WNIT Bracket |
June EIU release about WNIT
WNIT Web site |
Ohio State WBasketball
CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball tips off its 2009-10 campaign this Friday as one of 16 teams slated to participate in the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
The Panthers, who are making their first appearance in the prestigious season-opening tourney, are guaranteed of three Preseason WNIT games and will play at Ohio State Friday in the first round. The winner advances to play the victor of the Bowling Green-Chicago State opening-round matchup. That game would be played Sunday.
The eight opening-round winners will continue on in traditional bracket play, with half of the teams hosting the other half in separate host sites. The winning teams will continue on, with separate host sites throughout the semifinals and championship.
The eight teams who lose their opening-round games will be re-grouped into consolation bracket quads, which are two four-team pools. One team in each pool will be selected to host the other three teams. The host site will be announced after the completion of all opening-round games. Each team in this consolation round will play two games for a total of three in the tournament.
Of the four quarterfinal teams that lose in second round, two teams will be selected to host one of the other quarterfinal round losers in a single game at separate sites. This game provides the third game for each of these schools.
Samford was the last OVC team, in 2007-08, to play in the Preseason WNIT. All of Samford's athletic programs moved to the Southern Conference at the end of that school year. The Bulldogs dropped their first game of the Preseason WNIT at fifth-ranked LSU and were selected to host a consolation pod at their then brand new Pete Hanna Center.
Other OVC schools to participate in the Preseason WNIT includes: Southeast Missouri State (2003), Eastern Kentucky (2001), Tennessee Tech (1997) and Austin Peay (1996).
Ohio State is ranked No. 3 in the preseason AP Top 25 and ESPN/USA Today polls, and features two-time Big Ten Player of the Year Jantel Lavender.
Georgia Tech, ranked 19th in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, is coming off its third straight 20-plus win season and returns four starters from its 22-10 team. The Yellow Jackets are one of 11 teams in the Preseason WNIT field that played in the postseason last spring: Arkansas-Little Rock, Bowling Green, Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia Tech, Marist, New Mexico, North Carolina A&T, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and Winthrop. They will be joined in this fall's WNIT field by Chicago State, Eastern Illinois, Northern Colorado, Towson, and UTEP.
Six of the teams are picked to win their conference or conference division title in this year's preseason polls: UALR, BGSU, Florida Gulf Coast, Marist, North Carolina A&T, and Ohio State.
The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Friday, Nov. 13 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 15-16; semifinals will be Nov. 18-19; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 22. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 20-22. All games are hosted by participating schools, and sites are announced by the end of the preceding round.
In last year's Preseason WNIT, North Carolina defeated Oklahoma 80-79 in a fierce battle of Top-5 teams.
First-round 2009 Preseason WNIT games
(2008-2009 team records in parentheses)
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
Eastern Illinois (24-9) at Ohio State (29-6), 4 p.m. CT
Towson (17-13) at West Virginia (18-15), 6 p.m. ET
UTEP (18-12) at Florida Gulf Coast (26-5), 7 p.m. ET
Arkansas-Little Rock (26-7) at Oklahoma State (17-16), 7 p.m. ET
Winthrop (16-16) at Georgia Tech (22-10), 7:30 p.m. ET
Chicago State (16-13) at Bowling Green (29-5), 7:30 p.m. ET
North Carolina A&T (26-7) at Marist (29-4), 7:30 p.m. ET
Northern Colorado (12-18) at New Mexico (25-11), 9 p.m. ET
