July 17, 2012
2012 Preseason WNIT Tournament Bracket
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State women's basketball team will host Morehead State in the first round of the 2012 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), as announced Tuesday. The Redbirds and the Eagles will play Friday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. (CST) at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Ill., due to the IHSA Girls Volleyball State Tournament at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State completed the 2011-12 season with a record of 19-13 and finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a record of 13-5. A berth in the 2012 Postseason WNIT put the Redbirds in the postseason for the sixth-consecutive season. ISU made WNIT trips in five of the last six years and appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2008. ISU's six-year postseason run is tied for the longest in school history, matching the six-straight trips from 1980-85.
Morehead State competes in the Ohio Valley Conference and finished the 2011-12 season with a mark of 10-19. MSU held a conference record of 7-9 and finished tied for sixth at the end of the regular season. The Eagles lost in the first round of the OVC Women's Basketball Tournament to Austin Peay in double overtime, 84-83.
The Preseason WNIT is an annual invitation-only tournament involving 16 of the nation's top women's Division I basketball teams. A team may participate only once in a four-year period. Additionally, only one institution per conference may play in the tournament in the same year. Teams are selected for the Preseason WNIT based on their program's expected success for that season, their relevant past, their conference standings, fan base and geographical location.
Eleven of the 16 teams competing in the 2012 Preseason WNIT Tournament are coming off of postseason berths. ISU will be joined by Davidson, Delaware, Duquesne, Georgetown, Grambling State, Iowa, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Morehead State, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Sacred Heart and Sam Houston State.
The Preseason WNIT opens the women's college basketball season and will be played Nov. 9-18, in a three-game guarantee championship format. The consolation bracket will be released after all of the first round games are completed.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
