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)

As it turns out, Sydney Shaw had another reason to be motivated to help the 15th-ranked WVU women’s basketball team capture the Big 12 women’s tournament.

It came from the other Big 12 coaches, who omitted Shaw’s name from the all-Big 12 team that was released prior to the start of the tournament.

“Sydney Shaw was fantastic in this tournament,” said WVU head coach Mark Kellogg, who is not permitted to vote for his players for all-Big 12 honors. “She earned this right. It’s absolutely crazy to me that she didn’t make an all-conference team.

“She led our league in 3-point shooting. She’s a senior on the second-best team (during the regular season).”

Shaw, who led the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage (41.6%) and is second in the conference with 87 3-pointers overall, finished with 17 points and three 3-pointers in the Mountaineers’ 62-53 victory against No. 10 TCU on Sunday in the title game, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

On the all-Big 12 team this season, WVU guard Jordan Harrison was named to the first team. The Mountaineers had no players on the second or third teams. Gia Cooke and Kierra Wheeler were named honorable mention.

The first, second and third teams were comprised of 20 players – 10 on the first team and five each on second and third – meaning, in the eyes of the Big 12 coaches, the Mountaineers (27-6) took second place in the conference with just one player among the top 20 players in the league.

“I think I felt very disrespected when I heard that list,” Shaw said. “And it just made me check myself and realize that I’ve got to go out and show people.”

Shaw averaged 13.7 points over WVU’s three games in the Big 12 tournament, while combining for nine 3-pointers. She was named to the all-tournament team. Harrison was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

“For (Shaw) to get this (championship) is pretty special and to be on that all-tournament team, because that kid certainly earned that right,” Kellogg said.

EMOTIONAL TIME FOR KELLOGG

Celebrating the title in the state of Missouri brought extra meaning for Kellogg.

His parents, Harold and Geri, are both from that state and his father still resides there. His mother passed away at the end of December, following an illness.

Kellogg also coached Northwest Missouri State during the 2012-13 season, before moving on to West Texas A&M.

“I coached a year at Maryville at Northwest Missouri State. Both of my parents are from the state of Missouri,” Kellogg said. “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 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.”

HOSTING A REGIONAL

WVU will find out Saturday if the NCAA tournament selection committee deems it worthy to host one of the 16 regionals for the first and second rounds.

In 2015, the NCAA moved the opening two rounds to on-campus sites from predetermined neutral sites.

During Kellogg’s first two seasons, the Mountaineers were a No. 8 seed in 2024 and a No. 6 seed last season. Getting a top-four seed would be the highest seed for WVU since it was a No. 2 seed in 2014. Neutral sites were still in play then, and WVU was shipped off to Baton Rouge, La., where the Mountaineers lost to LSU on its home court in the second round.

“We certainly think we’ve done enough to get some games in Morgantown,” Kellogg said. “I hope it plays out that way for this group.They’ve absolutely earned that.”

It wouldn’t be the first time the NCAA tournament has been played in Morgantown, though.

The WVU women hosted a regional in 1992 – the tournament was just 48 teams then – and defeated Clemson in Morgantown, before traveling to Virginia and getting beat by the top-ranked Cavaliers in the round of 16.

Morgantown has also served as a host for the NCAA men’s tournament. Hope Coliseum hosted the East Regional in 1972, which was won by North Carolina. In 1974, Morgantown also served as a host for the first-round game between Pitt and St. Joseph’s.