What Mark Kellogg Said Ahead of First Round Game in NCAA Tournament

For the first time since 1992, the West Virginia Mountaineers will be hosting games in the NCAA Tournament. No. 5 seed Kentucky and No. 12 James Madison will play inside Hope Coliseum first at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, with No. 4 West Virginia and No. 13 Miami (Ohio) playing at 5 p.m.

On Friday afternoon, WVU head coach Mark Kellogg spoke with the media ahead of the tournament. Here's what he had to say.

If he’s felt any pressure leading into this weekend

“I have not felt that. I’m still excited for our program, excited for the state. It’s just a tremendous opportunity. It hasn’t happened here in 34ish years, I believe. It’s not just about playing a home game; there’s so much work that goes into it. I know our players are excited to get to play here, too. Pressure? I don’t know. It’s a privilege, I guess, if that’s such a thing. I’m sure I’ll have the same anxious butterflies I have before we play, just like every game we’ve played the entire season.”

The scout on Miami (Ohio)

“They’re used to winning. They’re playing with a ton of confidence. They can shoot it offensively. It looks to me like they’ve kind of been known for what they do on the defensive end, and now, maybe in his third year, this is the best offensive group that he has. They can spread you, space you. They shoot at all five positions. They have a really dynamic point guard in (Tamar) Singer that can set the tone and set the stage for the rest of them. But yeah, they’re versatile, they’re deep. They have their league’s Player of the Year in (Amber) Tretter, so yeah, it’s a very good, well-coached team.”

What Jordan Harrison means to her

“Jordan and I’s relationship goes back to the high school recruiting days, so there’s a bond with her, her family. I’ve alluded to how special that kid is to me, and just the loyalty that she showed when she chose to come here with me and hadn’t even taken the visit. And then just to watch her grow and develop as a person, as a player. I’ve seen her battle through stuff to start this year when she wasn’t playing at the level that she thought she was capable of, and to continue to just fight and work through it. Sometimes that’s what it takes.”