WVU's Kellogg downplays talk of sending Caitlin Clark 'packing' - ESPN

IOWA CITY, Iowa — West Virginia women's basketball coach Mark Kellogg was trying to fire up his fan base on Selection Sunday, but if he had another chance, he might pick a different way to do it.

After the No. 8 seed Mountaineers found out they were in the NCAA women's tournament early round games at Iowa, Kellogg told the team and its followers, «Let's win one and then send Caitlin Clark packing.»

The Mountaineers will face No. 9 seed Princeton in the first round Saturday (5:30 pm. ET, ESPN2) here at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. That game follows Clark and the No. 1-seeded Hawkeyes meeting 16-seed Holy Cross (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

Chatter about Clark, the face of her sport this season, has been constant. Still, Kellogg said he got some online grief from Iowa fans. He was asked about his comment again Friday.

«I'm not a [trash-talker]… I wasn't out to get Caitlin Clark. It's not Mark Kellogg versus Caitlin Clark,» said Kellogg, who pointed out that the Mountaineers must focus on Ivy League champion Princeton before he can even think about how to slow down Clark if Iowa wins, too.

«With our seed is honestly where it started. That wasn't really the seed maybe that some people in the room were expecting, not even from me necessarily. So it turned into, 'OK, well, let's get past that. Now let's talk about Princeton.' Then, of course, everybody in the room knows Caitlin Clark.»

Hence, Kellogg's quip. Meanwhile, Holy Cross coach Maureen Magarity said her young daughters are Clark fans and joked that her oldest might help with the scouting report.

«They've watched more Caitlin Clark games than I have,» Magarity said. «It's hard not to be in awe of everything she does. I probably shouldn't say this, but we did go to the [Iowa] bookstore