Big East teams and the inaugural WBIT
- Thread starter HuskyNan
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had to look up what is going on. This will replace the WNIT over time. And 7 teams in the NCAA/WBIT is good.
After the full 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament is revealed Sunday evening, women’s basketball teams that do not qualify for March Madness will hope to earn an invitation to one of two tournaments. The WBIT (Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament) will invite 32 teams, and the WNIT (Women’s National Invitational Tournament) will extend 48 bids.
The WBIT is a brand-new event in 2024, and is wholly owned by the NCAA just as they own the NIT for men’s basketball after a forced sale under pressure from federal courts in 2005. But the NCAA continues to not own the rights to the WNIT, so they created an alternative postseason invitational tournament which they’ll own fully and will be able to keep all the revenue.
The WBIT will effectively replace the WNIT as the secondary tournament for teams who miss the cut in the NCAA Tournament. The WBIT will be broadcast on ESPN, and the WNIT will wait until the lineup for the WBIT is announced before announcing their own field, effectively placing them in a tertiary position among the postseason tournaments.
The early rounds of the WBIT will take place at the campus sites of higher seeds, and the semifinal and final rounds will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Butler Bulldogs and the NCAA’s corporate offices.
After the full 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament is revealed Sunday evening, women’s basketball teams that do not qualify for March Madness will hope to earn an invitation to one of two tournaments. The WBIT (Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament) will invite 32 teams, and the WNIT (Women’s National Invitational Tournament) will extend 48 bids.
The WBIT is a brand-new event in 2024, and is wholly owned by the NCAA just as they own the NIT for men’s basketball after a forced sale under pressure from federal courts in 2005. But the NCAA continues to not own the rights to the WNIT, so they created an alternative postseason invitational tournament which they’ll own fully and will be able to keep all the revenue.
The WBIT will effectively replace the WNIT as the secondary tournament for teams who miss the cut in the NCAA Tournament. The WBIT will be broadcast on ESPN, and the WNIT will wait until the lineup for the WBIT is announced before announcing their own field, effectively placing them in a tertiary position among the postseason tournaments.
The early rounds of the WBIT will take place at the campus sites of higher seeds, and the semifinal and final rounds will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Butler Bulldogs and the NCAA’s corporate offices.
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I should have said WBIT.. but same applies to NIT or any consolation tournament.
