2026 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2026

Mark Kellogg

Jordan Harrison

Sydney Shaw

T-Mobile Center

West Virginia Mountaineers

Postgame Press Conference

West Virginia - 62, TCU - 53

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by the tournament champions -- West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg, All-Tournament Team member Sydney Shaw and tournament Most Outstanding Player Jordan Harrison.

MARK KELLOGG: Obviously super proud, super happy, probably even a little emotional at the time. There is so much that goes into this, so many people that are part of programs and cultures.

I said it out there on the stage, but it starts at the president level. I have a phenomenal athletic director that I've been with at a couple of places that just kind of gives you opportunities, gets out of your way a little bit. Lets us do our thing. Great coaches, great staff.

We have unbelievable character around us, the players included. And then all credit to those guys. They did all the hard work. We just try to put the plans together and put them in place and let those kids go showcase what they're capable of. I think that was on display tonight.

So much respect for TCU, Coach Campbell. That's a phenomenal program. He's done a great job there. We felt like we were so close the first two times we played them. Obviously felt like we really let one go, get away from us at our place.

I felt good when I woke up today. I felt like our kids were dialed in. I thought we were ready to play. We knew we were going to have to make some big shots. We had to defend at the level that I think we're capable of. We needed to score more than 50, which is what we'd scored the first two times we played them. So we found a little bit of offense to get to, I don't even know, what did we get to, 62? So 62 at times for us can be good enough.

My mom passed away end of December. She's from Missouri. I coached a year at Maryville at Northwest Missouri State. Both of my parents are from the state of Missouri. So to come back here, she would have been here, obviously she loved every second of this. That's just some of the emotions I guess are kind of flooded here because you work so hard and you spend so much time.

You miss out on your family. But to have the rest of my family's here. And it's special. It's been on my mind a little bit just being back here and how much she would be loving this. So super thankful. Emotional, but mostly proud of these two guys.

Q. You talked a lot this season about putting together four complete quarters. How close was this performance tonight against a really great TCU defense?

MARK KELLOGG: It was good. It was probably a little better than that. I don't know if we put all four quarters together but, yeah, we're getting closer and closer, and when you're playing elite talent -- and I think probably Suarez and Miles are going to be top 10 draft picks, and you're playing at that level of talent and try to be disruptive and keep them off balance and then try to defend the rest of them who are really good players, and I thought for the most part we did a good job on the two of them. Got some points laid on us and hit a few 3s there late. But, yeah, no, I thought our kids were dialed into the game plan. They executed, but they compete, man, they just will go out and get after you and they guard and they're relentless.

Jordan kind of sets the tone obviously with her defensive ability. Sydney Shaw was fantastic in this tournament. She earned this right. It's absolutely crazy to me that she didn't make an all conference team.

That is absolutely, she led our league in 3-point shooting. She's a senior on the second-best team. So for her to get this is pretty special and to be on that all-tournament team because that kid certainly earned that right.

Q. Talking about, Jordan, setting the tone. You made the first 3-point basket of the game. How much did that help you find the rhythm and kind of get into a flow state in this game?

JORDAN HARRISON: Honestly, just seeing the ball go through the hole is all I needed to just get ready and get going.

And especially it being the 3 ball and them going under the screen, hitting that, I think made them question whether they was going under or over under.

But, yeah, I just knew I had to get started, get hot for our team to have a chance to win.

Q. Sydney and Jordan, I know you have to wait a week for the bracket to come out, but this goes a long way to you guys being able to host. I know that was probably on your mind a little bit. Can you just talk about having so much to play for today and the way you were able to perform with both wanting to win a championship and getting that potential top 16 seed?

JORDAN HARRISON: Very important. We knew the things that were on the line. That was something we talked about. We wanted to get two games in Morgantown.

We knew it was on the line, but most importantly we wanted to stay in the presence of the game and the situation. And we knew if we did that this would be the outcome of it.

Q. Coach, you go back, I think it's almost four months, you played in one of the weirdest games I think most of us have ever seen, where you close a game out with five kids at the Greenbrier. At that time, what did that teach you about your team's character, to be able to win that game? And has that in some ways carried over into the character that they've displayed all season?

MARK KELLOGG: Yeah, seems almost like seasons ago with everything that this group has been through. But, yeah, that was special. I would think we rallied, right? Would that be a fair -- I think we rallied around each other after that one. Kind of improbable, I guess, to most.

I think we continued to believe when those five, the Greenbrier 5 as we've kind of dubbed them locally anyway, is the Greenbrier 5 were out there and found a way to win that game obviously against a really good Duke team.

I think we've had a few of those moments. That would be one of them this year. Some didn't go on our way, too, though that I thought we responded to, because I thought we responded after the TCU buzzer-beating loss, and we didn't respond great after the Ohio State loss, which we thought we had a great opportunity to win.

So we've just gotten better. I thought our non-league schedule was really good and put us in these situations to, I think we're getting comfortable in this now. And even in this tournament the first two games, they made runs at us in the first quarter. That's where I think you're seeing us relax, and we're in those timeouts. And then we go make those runs. And then thankfully we played from the front most of the time tonight where it felt comfortable.

Q. Coach, you mentioned changes to your tactics. Defensively, it looked like not so much an all-out press but really just trying to disrupt them, get them out of their offensive rhythm. Seemed that was successful. Was that the idea? And what was the key in doing that?

MARK KELLOGG: We were trying to be a little more disruptive, I guess, would be the right word. You're probably not just going to turn over Olivia Miles all the time. But if it's making Suarez bring it up a little bit or Hunter and try to get it out of Miles' hands.

If it's not that maybe taking time off the clock. There's different things we can do with it. I don't want to get give away the whole game plan in case we need it again.

But disruption is a part of what we do for sure. And that is what we wanted, to be a little more disruptive, which, we still only got to 11 turnovers. So, didn't necessarily do a great job there, but we were plus-7 in the points off turnovers, and that's a huge advantage in a game like that.

Q. Sydney, was playing for this honor -- and I know the win was obviously first -- but was playing for this and making a spot on the team a motivator for you coming into this tournament?

SYDNEY SHAW: No, definitely I think I felt very disrespected when I heard that list. And I just made me check myself and realize that I gotta go out and show people. Especially having my team behind me is a great motivator for all that and everything.

Q. Sydney and Jordan, why were you guys eating lemons on the bench before the game?

SYDNEY SHAW: Shock the system. Keep your feet where you are.

Q. Did it wake you up?

JORDAN HARRISON: M-hm, yeah.

Q. Coach, Jordan's up for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year late-season watch list. I think we saw that evident in the course of this tournament. What can you say about her, obviously you know her like the back of your hand, but her defensive presence as one of the elite defenders in the country?

MARK KELLOGG: Obviously, I've seen Jordan from day one. We knew that when we recruited her, just how elite she was on the defensive end. JJ with her was just a phenomenal 2. And probably JJ got some of that. And Jordan maybe and Quinerly was phenomenal.

But I'm just so happy that Jordan's getting to kind of showcase the ability that she has. She typically goes to the best guard for sure when we're in the man. Obviously we know what she does in the press and how effective she is there.

And then I think it's just contagious. I think that's the best thing that you can do is you know you're really a good defensive player. But now, show how much better you are defensively since you've been here.

SYDNEY SHAW: You gotta guard Jordan, too, at practice.

MARK KELLOGG: So it works both ways. It's buy-in from everybody. And so you become an elite defensive team because you're a point guard, who sets this tone, just commits to that. And so it makes your job as a coach a little easier. We've become one of the best defensive teams in the country. It's not by accident because Jordan Harrison has been leading this thing for three years.

Q. The margins in March are pretty thin. Yesterday you had a thin margin. How much did that result help you today?

MARK KELLOGG: I don't know that there was a lot of carry-over from game plan because that's two completely different types of teams. Having played TCU helped probably a little bit in the quick turnaround because we've already played them twice so the prep, we knew we had to make a few adjustments, but outside of that there wasn't a ton there.

But every time you're in those games you grow from it. The response from Arizona State, Colorado, they made the run in the fourth quarter -- and I guess Colorado even took the lead right -- and then you know you go on and answer it. And then we're in timeouts and we're catching our breath. And they just believe.

We just don't overreact and that's kind of my personality, just tried to get them to be as even-keeled as I can, and we're not too high, not too low. But's that's not the case because Shaw's not even-keeled, but that's probably why we balance each other out a little bit and a few of the other players.

But it's just a really well-connected group. So when we get in those moments, which we had the night before, probably did help a little bit.

Q. I think you all are probably the epitome of height doesn't really mean a doggone thing when it comes to the court. You all outrebounded them just because they have those taller forwards. What are some of the things you all work on just to make sure that you're being more physical than your opponent and making sure you're getting to the glass and putting that pressure on them?

JORDAN HARRISON: Honestly, it just takes heart. That's what Coach tells us, that rebounding is all about just heart, if you want to do it. He has us do drills for it, but he always just tells us, like, rebounding is just, like, you've got to have it or you don't have it.

But with the heart and height thing, yeah, I've always been short my whole life, but I found my ways to maneuver around that and score in ways that I need to score because of my height. But, like they said, heart over height any day, for sure.

Q. Coach, yesterday Kansas State couldn't find an answer for Suarez, both inside and from the perimeter. What did you take from that, and what did you apply to effectively contain her today?

MARK KELLOGG: Meme Wheeler is the answer. I just think -- Meme is a pretty good match. I mean, Suarez is really good. But Meme Wheeler probably is a little under-appreciated as well for what she can do. Heard Jordan talking about it out there on the stage, just the ability to get us paint production, some tough baskets.

We finally got her to slow down, she was going so fast, -- Meme was -- to start the game off offensively, then finally settled down. Meme's physical, she's a tough kid so she can kind of battle Suarez a little bit. I know she still got to 16-8, but Meme gets to 10-8, and so we kind of control that match-up a little bit better.

So we feel good, actually, when we go into that one with the Meme/Suarez, that we can kind of try to stay one-on-one and not have to help off some of the other playmakers or shooters that they have.

Q. Jordan, you've touched on this a little bit. When you're driving in the lane against two taller teams like Colorado, you know how TCU are, are you reading things to figure out whether you can get a shot off, or what's going through your head? Or is some of it just happen?

JORDAN HARRISON: A majority of the time, I'm just going. A lot of times, if they come, then I'll drop it off to my teammates, so I will read that. But other than that, I just want to score and get to the basket. If they block it, majority of the time it's going out of bounds, so we'll get it back.

Q. Jordan, what did it feel like -- you finished that game, you slammed the ball down, run over to your teammates?

JORDAN HARRISON: It felt great. Honestly, it felt like a dream a little bit. I was just super happy, super excited, very emotional about it, but I'm just proud of my team and glad that we got that opportunity.

Q. Coach, going forward, what does the preparation look like as you guys are all getting ready for the NCAA Tournament?

MARK KELLOGG: I have no idea. We'll figure that out. I don't know. We'll enjoy it tonight, rest up, I guess, for the next couple days. I think they probably earned a few days off. Couple days off. We'll let them rest up.

I don't want this to be the defining moment either. I want this to continue. I think we've had that group, they've been on a mission.

We certainly think we've done enough to get some games in Morgantown. I hope it plays out that way for this group. They've absolutely earned that.

We don't find out until next weekend. Until then, we'll regroup. We'll get them rested. We'll be excited for whatever comes our way regardless if that's home or on the road. But we certainly think we've earned the right. Couple days off. We'll get them back on track, keep kind of where we're at, want to keep their flow, their tempo and pace, keep a ball in their hands. But rest, for sure, because they've earned that.

Q. What makes this Big 12 league so special that's like different from any other league, Power Four league in the country?

MARK KELLOGG: Obviously we've seen the parity. We're getting these super leagues too. You don't play everybody twice so you don't get to see everybody. I think when you get in these tournaments that's what you see too. Seedings maybe don't exactly align with the standings just based on who you play and don't play.

But, yeah, just anybody's capable. I've said it. I've heard a couple of other coaches in our league say, you can beat anybody on any night, but you can probably get beaten as well if you don't play well.

So I think we're as quality as it's been. I think the non-conference schedule across all of our schools in the league was really, really good this year.

So, yeah, I've been kind of trying to push I guess a little bit for, I think, we should have eight-plus teams probably in that NCAA Tournament because of the depth of the league.