West Virginia guard Sydney Shaw (5) during an NCAA college basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

MORGANTOWN — There aren’t a lot of perfect women’s basketball teams this season. UConn is the only undefeated team left and is No. 1 in the AP Poll, rightfully so. There are a lot of teams that are close to perfect, rounding out the top 15, who have one, two, or three losses. West Virginia women’s basketball faces one of those near-perfect teams this weekend, hosting No. 14 Baylor on Sunday at 1 p.m.

“The gauntlet of the Big 12 schedule kind of continues,” head coach Mark Kellogg said.

The Bears are 18-3 overall, 8-1 in conference, and their No. 14 ranking makes them the second-highest-ranked team Kellogg’s squad has faced this season. TCU, who the Mountaineers lost by one point to, is ranked No. 12 as the highest-ranked Big 12 team.

Baylor’s three losses are to all now-ranked teams, including No. 8 Iowa, No. 4 Texas and No. 21 Texas Tech. The Bears’ only conference loss is to the Red Raiders, and they lost by just one point without their leading scorer. Since the loss, Baylor has won eight-straight, which included a win over at the time No. 10 Iowa State.

“I think they are playing great,” Kellogg said. “They lost the first league game without their leading scorer. Rattled off eight straight. It’s a really, really good team, well-coached, veteran team.”

Defensively, there’s an argument that Baylor is the best team in the conference.

The Bears only allow 56.4 points per game, and impressively, block an average of seven shots a game, which is third in the country. 6-foot-4 forward Kiersten Johnson leads the team with two blocks a game.

Kellogg isn’t too worried about the blocks, but knows the defense will create challenges.

“They are great defensively,” Kellogg said. “Their defensive metrics are off the charts. Points are maybe at a premium for sure. You try to use some of their strengths against them. There are certain things you can do to eliminate that. Blocks in our game don’t bother me as much as in the men’s game. Typically, in our game, blocks go out of bounds, so you retain possession, as on the men’s side, where you can keep the block in play.”

The offense is where Baylor takes a bit of a dip in production. The Bears average the seventh-most points per game in the Big 12 — WVU is fourth for comparison. Baylor relies more on the defense to win games.

That’s not saying the offense is something to pass over. Baylor does have some prolific scorers. Taliah Scott is one of the best guards in the conference and top 20 in all of women’s basketball. She averages 20.3 points per game. Baylor has a couple of significant role players, too, including forwards Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Bella Fontleroy.

“They are solid offensively for sure,” Kellogg said. “That’s probably an understatement. They are better than solid. They are really, really good on the offensive end as well.”

WVU has the offensive advantage, with the help of guards Gia Cooke, Sydney Shaw and forward Kierra Wheeler. The Mountaineers just need to get out in front early, which hasn’t happened in recent games. WVU trailed against Arizona State, BYU and recently against Utah. The Mountaineers managed to beat the Sun Devils and the Cougars, but they weren’t so fortunate recently against Utah. If Baylor gets out in front, it’ll be the Bears’ game to lose with their defense.

“We have to get that figured out,” Kellogg said. “We have to get out in front of people, and not continue to play from behind.”

That’s easier said than done, especially against Baylor, who, on offense and defense, is as good as it gets. WVU isn’t far off, though, even after a recent loss to Utah. With a win, the Mountaineers will be right back on track, closing in on the top of the Big 12.

“This is a complete team, maybe playing as well as, or the best, as anybody in our league,” Kellogg said. “They’ll present a great challenge.”