2014 Preseason WNIT Matchups Announced

FORT COLLINS, Colorado  – Tournament officials announced matchups for the 2014 Preseason WNIT today.
 
The Preseason WNIT kicks off the women’s college basketball season and will be played Nov. 14-23. The tournament is formatted to give all teams a three-game guarantee. The event opens Nov. 14-15 with Round One.  Round Two will be played Nov. 16-17; Semifinals will be Nov. 20; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3 p.m. ET.  The championship game will be nationally televised live on CBS Sports Network.
 
If a team loses in the first two rounds, they will finish the tournament in the consolation bracket. The consolation bracket will be re-drawn to form new matchups based on the geography of teams involved, who can/cannot host, and recent history of teams. The consolation bracket will be released Nov. 16 after all of the Round One games are complete.
 
First-Round Matchups
All 2013-14 team records in parentheses

Nov. 14, 2014
Rider (15-17) at Seton Hall (20-14), Noon ET
Towson (13-17) at Penn State (24-8), Noon ET
St. Francis Brooklyn (19-11) at Albany (28-5), 7 p.m. ET
Mercer (17-14) at Mississippi State (22-14), 8 p.m. ET
Central Arkansas (18-12) at Western Kentucky (24-9), 8 p.m. ET
Jackson State (15-15) at Arkansas State (22-12), 8:05 p.m. ET
 
Nov. 15, 2014
Eastern Kentucky (17-13) at West Virginia (30-5), 7 p.m. ET
North Dakota (22-10) at Colorado (19-15), 8 p.m. ET

Nine of the 16 teams in the field are coming off postseason appearances, including five teams in the NCAA Tournament and four in the WNIT.  Six teams in this year’s field are making their first appearance in the Preseason WNIT: Albany, Central Arkansas, Mercer, North Dakota, Rider, and St. Francis Brooklyn. Western Kentucky is in the field for the fourth time (2007, 2003, 1997), and it’s the third appearance for Arkansas State (1998, 1994) and Colorado (2001, 1995). It’s the second appearance for Eastern Kentucky (2001), Jackson State (2003), Mississippi State (2002), Penn State (2002 – Runners-Up), Seton Hall (1994), Towson (2009), and West Virginia (2009).

Last year, No. 5 Louisville claimed the Preseason WNIT title knocking off the Oklahoma Sooners 97-92 in a thrilling overtime game at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.  In 2012, North Carolina came away with the title after a 77-64 victory over host Iowa.  The 2011 event featured the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country as Brittney Griner led Baylor to a 94-81 win over Notre Dame in Waco, Texas.
 
About the WNIT
The Preseason WNIT began in its modern form in 1994.  Since its inception, more than 200 teams representing all 32 conferences have competed in the tournament.  The UConn Huskies have won the championship a record three times.  It is organized and produced by Triple Crown Sports, a national sports event company based in Fort Collins, Colo.  For more information on the WNIT please www.womensnit.com.  Follow the WNIT on Twitter @WomensNIT.
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