May 23, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) has announced that Maryland is one of 16 teams participating in the 14th-annual preseason tournament, which is set to tip off Nov. 9, 2007. Pairings and sites will be announced at a later date.
Also joining the Terps in the annual preseason event are LSU, Michigan State, Notre Dame, TCU, Western Kentucky and Delaware, all teams who were ranked in the national top 25 at some point during the 2006-07 campaign. Delaware State, East Tennessee State, Evansville, IUPUI, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Princeton, Radford and Samford have accepted invitations to play in the tournament, which kicks off the 2007-08 season, as well.
Of the 16 teams, nine are coming off postseason play, including LSU's Final Four appearance. Two of the teams, including the Terrapins, were NCAA Champions. Notre Dame was crowned in 2001.
The tournament takes on a new format this season. Instead of a single-elimination format, the 16 teams from 16 different conferences are guaranteed three games. The first round will involve eight sites hosted by the participating institutions. The eight round-one winners advaned in a traditional bracket play, continuing on until the championship round. The eight first-round losers will be re-grouped into the consolation bracket, forming two four-team pools. Each of those teams will play two more games to guarantee the three games. The quarterfinal losers from the winners bracket also drop down to a consolation bracket for their third game.
The 2007 event will start the first Friday of the regular season, Nov. 9. Round two will be Nov. 11-13, with the semifinals occurring Nov. 14-15. The tournament championship is Nov. 18. The consolation bracket quads will be played Nov. 16-17. Round two losers play their final game Nov. 16 or Nov. 17 at separate sites
Maryland has participated in the Preseason WNIT one other time. In their only appearance, the Terps lost to Virginia Tech, 68-53, in the first round on Nov. 15, 1994.
For a complete bracket, visit www.womensnit.com. To purchase season tickets for the 2007-08 season, which will include tickets for the Preseason WNIT games played at Comcast Center and the Big Ten/ACC Challenge which was recently announced, visit www.umterps.com or call the Comcast Center Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.
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