This evening, the West Virginia Mountaineers will begin their quest in the women’s NCAA Tournament, playing host to No. 13 seed Miami (OH) at 5 p.m. ET.
Barring something crazy happening, WVU should have no problem with the RedHawks tonight, with all due respect to the MAC champions. The Mountaineers have been incredibly tough to beat at home, and with a sold-out crowd on hand, I don’t see Miami hanging around in this one for long.
But what about after tonight’s game? How deep can West Virginia go? Yesterday, Joey Bray and I each agreed that the Sweet Sixteen is where the end of the road will be, with each of us picking the Mountaineers over Kentucky in the Round of 32.
Earlier this morning, I was digging around the web to see what others thought of the Mountaineers and stumbled upon a group of celebrities’ picks in ESPN’s bracket challenge.
What the celebrities say
Stephen A. Smith, ESPN personality, radio host and sports analyst, is one of the hosts of First Take. He is pictured before the show’s stop at Bethune-Cookman University during its HBCU fall tour on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. | Nadia Zomorodian/News-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Stephen A. Smith (ESPN personality): Sweet 16, losing to Texas
Stanford Steve (SportsCenter commenter): Round of 32, losing to Kentucky
Joe Fortenbaugh (ESPN betting content): Sweet 16, losing to Texas
Harry Douglas (Former NFL WR): Sweet 16, losing to Texas
Randy Scott (SportsCenter host): Sweet 16, losing to Texas
Mike Clay (ESPN NFL Senior Writer): Round of 32, losing to Kentucky
Gary Striewski (ESPN anchor): Sweet 16, losing to Texas
Matt Shick (ESPN radio): Round of 32, losing to Kentucky
Hannah Storm (SportsCenter anchor): Round of 32, losing to Kentucky
Dari Nowkhah (Lead anchor, SEC Network): Round of 32, losing to Kentucky
Michael Eaves (SportsCenter anchor): Round of 32, losing to Kentucky
Shae Cornette (ESPN First Take host): Round of 32, losing to Kentucky
Jay Harris (SportsCenter host): Round of 32, losing to Kentucky
David Lloyd (SportsCenter host): Round of 32, losing to Kentucky
A surprisingly popular pick…
West Virginia University guard Sydney Shaw | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI
Kentucky is a good team, don’t get me wrong. I’m just stunned that nine of the fourteen recognizable names I listed chose the Wildcats to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The Kentucky brand, even in women’s hoops, is much stronger than West Virginia’s. Brands don’t in games, though, and I think many are just so unfamiliar with how good the Mountaineers have become on Mark Kellogg’s watch and how incredibly challenging it is to score on this group.
Hope Coliseum is going to be a madhouse for these first two rounds, and if we do get a West Virginia-Kentucky second-round matchup, that Mountaineer crowd will do everything it can to help push them to the finish line.
If so, they will likely take on Texas in the Sweet Sixteen, and if we’re being honest, they’ll need a miracle to advance. The Longhorns are long, extremely athletic, and have several pro-caliber players on their roster.