed in 2014 and a No. 3 in 2010, but the NCAA was using pre-determined early-round sites at that time, and West Virginia had to play at LSU and Texas those years.

The only other time the Mountaineers won the Big 12 tournament was in 2017, when as the No. 6 seeds they upset No. 1 Baylor in the final. West Virginia was an NCAA No. 6 seed that year.

Mountaineers coach Mark Kellogg said Sunday was emotional for him for many reasons. He said his mother, who was from Missouri, died in December and that he was thinking of her throughout this tournament played in her home state.

"She would have been here," he said. "She would have loved every second of this."

He said he was also proud his team was able to beat TCU after tough losses to the Horned Frogs earlier this year: 51-50 on a buzzer-beater in January and 59-50 in February.

"We knew we needed to score more than 50," Kellogg said with a smile. "So we found a little bit of offense to get to 62... and 62 at times for us can be good enough."

Indeed, the Mountaineers, led by the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in Harrison, are known for their ability to shut down other teams. Sunday, they limited TCU to 33.3% shooting from the field.

"They played an awesome game today," Horned Frogs coach Mark Campbell said. "They did a heck of a job defensively and they just outplayed us. We've had great battles with them over the last couple of years and today they were the better team. We just didn't have it."

TCU senior guard and Big 12 Player of the Year Olivia Miles had 17 points Sunday, but was slowed by foul trouble.

Even with the loss, the Horned Frogs are sure to be in the NCAA's top 16 seeds for the second straight season. Now, they hope to be placed in the Fort Worth region with the chance to stay in their home city for possibly four games.

"This hurts, but I'm so proud of what our program's accomplished," said Campbell, who took TCU to the Elite Eight for the first time last year. "It's so stinking hard to win the championship. The regular season? That's two-and-a-half months of grinding. This group has done a heck of a job. We just didn't do enough today."