Fans watching the West Virginia Mountaineers introductions at the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament recently witnessed something that looked… a little unusual.
Right before their names were called during pregame introductions, the Mountaineers’ starters were seen eating lemons on the bench, a moment that quickly caught the attention of viewers and analysts who had never seen anything quite like it before.
Among those curious was Melissa Triebwasser of Frog Insider, who took to social media to ask the obvious question: Why are the WVU starters eating lemons before being announced?
The answer came shortly afterward from Rachel Galligan, a Big 12 analyst who decided to investigate the unusual pregame ritual.
Galligan asked Mountaineers guard Sydney Shaw about it and received a pretty straightforward explanation. According to Shaw, the lemons are meant to shock the system, wake players up, and get them ready to go before tip-off.
While it might look strange from the outside, the logic isn’t entirely new in athletics. Sour flavors can stimulate the nervous system and trigger a physical reaction, essentially jolting the body awake. Some athletes use strong flavors or scents before competition for a similar effect, though it’s certainly not common to see an entire starting lineup chomping on lemons during pregame introductions.
Still, if the Mountaineers come out energized after the ritual, it might not be the strangest idea after all.
At the very least, it created one of the more unique pregame visuals you’ll see in college basketball.
And now, thanks to Shaw’s explanation, fans know it’s not just a random snack, it’s part of the Mountaineers’ way of flipping the competitive switch before the game begins.
