WNIT update

[Plebe]

It's easy to overlook the tournament of also-rans, but as a basketball junkie I find it compelling in its own right. Also, history has shown that many teams have can use a deep WNIT run as a springboard for future postseason success.

The WNIT is down to its final 8:

• Five "power 5" teams
• Two "mid-majors"
  
• One Big East team

The quarterfinal matchups tomorrow:

• TCU @ South Dakota
  South Dakota has beaten Houston (by 7), Colorado State (by 25), and Michigan State (by 2 in OT), all at home. TCU has beaten Lamar (by 12) and Missouri State (by 35), both at home, and then New Mexico (by 9) on the road. This will be a very intriguing matchup. South Dakota won the WNIT two years ago by winning 6 in a row on its home floor.
  
  
• UC Davis @ Indiana
  Indiana has beaten UT Martin (by 24), Milwaukee (by 20), and Purdue (by 22), all at home, making the Hoosiers the only WNIT team to have won each of their first 3 games by at least 20 points. UC Davis has beaten Idaho (by 20) at home, and then Wyoming (by 10) and Kansas State (by 2), both on the road. Morgan Bertsch torched KSU with 31 points.
  
  
• St. John's @ West Virginia
  West Virginia has beaten Bucknell (by 33), St. Joseph's (by 28), and James Madison (by 12), all at home. St. John's has beaten Marist (by 21), Penn (by 5), and Duquesne (by 13). WVU has had 4 different players in double figures in each of their 3 wins so far.
  
  
• Alabama @ Virginia Tech
  Virginia Tech has beaten Navy (by 1 point, on a buzzer-beater by Taylor Emery), George Mason (by 9), and Fordham (by 31), all at home. Alabama has beaten Southern (by 13), UCF (by 19), and Georgia Tech (by 2), all at home.

 

[Vowelguy]

It’s really not fair that guys like Lamar, Martin, and George Mason have to take on a 5 person team by themselves.

 

[Plebe]

It’s really not fair that guys like Lamar, Martin, and George Mason have to take on a 5 person team by themselves.

Don't forget those saintly dudes Joseph and John.

 

[Shades]

I'm rooting for Indiana and the Swaggy Buss

 

[nwhoopfan]

Good for UC Davis. Too bad they didn't win their conference tourney, but looks like they've shaken off the disappointment and are playing good ball.

 

[Roger G]

It’s really not fair that guys like Lamar, Martin, and George Mason have to take on a 5 person team by themselves.

George Mason is a.k.a. Natalie Butler.

 

[JellyBean]

Any of these games being streamed?

 

[Plebe]

Any of these games being streamed?

The Alabama-Virginia Tech game (2p ET) will be on espn3/watchESPN: Alabama vs. Virginia Tech (WNIT)
The UC Davis-Indiana game (2p ET) is on BTN Plus (requires a subscription).
The St. John's-West Virginia game (4p ET) will be streaming live here: vs. St. John's
The TCU-South Dakota game (7p ET) will be streaming live here: WNIT: Women's Basketball vs. TCU (VIDEO)

 

[Plebe]

So it's an all-power 5 affair in the WNIT semifinals, with two Big 12 teams and one each from the ACC and Big Ten:

• TCU at Indiana, on BTN Plus
  Indiana leads 32-28 at halftime.
  TCU won a tough road game in the QFs at South Dakota; Indiana beat UC Davis.
  
  
• Virginia Tech at West Virginia, streamed live here: vs. Virginia Tech
  VaTech leads 33-25 at halftime.
  This is a rematch of a nonconference game in November, won by WVU 79-61.
  VaTech won its quarterfinal over Alabama; WVU, over St. John's.

 

[Plebe]

The Battle of Appalachia (VaTech-WVU) is going down to the wire.

VT has led most of the game, but WVU just took the a 2-point lead with 2:00 to play.

 

[EricLA]

Looks like it will be Va Tech vs. Indiana. Good for them - 2 teams you don't usually hear a lot about in WCBB. Former UCONN target Regan Magarity is a forward for Va Tech and had 11 points, 11 boards, and 3 assists today. She's a senior and starts for them...

 

[Plebe]

It was an exciting finish. West Virginia took a 4-point lead with just under 2:00 to play but only scored 1 point after that. Taylor Emery of VT (transfer from Tulane her freshman year and JC her sophomore year) burned the Mountaineers with the game-winning 3-pointer, with about 0:20 to play, when WVU did a terrible job of defending the high ball screen.

As I watched Tynice Martin cheer her team on from the bench, I couldn't help but wonder "What might have been?" for this team if she could have taken the court during Chania Ray's and Teana Muldrow's senior year. Those two players will be very hard to replace.

Indiana scores a comfortable double-digit win over TCU. Indiana got 0 points from their bench, but all their starters were in double figures, led by Tyra Buss with 22 points. She's had a stellar career.

 

[FridaFriend]

I enjoy watching Virginia Tech. I saw them go on the 33-5 run to upset Syracuse in the ACC tournament. I was impressed with Taylor Emery. They came close to defeating Louisville in the next game. I saw the Alabama game with the leaky roof, but I couldn't figure out how to watch the game today. I just followed the play by play. I'm happy to see them in the WNIT finals.

 

[Ozimoto]

I remember a time when the NIT Tournament was nearly as prestigious as the NCAA's. Of course that was before the NCAA expanded the field.

 

[triaddukefan]

Gotta pull for VPI

It was an exciting finish. West Virginia took a 4-point lead with just under 2:00 to play but only scored 1 point after that. Taylor Emery of VT (transfer from Tulane her freshman year and JC her sophomore year) burned the Mountaineers with the game-winning 3-pointer, with about 0:20 to play, when WVU did a terrible job of defending the high ball screen.

As I watched Tynice Martin cheer her team on from the bench, I couldn't help but wonder "What might have been?" for this team if she could have taken the court during Chania Ray's and Teana Muldrow's senior year. Those two players will be very hard to replace.

Indiana scores a comfortable double-digit win over TCU. Indiana got 0 points from their bench, but all their starters were in double figures, led by Tyra Buss with 22 points. She's had a stellar career.

Emery has a knack for late game heroics... and she definitely isnt scared to take them. She hit the game winner vs Navy in the 1st or 2nd round. I'll be interested to see if Hicks comes back to play next season....... and hopefully Magarity uses her 5th year in Blacksburg. Mark my words.... VPI will be playing in the NCAA tourney next season

 

[Vowelguy]

The 3rd tier postseason tourney - the WBI - was won by Yale last night over central Arkansas.

 

[triaddukefan]

The 3rd tier postseason tourney - the WBI - was won by Yale last night over central Arkansas.

Poor Sugar Bears