West Virginia women’s basketball is coming off one of their most accomplished seasons in program history. Now with some added national attention as the defending Big 12 Tournament champions, the team was invited to play in one of the most prestigious in-season tournaments this upcoming season.
The team announced on their X account on Wednesday that they have accepted an invitation to compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis over Thanksgiving week. The tournament runs from November 24th through November 26th.
The field also includes the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Florida Gators, and the Davidson Wildcats at the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort. Opponents and start times will be revealed at a later date.
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Both West Virginia and Notre Dame made the NCAA Tournament last season and spent a considerable amount of time in the national rankings last season. The Fighting Irish fell in the elite eight while the Mountaineers fell short in the round of 32.
Should the Mountaineers and Fighting Irish meet, it would be a good measuring stick for the Mountaineers, taking on a quality opponent early in the season. The Wildcats and Gators have both not seen any postseason success in recent memory, with Florida’s last NCAA Tournament appearance coming in 2021.
The Mountaineers will return to the Bahamas after competing in the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo last season. WVU went 1-1 in their two games in the Bahamas, thumping McNeese State 83-63 before falling short against Ohio State 81-83.
WVU women’s basketball is becoming a national brand
The Mountaineers will have an almost entirely new look about them for the 2026 season. Redshirt senior Gia Cooke, last season’s leading scorer, will be the only returning starter for head coach Mark Kellogg’s squad. However, expectations should still be sky-high for the team.
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Kellogg has not been shy about building through the transfer portal, and in a season that should be a retooling year for the Mountaineers, they have made it clear that they want to continue to compete in the Big 12.
The additions of Skylar Forbes from Marquette and Zahirah Walton from George Mason stand out as moves that provide the Mountaineers with several legitimate scoring threats on offense. Duquesne transfer Alexis Bordas is a West Virginia native from Wheeling with four years of eligibility and is known for her three-point shooting.
It’s entirely possible that the West Virginia offense is better and more efficient with these additions than it was last year. If the offense can take another step forward with the Kellogg defensive mentality, West Virginia will be a threat to repeat as champions of the Big 12.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/westvirginia as WVU Women’s Basketball Accepts Invite to Battle 4 Atlantis.
