ESPN Shows WVU Women’s Basketball Love in Way-Too-Early Top 25

Less than a week after earning a spot in the final top 25 of a major poll, the WVU women’s basketball program is back in the rankings again. And with the 2023-2024 rankings in stone, at least one major outlet thinks it’s time to start ranking teams for the 2024-2025 season.

In fact, this latest ranking is even more favorable than finishing at No. 24 in the Associated Press poll. ESPN has the Mountaineers at No. 16 in their way-too-early top 25.

Not too early for us 👀

🔗 https://t.co/OHJQ8Hd6iy#HailWV pic.twitter.com/Kb5SfUd3AQ

— WVU Women's Basketball (@WVUWBB) April 14, 2024

While it’s impossible to legitimately rank teams for an upcoming season so soon after the national championship has been crowned and rosters are far from set, West Virginia’s ranking likely stems from the success of Mark Kellogg in his first year in Morgantown.

After taking over for Dawn Plitzuweit, who left West Virginia at the conclusion of her first season, Kellogg achieved the most wins in a debut season for a coach in program history and led the Mountaineers to an NCAA Tournament win by beating Princeton in the first round.

Despite a strong showing, WVU came up short against Caitlin Clark and Iowa with a shot at the Sweet 16 on the line.

As the WVU women’s basketball program is still searching for its first Sweet-16 appearance since 1992, the future appears very bright with Kellogg at the helm. WVU has reached the second round of the tournament 10 times since then.

West Virginia’s first season under Kellogg ended with a 25-8 overall record and a 12-6 mark in Big 12 play. Kellogg coached the Mountaineers to the most wins in a single season since the 2017-18 season under Mike Carey.

Only time will tell what Kellogg and his WVU women’s basketball team look like in seasons to come.