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Michael Vaupel, ESPN.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — West Virginia women's basketball coach Mark Kellogg was looking to energize his fan base with Sunday's selection, but given another chance, he might choose a different tack.
After learning that the eighth-seeded Mountaineers were playing in an early-round game in the women's NCAA Tournament at Iowa, Kellogg told the team and its supporters, “We're going to get one win and then send Caitlin Clark packing.'' Let's let it happen,'' he said.
The Mountaineers will face No. 9 seed Princeton in the first round on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2) here at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game follows Clark and the top-seeded Hawkeyes' game against 16th-seeded Holy Cross (3 p.m. ET, ABC).
There was constant chatter about Clark being the face of her sport this season. Still, Kellogg said Iowa fans have expressed their sadness online. He was asked about the comments again on Friday.
“I'm not [trash-talker] …I'm not here to get Caitlin Clark. It's not Mark Kellogg vs. Caitlin Clark,'' Kellogg said, noting the Mountaineers need to focus on Ivy League champion Princeton before thinking about how to slow down Clark if Iowa also wins. .
“Honestly, our seeding is where it started. It wasn't the seeding that maybe some of the people in the room were expecting. It wasn't even necessarily the seeding that I was expecting. .So we were like, “OK, well, let's get over it. Come on, let's do it.” Tell me about Princeton. Of course, everyone there knows who Caitlin Clark is. ”
Hence the Kellogg joke. Meanwhile, Holy Cross coach Maureen McGarity said her younger daughters are fans of Clark and joked that her oldest daughter might help with the scouting report.
“They watch more Caitlin Clark games than I do,” Magarity said. “You can't help but be in awe of everything she does. I probably shouldn't say this, but we've been there. [Iowa] I went to the bookstore yesterday…and there was one shirt I was looking for, and it looked like it was going to be sold out soon, so I might have to buy it. ”
As for Clark, like many athletes he can get angry when he receives disrespect or negative comments, but he didn't seem concerned about Kellogg's comments. This will be the last NCAA Tournament for the senior guard, who leads Division I in scoring, assists and 3-point shooting. Clark has had big good times (she led Iowa to the Final Four in 2023) and bad times (she was upset by Creighton in the second round in Iowa City in 2022), and she and the Hawkeyes have had some great times. She said people should be ready for whatever happens.
Clark also spoke Friday about how he knows the Hawkeyes are in a tough area with multiple challengers. But after reaching the Final Four last season, they are ready for it.
“I think our region probably has the most talent,” Clark said. “But at the same time, we're also the No. 1 seed in the region. There's no reason for us to shy away from anything. We can work with every team in the country. We also have a lot of really good teams. We better be ready to play every night in a country that can beat us.
“Our group understands that. … I don't think any of us want an easy run to the Final Four. This is not the way to do it. This is not the way it was done last year.” ..We had to find a way, be resilient, to get to where we wanted to go.”
