In a perfect world, the West Virginia women's basketball team would have been rewarded for finishing second in the Big East regular season and conference tournament with first- and second-round games in the NCAA women's basketball tournament with a short drive up I-79 to Pittsburgh, one of the regional sites.

But fairness is not usually a big part of the equation when the NCAA Selection Committee sits down to put together brackets. Monday night -- for the second time in three years -- the Mountaineers found that out the hard way.

West Virginia (28-5) was made the No. 3 seed in the Memphis regional and will play a first-round game against No. 14 seed and Southland Conference champion Lamar (26-7) at 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

But the game is in Austin, Texas, on the home court of the Texas Longhorns (22-10) -- who are the No. 6 seed in the region and will play No. 11 seed San Diego State (21-10).

That means if West Virginia beats Lamar -- which is in Beaumont, Texas, about four hours from Austin -- it will have to play Texas on its home court in a second-round game.

This did not sit well with West Virginia coach Mike Carey, who said the placement of his team shows a lack of respect for the Big East.

"If you finish second in the Big East, second in the Big East tournament -- if this conference is as good as we're told it is, you'd think we'd get a little more respect than this," Carey said. "I mean, the No. 2 team from the best conference -- or any top conference -- should not have to play a lower-seeded team on its home floor in the second round. We should get to play reasonably close to home so our fans can get there to support us -- especially since we have such a great fan base.

"We obviously have to beat Lamar first and if we're able to do that, well, then we will take the approach that it is no different than the Big East tournament, where we had to play Connecticut on its home court.

"I am also a little disappointed in the Big East, too. I thought they would fight for us a little bit more. We asked them to help us and make sure this didn't happen again and it did. It just shows you that we don't get the respect that we need to get."

The "again" part of Carey's statement referenced the way the Mountaineers were treated in 2008. That year they earned a No. 5 seed but had to play a first-round game at the Pit in New Mexico, the home court of New Mexico, which was the No. 12 seed.

West Virginia is the only team in the field that faces a first- or second-round game on the home court of a lower-seeded opponent, although Texas A&M (No. 2 seed, Sacramento Region) could meet No. 7 seed Gonzaga (which is in Spokane) in a second-round game in Seattle.

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