The WVU women are a No. 4 seed in the Fort Worth Region, hosting No. 13 Miami (Ohio) at Hope Coliseum on Saturday. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the Mountaineers open as 29.5-point favorites, with the total set at 125.5.
Jordan Harrison won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and leads the conference with 3.3 steals per game. She was the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in Kansas City, finishing the Big 12 Tournament with 10 steals — a new single-tournament program record. Mimi Wheeler grabbed 26 rebounds
across the three tournament games. The Mountaineers held TCU to 53 points in the Big 12 championship. The 29.5-point spread is a big number, but it’s hard to argue with it when you watch what this defense does to opponents.
Miami (Ohio) won the MAC championship and set a program record with 28 wins this season. Four RedHawks average in double figures — Amber Tretter (14.5 points, 8.2 rebounds), MAC Tournament MVP Amber Scalia (13.7), Ilse de Vries (12.7), and Tamar Singer (10.9), who set a program record with 240 assists this season. They swept through the MAC Tournament with wins over Kent State, Ohio, and Toledo to get here. Their identity is built around defense, holding MAC opponents to a conference-low 58.5 points per game. But this is only their second NCAA Tournament appearance ever, and their first since 2008, and they’re walking into Hope Coliseum to face the best defense they’ve seen all season.
FanDuel has WVU at +15000 to cut down the nets in Phoenix on April 6. UConn is the massive favorite at -270, with UCLA (+600), Texas (+850), and South Carolina (+950) the next tier down.
WVU wasn’t in either of the selection committee’s top-16 reveals before winning the Big 12 Tournament. Now they’re hosting. Mark Kellogg’s program has taken a real step this year, and Saturday is a chance to show it on the biggest stage they’ve ever had.
For the latest lines and tournament odds, check out FanDuel.
