September 28, 2023
Details on the new Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT)
The NCAA announced the schedule for WBIT — 32 teams are participating in the postseason competition following the conclusion of the 2023-24 conference tournaments
The NCAA announced the implementation of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT). It will consist of 32 teams participating in postseason competition following the conclusion of the 2023-24 conference tournaments.
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“The upcoming women’s basketball season will be monumental for a number of reasons,” said Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball, in a press release. “The addition of the 32 additional postseason opportunities provided by the WBIT is a landmark moment for the game. Now that the framework is in place for the WBIT, we are looking forward to the 2023-24 women’s basketball season, which we anticipate will be compelling and competitive and will lead us into an even more exciting postseason with the talents, skills and storylines of our student-athletes and programs leading the way.”
At this time, March 21, March 24, March 28, April 1 and April 3 will mark the first round, second round, quarterfinals, semifinal, and final games. The semifinals and final games will take place at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, best known for Butler basketball and Gene Hackman.
Selection committee
Additionally, eight former women’s basketball head coaches and administrators will be represented on the selection committee. Ceal Barry (Colorado), Brian Giorgis (Marist), Sue Guevara (Central Michigan), Bernadette Locke-Mattox (Kentucky), and Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech) will go through a three-step process to select the teams. Barbara Burke (Iowa), Kelcey Roegiers (Georgia State), and Janice Ruggiero (New Mexico) round out the committee, with Burke as chair. The process of voting is as follows: selecting the 32 at-large teams, seeding the field of 32, and finally, placing the teams into the bracket.
Radio and television coverage
ESPN, ESPN+, and Westwood One Sports will all serve as broadcast mediums for the WBIT games. ESPN will air all the games, and ESPN+ will air preliminary-round games. The finals will be played on ESPN2. All while radio coverage via Westwood One Sports will be broadcast through channels of SiriusXM and TuneIn.
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Above all, Jamie Boggs, Chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee, remarked about the popularity and viewership of NCAAW following the tournament of last season.”Women’s basketball is at an all-time high with records being set for national championship and Final Four viewership, and the tournament was the most viewed since 2009.”
More information about the bracket process is available here.
