March 15, 2010
WNIT Bracket
FT. COLLINS, Colo. - Illinois State will host Butler in the first round of the 2010 Postseason WNIT Wednesday at 7:05 at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds received an automatic bid into the Postseason WNIT by virtue of its Missouri Valley Conference Regular-Season championship.
Illinois State is making its ninth appearance in the WNIT (1980, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1996, 2007, 2009 and 2010) and third in the last four seasons. The Redbirds are 10-14 all-time in the tournament. ISU won three games in the 2009 WNIT, advancing to the semifinals.
Tickets for the game will go on sale Tuesday at 9 a.m. and are $9 for general admission, $6 for children under the age of 18 and $5 for Illinois State students. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Illinois State Athletic Ticket Office in Redbird Arena, over the phone by calling 309/438-8000 or online and GoRedbirds.com.
Illinois State has a 24-7 overall record, the same record it had at the beginning of last year's WNIT. The Redbirds won the MVC regular-season title, but lost to Northern Iowa in the semifinals of the State Farm MVC Tournament.
Butler is 23-9, finished second in the Horizon League with a 14-4 record and lost in the conference tournament championship game to Cleveland State. The Bulldogs received an automatic bid to the WNIT as the top team in the Horizon League not to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Senior forward Melanie Thornton is the Horizon League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, ranking in the top-four in the conference in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals.
Illinois State and Butler played a home-and-home series in 2002 and 2003, with each team winning on its opponents home court.
Missouri Valley Conference teams Creighton and Missouri State also made the WNIT field in the same portion of the bracket as Illinois State. ISU could face Creighton in the third round and Missouri State in the quarterfinals. Illinois and Eastern Illinois, teams ISU played during the regular season, and Kansas and Marquette, teams ISU played in the WNIT last season, are also in the Redbirds' portion of the bracket.
The WNIT awards an automatic berth to each of the nation's 31 conferences. The spot goes to the team that finishes the highest in the regular-season conference standings that does not advance to the NCAA Tournament. If there is a tie, the WNIT abides by the conference tiebreaker. To be considered for a WNIT automatic or at-large berth, a team must have an overall record of .500 or better.
The WNIT field expanded from 48 to 64 teams this season. All games will be played at the home arena of a participating school and first round games will take place March 17-20.
