INDIANAPOLIS— Miami (FL), Villanova, Penn St., Washington St., highlight the 32-team Inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament field released by the WBIT committee today.
First round play is scheduled for Thursday, March 21, with the second round playing March 24. Quarterfinals will be held on March 28 with four teams advancing to Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University for the semifinals on Monday, April 1. The WBIT will conclude with the inaugural championship game on Wednesday, April 3.
First round action on campus sites features the top four seeded teams, Miami (FL), Villanova, Penn St. and Washington St. facing Stony Brook, VCU, George Mason and Lamar, respectively.
Other first round games include Missouri St. at Illinois, Arkansas at Tulsa, Georgetown at Washington, Lamar at Washington St., BYU at Santa Clara, St. John’s (NY) at Florida, Cleveland St. at Toledo, High Point at Virginia, Seton Hall at Saint Joseph’s, Hawaii at California, Belmont at Ball St., North Texas at TCU and Georgia Tech at Mississippi St.
WBIT committee seeded only the top half of the 32-team field. The remaining 16 teams were placed into the bracket by the WBIT Committee as close to their area of natural interest as possible.
“What a great opportunity for women’s college basketball with additional 32 NCAA teams having the ability extend their season with a new NCAA post season tournament,” said Barbara Burke, Former Deputy Director of Athletics, University of Iowa, and chair of the WBIT committee. “This inaugural selection process was a great experience for our committee and as a group we want to commend and thank the NCAA for this new endeavor for women’s sports. Our committee was committed to selecting the best teams to participate in this inaugural tournament, ending with the championship game at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. Best of luck to all participating teams.”
The 2024 semifinals and championship will be played at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind.
Preliminary WBIT games are being televised on ESPN+, while the semifinals will be on ESPNU, and the finals will be on ESPN2. Additional WBIT information can be found on ncaa.com/WBIT.
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