Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT)
From Hoopedia
The Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) is a college basketball tournament with a preseason and postseason version played every year. It is operated in a similar fashion to the men's National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
Unlike the men's NIT, the WNIT is not operated by the NCAA, nor was it operated by the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association, the body which ran the men's NIT for virtually all of its history until the NCAA purchased that tournament in 2005. Currently, the WNIT is owned and promoted by Triple Crown Sports, a Denver, Colorado-based promotion and marketing company.
From 1998 to 2005, the field was 32 teams. In 2006, it was 40 teams and since 2007 it has been 48.
2007 tournament
The 2007 Women's NIT features the top teams that were not selected to compete in the NCAA tournament. The teams deemed the "best of the rest" from the 31 Division I conferences were joined by 17 at-large selections.
The first round is scheduled for March 14, with the championship game to be held on March 31. All games are on campus sites.
The field is headed by Montana, which was ranked 25th in the final Associated Press women's basketball poll. The Grizzlies lost to Idaho State in the final of the Big Sky Conference tournament and was not chosen by the NCAA's Division I basketball committee for an at-large bid. Notably, Triple Crown chose not to invite Army into the field. The Black Knights had a 24-8 record and third place finish in the Patriot League in the season following the death of their young rising star coach, Maggie Dixon.
No national TV coverage has been announced, but it is possible that the game could end up on several regional sports networks (like Comcast SportsNet or SportsNet New York) on which Triple Crown events have been televised in the past.
Postseason champions
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Venue and city | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Penn State | 59 | Baylor | 56 | Ferrell Center | Waco, Texas |
| 1999 | Arkansas | 67 | Wisconsin | 64 | Bud Walton Arena | Fayetteville, Arkansas |
| 2000 | Wisconsin | 75 | Florida | 74 | Kohl Center | Madison, Wisconsin |
| 2001 | Ohio State | 62 | New Mexico | 61 | University Arena | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| 2002 | Oregon | 54 | Houston | 52 | McArthur Court | Eugene, Oregon |
| 2003 | Auburn | 64 | Baylor | 63 | Ferrell Center | Waco, Texas |
| 2004 | Creighton | 73 | UNLV | 52 | Omaha Civic Auditorium | Omaha, Nebraska |
| 2005 | Missouri State | 78 | West Virginia | 70 | Hammons Student Center | Springfield, Missouri |
| 2006 | Kansas State | 77 | Marquette | 65 | Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, Kansas |
| 2007 | Wyoming | 72 | Wisconsin | 56 | Arena-Auditorium | Laramie, Wyoming |
Preseason champion
Purdue won the 2006 preseason Women's NIT.
