MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Two results must fall in West Virginia’s favor Sunday for the Mountaineers to claim their second Big 12 regular season championship in program history. The first is in WVU’s control while the second is not.
No. 17 West Virginia (23-6, 13-4 Big 12) hosts Cincinnati (11-18, 6-11 Big 12) at Hope Coliseum at 2 p.m. Shortly after the Mountaineers and the Bearcats clear the court in Morgantown, league-leading TCU (26-4, 14-3 Big 12) will tip off against Baylor (24-6, 13-4 Big 12) at 4 p.m.
While WVU has no path to claim the No. 1 seed in next week’s Big 12 Conference Tournament, West Virginia can still clinch a share of the Big 12 title for the first time since 2014. If WVU defeats Cincinnati and Baylor knocks off TCU, the Mountaineers, Horned Frogs and Bears will all share the Big 12 title with 14-4 records.
“If we are fortunate enough to beat Cincinnati and something else happens later Sunday, awesome, you are a Big 12 champion,” said WVU head coach Mark Kellogg. “If not, we’ll be a No. 2 seed. That’s pretty damn good too and you are playing for all sorts of NCAA stuff.”
WVU can finish no lower than the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, clinching a double bye into the quarterfinal round. They will open play in Kansas City on Friday, March 6.
Mark Kellogg on coaching Jordan Harrison for four seasons (1 at SFA, 3 at WVU):
WVU hosts Cincinnati Sunday on Senior Day. pic.twitter.com/rHdN3sg6ht
— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) February 27, 2026
The Mountaineers remain very much in the mix for a Top 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosting rights for the first two rounds. In Charlie Creme’s latest ESPN Bracketology, WVU is listed as a No. 5 seed in the Norman regional. West Virginia checks in at No. 19 in the latest NCAA NET ratings.
West Virginia is coming off a 74-62 win at UCF on Wednesday. The Mountaineers defeated the Knights by 50 points two weeks ago.
“UCF played much better, much, much better. Getting [Khyala] Ngodu back changes their whole look. It wasn’t as simple as that. I am making it much simpler than it is. Certainly we made some shots, hit some threes, got out in transition a little bit before that defense could set.”
Although the Mountaineers hope to host NCAA Tournament games, Sunday’s contest could be the last at Hope Coliseum for WVU’s senior class of Jordan Harrison, Cici Riviere, Sydney Shaw, Kierra Wheeler and Sydney Woodley.
Harrison was one of Kellogg’s first recruits at WVU. She played for Kellogg at Stephen F. Austin as a freshman. The 2022-2023 Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year has developed into one of the Big 12’s elite guards, earning all-league honors in each of the last two seasons. Harrison averages 12.7 points per game and she leads the Mountaineers in minutes per game (31.7), assists (146) and steals (90).
“I’ll probably try not to have emotion unless she has some emotion,” Kellogg said. “That might trigger it a little bit more. But I will try to be the calm, cool, collected guy out there.”
“She is amazing. I love Jordan so much. She is a sweet girl. She is funny,” Wheeler said. “I mess with her all the time just because you’ve got to mess with the little people. As post players, they feel your presence. Jordan has been amazing, just having somebody that is passionate about basketball and somebody that is willing to be kind but will also let me know what it is and what it isn’t.”
Shaw has played two seasons at WVU after transferring in from Auburn. Woodley and Riviere are also two-year Mountaineers after transferring in from Long Beach State and NW Florida State, respectively. Wheeler joined the WVU roster from Norfolk State during the most recent offseason.
“Stepping on the floor for our last time in our last home game is definitely going to be emotional, especially for Jordan and Cici and those that have been here for so many years,” Wheeler said. “The fans love them and they adore them. I am just excited to see how much they show up for them.”
West Virginia defeated Cincinnati at Fifth Third Arena, 84-76 on January 18. Leading 43-26 at halftime, the Mountaineers struggled to pull away from the Bearcats in the second half before winning by eight points. Five WVU players scored in double digits and they were led by Wheeler’s 17-point effort.
“Obviously, we have played Cincinnati several times, multiple times a year in our tenure,” Kellogg said. “One time, it was three when we played them in the tournament as well. So there is some familiarity, obviously there. They are playing better. They are playing people close. They had TCU down at half and TCU went on a big run in that third quarter. Cincinnati still punched back a little bit late. They are certainly more than capable and they are playing with a lot of confidence.”
Cincinnati stands 13th in the Big 12 standings. The Bearcats come to Morgantown with three wins in their last five games after knocking off Arizona, BYU and UCF.