Honestly, if you're just looking at the WVU womens basketball schedule to see when the next home game is, you’re missing the bigger picture of what Mark Kellogg is building in Morgantown. It's not just about dates on a calendar. It's about a specific brand of "press Virginia" style basketball that has turned the Coliseum into a house of horrors for visiting teams.
People keep waiting for the drop-off. They thought it would happen after the coaching change, then after losing J.J. Quinerly—a literal legend who put up over 2,000 career points. But here we are in the 2025-26 season, and the Mountaineers are still causing absolute chaos on the court.
The Big 12 Gauntlet: Why the Schedule is a Minefield
The Big 12 is basically a nightly fistfight now. You've got the addition of schools like Utah and Arizona, making the travel schedules look like something out of a pro league itinerary.
For West Virginia, the January and February stretch is where seasons go to die or thrive. This year, the back-to-back road trips to places like Provo and Salt Lake City are brutal. You’re talking about playing at high altitude against teams that have very different styles of play than the defensive-heavy Big 12 original members.
Take a look at the mid-season grind:
- January 24: Away at BYU (Provo, Utah) – 9:30 PM tip-off. That’s a late-night flight and a tough environment.
- January 27: Away at Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Another high-altitude game just three days later.
- February 1: Home vs. Baylor – The "Coal Rush" game. This is the one fans circle in red.
The Baylor game is a huge deal. It’s a Sunday 1:00 PM tip, and the atmosphere in Morgantown for those "Rush" games—whether it's Gold, Blue, or Coal—is genuinely top-tier in women’s college basketball. If you're planning to attend just one game, that might be the one.
Life After Quinerly: A Different Kind of Threat
There was a lot of talk during the off-season about how Kellogg would replace J.J. Quinerly’s 20 points per game. You don't just find that in the portal easily. But the WVU womens basketball schedule for 2025-26 has shown us a more balanced, perhaps even more dangerous, offensive unit.
Instead of relying on one superstar to bail out a possession, the scoring is spread out. Transfers like Gia Cooke (from Houston) and Kierra Wheeler (Norfolk State) have integrated faster than most expected. Wheeler, in particular, provides a physical presence in the paint that WVU sometimes lacked last year.
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Then there’s Sydney Shaw. She’s been huge. Her performance against Duke earlier this season—a 57-49 win at the Greenbrier Tipoff—proved this team can win ugly. And in the Big 12, winning ugly is a survival skill.
Key Home Stands at the Coliseum
If you’ve never been to the WVU Coliseum for a women’s game, you’re missing out on one of the best values in sports. Tickets are often around $10, and the proximity to the court is incredible.
Notable Promotional Nights
- January 21 vs. Arizona State: The "True Blue" game. Everyone wears blue, and the energy is typically electric for a mid-week Big 12 clash.
- February 7 vs. Arizona: This is a Saturday 2:00 PM game. Perfect for families, and it’s a rematch of a very physical game from last season.
- February 11 vs. UCF: Black History Month Celebration and Community Night.
The schedule also features a few "Happy Hour" games. For the weeknight matchups, like the one against UCF on February 11, select concessions are often half-off from the time doors open until tip-off. It’s a smart move by the athletic department to get people in the seats by 7:00 PM on a Wednesday.
The Defensive Identity: Why the "Press" Still Matters
Mark Kellogg didn't abandon the defensive pressure that made WVU famous under previous regimes; he just refined it. They aren't just trapping for the sake of trapping. It's a calculated, "bend but don't break" style that forces turnovers at a high rate without giving up constant layups on the back end.
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When you look at the WVU womens basketball schedule, you have to account for the fatigue this style causes—not just for the opponents, but for the Mountaineers themselves. Depth is the only way to survive. Having a rotation that goes 10 deep is why they were able to pull off that win at Iowa State (83-70) in early January. They simply outran a very good Cyclones team in the fourth quarter.
Addressing the "Easy Non-Conference" Myth
Every year, critics look at the early part of the schedule and complain about the "cupcakes." This year, WVU played Mercyhurst and Texas Southern. Sure, those are lopsided scores (109-40 against Texas Southern), but these games serve a purpose.
Kellogg uses these windows to fix the rotation. You saw it this year—freshman Madison Parrish got meaningful minutes in November that prepared her for the Big 12 speed in January. Without those "easy" games, you can't blood the new talent. Plus, the neutral-site win over Duke and the narrow loss to Ohio State in the Bahamas provided plenty of "Quad 1" opportunities to keep the NET rankings healthy.
What Most Fans Miss About the Rankings
Users often obsess over the AP Top 25, but for the WVU womens basketball schedule, the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) is king.
Last year, the Mountaineers were a metrics darling because they didn't just win; they dominated the teams they were supposed to beat. Efficient margin of victory matters. When WVU puts up 100 points on Houston (like they did on December 21), it sends their ranking skyrocketing, even if Houston is having a down year.
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Upcoming Critical Stretch
- February 15 at TCU: A Sunday night game (8:00 PM) in Fort Worth. This is a massive "revenge" game after the heartbreaker in Morgantown earlier in the season.
- February 21 vs. Oklahoma State: A Saturday afternoon game that usually determines seeding for the Big 12 Tournament.
The Road to Kansas City
Everything in the WVU womens basketball schedule leads to the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City for the Big 12 Championship.
The tournament starts March 4, 2026. Because the conference has expanded to 16 teams, the "double-bye" is more valuable than ever. To get that, WVU basically needs to finish in the top four of the standings. It’s a tall order given the strength of the league, but with the way they’ve played at home—boasting a nearly perfect record at the Coliseum over the last year and a half—it’s entirely possible.
Actionable Insights for Mountaineer Fans
If you're following the team through the rest of the winter, here is how to stay ahead:
- Download the WVU Gameday App: This is the most reliable place for last-minute tip-off changes. Television networks (especially ESPN+ and FS1) often move game times with only a few weeks' notice.
- Watch the "Coal Rush" Jersey Announcements: Usually, the team will announce special uniforms for the Baylor game on February 1 a few days prior. It’s a huge hit with the fans and usually coincides with merch drops.
- Check the NET Rankings Every Monday: Don't just look at the AP poll. If you want to know if WVU is actually safe for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament, the NET ranking is the real indicator.
- Park at the Blue Lot: For women's games, parking is generally much easier than for the men's games, but the Blue Lot is still the best bet for a quick exit after the final buzzer.
The Mountaineers are proving that they aren't a one-hit-wonder under Kellogg. They have a system, they have the depth, and most importantly, they have a schedule that gives them plenty of chances to prove they belong in the national conversation. Keep an eye on those February road trips; if they can split those games in Texas and Florida, they’ll be in a prime position for a deep run in March.
Stay tuned to the official athletics site for any weather-related shifts, especially for those January mid-week games where West Virginia winters can be unpredictable.
Next Steps: Check your local listings for the upcoming Cincinnati away game on January 18th, as it's a key regional rivalry that often sets the tone for the second half of conference play.