Bruins Part of 16-team Preseason WNIT
May 26, 2011
The 16-team field for the 2011 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament was announced on Thursday, May 26 and includes the UCLA Bruins.
Top 10 teams UCLA, Baylor and Notre Dame headline the field that also includes Akron, Chattanooga, Detroit, Drexel, ETSU, Hartford, Howard, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan, McNeese State, Tennessee Tech, and UAB.
The Preseason WNIT bracket will be announced in June and features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Nov. 11 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 13-14; semifinals will be Nov. 16-17; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 20. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 18-19. All games are hosted by participating schools.
Below is a quick snapshot of the field:
- UCLA earned more regular-season wins (26) than ever before, and matched its highest seed in history in the NCAA Tournament at No. 3. The Bruins (28-5) will have a new coaching staff led by Cori Close and return three starters in Jasmine Dixon, Markel Walker and Atonye Nyingifa after last season's No. 2 finish in the Pac-10 Conference. UCLA will compete in the new Pac-12 Conference this fall.
- Akron loses just one senior from its 14-16 team, and with the return of four starters, the Zips expect to get back to their form of 09-10 when they posted their best season in school history at 18-14.
- Baylor advanced to the Final Four in Indianapolis last season. The Lady Bears are led by coach Kim Mulkey and freshman of the year Odyssey Sims and All-American Brittney Griner. The Bears went 34-3 last season and captured the Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
- Chattanooga won 11 straight Southern Conference titles until last season's youth-laden team lost in overtime in the semifinals of the tournament. This year's team is a year older and will build on a 17-14 mark with everyone on the roster back for another season under coach Wes Moore.
- Detroit is a program on the rise, as the Titans return all five starters from their 13-18 team that defeated Michigan on the road for the first time since 1983.
- Drexel earned its third straight trip to the postseason and finished 19-12 despite suffering some key injuries. The Dragons welcome all but one player back for next fall.
- ETSU has won three of the past four Atlantic Sun Tournament titles. The Lady Buccaneers return three starters from their 19-12 team.
- Hartford finished last season on a high note by winning the America East tournament and earning its sixth trip to the NCAAs despite a slow start with an inexperienced team. The Hawks, who were 27-5 a year ago, will again be a favorite this fall in the America East.
- Howard finished runner-up at the MEAC championships and returns conference Player of the Year Saadia Doyle for her junior season. The 16-18 Bison return all five of their starters for their first appearance in the Preseason WNIT.
- Indiana State head coach Teri Moren set a school record for most wins in a rookie season as the Sycamores were 16-16. They get all but one player back from a team that advanced to the Missouri Valley tournament's semifinal round.
- Long Island returns its top players from a 19-11 team in the Northeast Conference, including senior Ashley Palmer, a two-time NEC first-team all-conference honoree.
- Manhattan is coming off its winningest season in school history, as it finished 24-10 and played in the postseason. The Jaspers welcome back four starters.
- McNeese State posted a record-setting season and tied the best turnaround in NCAA history with a 26-7 record after winning seven games the year before. The Cowgirls captured both the Southland Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and played in their first NCAA Tournament in school history.
- Notre Dame (31-8) made it all the way to the NCAA championship game before falling to Texas A&M. They are led by point guard Skylar Diggins.
- Tennessee Tech won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title and played in the Postseason WNIT. The Golden Eagles posted a nine-game turnaround from the season before, finishing with a 23-8 overall record and have five starters back this fall.
- UAB rolled to its first 20-win season in a decade, going 20-15 and winning the WBI postseason event. The Blazers return four of their five starters.
In last year's Preseason WNIT, Purdue defeated DePaul 67-58.
For more information, visit the tournament website at www.womensnit.com.