Preseason WNIT Event Info Year 2008 WNIT 2007 WNIT 2006 WNIT 2005 WNIT 2004 WNIT 2003 WNIT 2002 WNIT 2001 WNIT 2000 WNIT 1999 WNIT 1998 WNIT 1997 WNIT 1996 WNIT 1995 WNIT 1994 WNIT Records Postseason WNIT Event Info Year 2010 WNIT 2009 WNIT 2008 WNIT 2007 WNIT 2006 WNIT 2005 WNIT 2004 WNIT 2003 WNIT 2002 WNIT 2001 WNIT 2000 WNIT 1999 WNIT 1998 WNIT Records Postseason WNIT Tournament Overview The Women's National Invitation Tournament is an annual tournament involving 64 of the nation's top women's Division I basketball teams. All games, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools. Every round is single elimination.   Format The Postseason WNIT features 32 first-round games, followed by 16 second-round games, eight third-round games, four quarterfinal games, two semifinal games, and the championship. The championship game is televised. The event offers 31 automatic berths, one to each established conference, and 33 at-large berths. The WNIT field and bracket is announced late on the evening of the NCAA Tournament selections.   2010 Postseason WNIT The 64-team tournament is a single-elimination event with all games played at sites of host schools. The WNIT is committed to offering deserved opportunities to women’s basketball programs, and the 2010 Postseason WNIT will be the first event to feature a full 64-team bracket.   The WNIT offers teams an opportunity to get more practices in, to experience playoff-atmosphere games, and to play in front of passionate fans.   Last spring, Kansas hosted South Florida in the championship, and the teams played in front of 16,113 fans, which set a women's college basketball record in Big 12 Conference and University of Kansas history.   Teams also use the Postseason WNIT as a jumping-board to their next season’s success. For example: Michigan State, the 2008 WNIT runner-up, vaulted to a Sweet 16 finish in the NCAA Tournament, knocking off a No. 1 seed in the process. Marquette, the 2006 WNIT runner-up, went on in 06-07 to its best season in school history and highest seed in the NCAA Tournament. Pittsburgh converted its 2006 WNIT semifinalist effort into its best season in school history in 06-07. Baylor, the 2003 WNIT runner-up, advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals in 2004 and earned its first NCAA Tournament championship in 2005. Houston, the 2002 WNIT runner-up, went on to its best record in school history and NCAA second round the following year. Michigan State, a semifinalist in the 2002 WNIT, played for the NCAA national championship in 2005. Penn State, the 1998 WNIT champion, reached the NCAA Final Four in 2000.   The Process How the teams are selected The 64-team tournament field consists of 31 automatic berths and 33 at-large selections. An automatic bid is offered to each conference to the team that finished highest during the regular season and did not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The WNIT recognizes the tiebreakers used by each conference in their tournament seeding. The 33 at-large berths are filled by the top remaining teams available, as decided by several factors. All Division I teams – with overall records of .500 or better (including conference tournament play) – are considered for the at-large berths. The WNIT committee will utilize up to 10 women’s basketball ranking systems in the selection of the at-large tournament spots, including some of the following: Dolphin, Greenfield, Massey, Moore, RPI ratings, Sagarin, and Wobus. These rankings vary in their emphasis, which provides a good cross-ranking of factors such as win-loss record, strength of schedule, strength of opponents and opponents’ schedule, record at home and on the road, and margin of victory, among other factors. The high and low rankings for each team are removed and the remaining rankings are consolidated and utilized as the principle resource for at-large selections. For the final few spots, the WNIT committee examines the remaining teams under consideration utilizing additional factors such as how well a team is currently playing, common opponents, late-season win/loss runs, games against other potential invitees, and key injuries. Factors that are not taken into consideration at any time during team selection are any financial incentives, location of school, attendance history, tournament history, ability to host, etc. How the field is bracketed After the WNIT committee chooses the 64 teams adhering to the above-mentioned selection process, the teams will be bracketed. Tiered Seeding The WNIT committee does not assign specific seeds to each team. The committee does, however, use a combination of tools, including the ranking systems and other criteria listed in the selection process, to distribute the teams evenly throughout the bracket. Bracket guidelines The committee makes every attempt to distribute the top tier schools evenly across the bracket. This at times results in a spread of geographically-close teams. A top-tier team likely will play a middle- to lower-tier team in the second round, which consists of 16 games. Early rounds are bracketed based upon geographic proximity. Teams from the same conference will not meet in the first round. If possible, conference teams will not meet in the second round as well. Rematches of regular-season games shall be avoided, if at all possible, in the first round. Some pairings are dictated by schools’ ability to host. For example, two schools that cannot host will not be paired to play each other. How the host schools are chosen The host site for each game is selected by the WNIT committee based on several factors such as fan base, host bids, facility availability, tournament seed, travel constraints, etc. 2010 Postseason WNIT Dates The 64-team field will be announced Monday evening, March 15, 2010. The first round will kick off Wednesday, March 17, with the event culminating on Saturday, April 3 with the championship.   Did you know?? The Postseason WNIT is the longest current running postseason event for women’s college basketball, in addition to the NCAA Tournament. In existence since 1998, the WNIT has afforded hundreds of opportunities for schools in every conference to play in the postseason. The WNIT has expanded from 16 teams in the initial year to 64 teams for 2010. It is a huge supporter of women’s basketball, and has demonstrated consistency, tradition, and staying power throughout the years. The WNIT is committed to all established conferences. It is the only men's or women's postseason tournament – other than the NCAA – to offer an automatic berth to each of the 31 established conferences. WNIT games showcase the best of women’s basketball. Last year’s championship was played in front of a packed house of 16,113 fans. Everyone wants home games, and the WNIT makes hosting affordable for all teams. Teams can host in the first round for a guarantee of $6,500 a game. They can host in the second round for $7,500 a game. The WNIT helps offset those costs and assumes all risk for high-cost travel. Teams pay no more than $9,000 combined for all of their road games in the Postseason WNIT. This allows teams to budget for their postseason play and doesn’t penalize them for winning. Early-round pairings are regionalized as much as possible in order to minimize missed class time and travel costs. The WNIT’s travel agents are always available to help teams late at night and on the weekends to secure travel for the next round. The championship game is televised to a national audience every year, because the WNIT is financially committed to promoting women’s basketball. Past Champions 2009 – South Florida   2003 - Auburn 2008 – Marquette   2002 - Oregon 2007 – Wyoming   2001 - Ohio 2006 – Kansas State   2000 - Wisconsin 2005 – Missouri   1999 - Arkansas 2004 – Creighton   1998 - Penn State