Holding a 16-16 record after their first regular season and conference tournament in the Big 12, the BYU Cougars women’s basketball team will be continuing postseason play, and they’ll do so in a new tournament.
On Sunday evening, the Cougars were picked to play in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament, a 32-team event that will be considered the consolation tournament for teams that did not make the NCAA Tournament, just as the NIT is on the men’s side.
The WNIT will continue to exist, but it is not owned exclusively by the NCAA.
BYU will open WBIT play unseeded and will face 4 seed Santa Clara of the WCC, its former conference, in the first round on Thursday at Santa Clara (only the top 16 teams received seeds, and they were seeded 1-4 in the four regions).
Tipoff time has not yet been announced. The winner of the game will face the winner of top-seed Washington State and Lamar in the second round.
“We are really excited to extend our season and play in the first-ever WBIT,” BYU head coach Amber Whiting said in a school news release. “Playing in the postseason is always a goal for our program and we are excited for the opportunity to see how much better we can get in the next three weeks.”
One other team from the Big 12, TCU, will play in the WBIT. The Horned Frogs will face North Texas in the first round.
Seven teams from the Big 12 made the NCAA Tournament.