West Virginia women’s basketball is set to begin their NCAA Tournament run on Saturday evening and as they do so, all eyes will be on them.
The Mountaineers finding out they were headed to Iowa City for the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Sunday meant one thing. They will be at the smack dab middle of the women’s college basketball world, and really the college basketball world.
Caitlin Clark, the face of college basketball according to West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg will be playing her final game or two at her home arena, but in order to face her, the Mountaineers will have to worry about a different Kaitlyn — Kaitlyn Chen.
“She’s the greatest scorer in basketball history. She’s fun to watch. My kids are here, they love to watch her. A lot of people even that sit in my seat can sit and watch as a fan because she’s talented. She’s changed our game, she’s changed viewership. It’s not just her, but she’s the face,” Kellogg said of Clark.
WVU is going to have to stop Chen if they want to potentially face Clark in the second round.
“That Caitlyn’s really really, good too. She is special good. Watched her a ton just trying to figure out to slow her and slow them down. I think extremely, extremely, well coached. they run great stuff, they’ve veteran,” Kellogg said. “They have our complete attention. Our full attention is on Princeton, we know how good they are.”
Chen is averaging just under 16 points per game, shooting 49 percent from the field, and has five assists per game. Six times this season she has scored 20 or more points, including 24 against UCLA, and 31 against Villanova. She also scored 20 in Princeton’s win over Oklahoma.
The Mountaineers plan to counter Chen with their superstar guard JJ Quinerly. Quinerly was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, an All-American selection, as well as being named an All League First Team Member. Like Clark, Quinerly also has a following. Kellogg said the state of West Virginia has rallied around what he calls, their “unassuming superstar.” Whether it be girls dressing up like her on halloween or waiting for her outside of the WVU Coliseum, WVU is going to rely on her if they want to make a run.
“I’ve termed her the unassuming superstar all year. Was really even quiet when I first got here. She’s opened up a ton, she’s learned how to communicate a little bit better, learned how to lead. It’s not vocally all the time. Most of the time it’s just by her effort. I think she’s grown into that,” Kellogg said.
Kellogg and the Mountaineers had a record start to the season, going undefeated in non-conference play. That extended early into Big 12 play, but then down the stretch, they lost four of their last six, with three of those losses coming to teams in the NCAA Tournament.
Kellogg hopes what they’ve learned from that is how to play in. close games. WVU didn’t lose all of their close games late in the season, beating Oklahoma at home, and should have beaten Baylor at home.
“I hope that’s just a learning experience for us that helps us in these types of situations. That’s what you hope the Big 12 has done for us because we’ve been in so many close games. Some you’ve lost, some you’ve win, but you’re better because you’ve played in those games,” Kellogg said.
Saturday serves as an opportunity for West Virginia women’s basketball to earn the right to face Caitlin Clark, but knowing they have to get through Kaitlyn Chen first. Tip-off is set between No. 8 WVU and No. 9 Princeton for 5:30 p.m. EST Saturday with the game being televised on ESPN2.
