PRESEASON WNIT PRESEASON WNIT Nov. 11-20, 2016 Nov. 11-20, 2016 Tournament History and Notes #WNIT Tournament History and Notes www.womensnit.com www.womensnit.com

About the WNIT The Preseason WNIT kicks off the women’s college basketball season and will Tournament Field be played Nov. 11-20. The tournament is formatted to give all teams a three- Team Conference game guarantee. The event opens Nov. 11 with Round One. Round Two will Abilene Christian Southland be played Nov. 13-14; Semifinals will be Nov. 17; and the championship is set Central Michigan MAC for Sunday, Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. ET. The championship game will be nationally televised live on CBS Sports Network. Colorado State MWC Eastern Washington Big Sky If a team loses in the first two rounds, they will finish the tournament in the con- Elon Colonial solation bracket. The consolation bracket will be re-drawn to form new match- Fordham Atlantic 10 ups based on the geography of teams involved, who can/cannot host, and re- cent history of teams. The consolation bracket will be released Nov. 12 after all Furman Southern of the Round One games are complete. Green Bay Horizon Little Rock Sun Belt The Preseason WNIT began in its modern form in 1994. It is organized and pro- duced by Triple Crown Sports, a national sports event company based in Fort Missouri SEC Collins, Colo. The 16-team Preseason WNIT was originally a single-elimination Nebraska Big Ten exempt event and moved to the current three-game guarantee format in 2007. North Texas C-USA Notre Dame ACC The Preseason WNIT field consists of: Abilene Christian (Southland); Central Michigan (MAC); Colorado State (MWC); Eastern Washington (Big Sky); Elon Omaha Summit (Colonial); Fordham (Atlantic 10); Furman (Southern); Green Bay (Horizon); UTRGV WAC Little Rock (Sun Belt); Missouri (SEC); Nebraska (Big Ten); North Texas (C- Washington Pac-12 USA); Notre Dame (ACC); Omaha (Summit), University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (WAC); and Washington (Pac-12).

Tournament Schedule This is the 23rd rendition of the Preseason WNIT, featuring 11 teams that Round #1 reached either the NCAA or WNIT postseason tournaments this past March. Nov. 11, 2016 All games, including the championship and consolation rounds, are hosted by participating schools. Central Michigan at Notre Dame, 7 p.m. ET

Furman at Fordham, 7 p.m. ET Making their Preseason WNIT debut are the squads from Abilene Christian, North Texas at Little Rock, 7:30 p.m. ET Central Michigan, Elon, Fordham, Green Bay, Missouri, Omaha and UTRGV. Abilene Christian at Missouri, 8 p.m. ET It’s the second time around for Eastern Washington (2005), Furman (1997), Elon at Green Bay, 8 p.m. ET Little Rock (2009), North Texas (2006) and Washington (1994-champions). Joining the event for the third time is Colorado State (1998-champions, 2002) Omaha at Colorado State, 9 p.m. ET and Nebraska (1997, 2004); Notre Dame is in the mix for the fifth time (1996, Eastern Washington at Washington, 10 p.m. ET 2004-champions, 2007, 2011).

Nov. 12, 2016 Notre Dame enters the Preseason WNIT ranked No. 1 in the Preseason AP poll UTRGV at Nebraska, 2 p.m. ET and No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches poll . For the first time since 2011, a No. 1-ranked team will be playing in the Preseason WNIT. In 2011, No. 1 Baylor knocked off No. 2 Notre Dame to win the championship, 94-81. Other teams Round #2 ranked or receiving votes include: Washington (No. 15 & 17), Missouri (No. 24 Nov. 13-14, 2016 / RV), Colorado State (RV / RV) and Green Bay (RV / RV).

Semifinals National TV Nov. 17, 2016 CBS Sports Network will televise the championship game of the Preseason WNIT live and in HD on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. ET, with Thad Anderson Championship Game (play-by-play) and Curt Miller (analyst) calling the Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016 game. 3 p.m. ET - CBS Sports Network *Consolation Games: Nov. 18-19 Miller spent 13 years as an NCAA DI head coach compiling a 290-124 overall *All games are hosted by participating schools record and earning six conference Coach of the Year awards. Miller is currently the head coach and general manager of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. Ander- son has called play-by-play for the WNIT since 2007 and currently calls games for ESPN, CBS Sports Network, and the Pac 12 Network. www.womensnit.com | Media Contact: Andy Hansen | (970) 672-0517 | [email protected] www.womensnit.com | Media Contact: Andy Hansen | (970) 672-0517 | [email protected] PRESEASON WNIT Nov. 13-22, 2015 #WNIT#WNIT Tournament History and Notes www.womensnit.com

TEAM NOTES Abilene Christian went 26-4 last season, winning the Southland Conference, but could not play in the NCAA Tournament as the program finish- es its transition from D-II to D-I. The Wildcats have one more year to go in that shift; they did play in the 2016 Postseason WNIT and lost a close game in the first round to eventual quarterfinalist UTEP. Five players had double-digit scoring averages, and four are slated to return, including Alexis Mason (17.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game) and twin sisters Suzzy Dimba (11.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Lizzy Dimba (10.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg).

Central Michigan stubbed its toe at the end of 2015-16’s 22-11 campaign, losing in overtime to Buffalo in the MAC tournament final and shoot- ing barely 30 percent in a first-round Postseason WNIT loss to IUPUI. The Chippewas welcome back four starters, including sophomore Presley Hudson, who led the team in steals and averaged a team-best 13.9 ppg. Two key juniors also return – 6-foot-3 forward Tinara Moore (13.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg) and 5-10 guard Cassie Breen (12.6 ppg).

Colorado State grabbed some national attention with a 28-game winning streak last season. The Rams were 31-2 overall, and came very close to springing an upset versus South Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Coach Ryun Williams has brought in several foreign-born players to turn around the Rams from years of struggle – nine of the 15 players on last year’s roster were born outside the United States. Senior guard Ellen Nystrom set a single-season record for assists with 186; the team also played lock-down defense, ranking sixth in the nation at 51.2 ppg allowed.

Eastern Washington returns four starters from last year’s squad that finished 20-12 overall and should be hungry for more; the Eagles were one of five teams in the nation to win 20 games but miss the postseason. Delaney Hodgins averaged right at 16 points and seven rebounds per game as a sophomore; she’s one of the linchpin players on the roster with the graduation of older sister Hayley Hodgins, who became the pro- gram’s all-time leading scorer (1,865 points). Ashli Payne, a community college transfer, had a standout junior season and chipped in 11.2 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds per contest.

Elon was invited to the Postseason WNIT for the second straight year in program history, but fell in the first round to Virginia Tech to finish 18-13 overall. The Phoenix return their top seven scorers from that squad. Junior Shay Burnett averaged right at 13 points and eight rebounds per game. Entering her senior year, Lauren Brown is looking to build on her numbers (9.1 ppg); she’s one of four players who averaged just a little bit less than 10 points per contest.

Fordham has to say goodbye to Samantha Clark, one of the most accomplished players in program history, but three players look more than capable of filling the void (Hannah Missry, G’Mrice Davis, Danielle Burns). Burns and Missry are talented 3-point shooters, while Davis came through with more than seven rebounds per game. Fordham hopes to be bolstered by eligible transfers Tiffany Suarez (Virginia) and Nicole Floyd (Wake Forest).The Rams were 14-17 last season; coach Stephanie Gaitley is doing impressive work in rebuilding the program, putting three 20-win seasons together in her five years at Fordham. The team had gone nearly two decades without a winning record.

Furman will lean on senior-to-be guard Whitney Bunn (who attended Bunn HS in her hometown of Bunn, NC). She averaged 16.1 points per game last year and led the team in assists and steals as the Paladins finished 15-16 overall. She’s already the program’s all-time leader in as- sists. Junior-to-be Cierra Carter averaged 11 points and 8.2 rebounds last year and provides interior muscle for Furman. The Paladins shot a solid 33 percent from the 3-point line last year and will look to take the next leap by taking better care of the ball (439 turnovers, to the opposi- tion’s 360).

Green Bay claimed its 18th consecutive conference title (14th Horizon League title) this past season and ended up 28-5 overall after losing to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Allie LeClaire is back for her junior year, averaging 12.5 ppg; the Phoenix are defined by their fierce defense (52.2 ppg allowed, ninth best in the nation). Head coach Kevin Borseth is in his second stint with the Phoenix (1998-2007, 2012-16) and has 410 wins in his career.

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Little Rock had a mixed start last season but ran off 15 straight victories to hit the 20-win mark. The Trojans, however, fell by one point to Saint Louis in the Postseason WNIT in their eighth trip to either the WNIT or NCAA tournament in the past nine years. Little Rock forced almost 18 turnovers per game last year. The top two scorers have graduated, leaving an opportunity for seniors Sharde’ Collins (9.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Kaitlyn Pratt (9.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg) to take a central role. Head coach Joe Foley has 13 years in with the Trojans and has won multiple Sun Belt Conference coach of the year awards.

Missouri had its most successful season in the SEC last year, finishing 22-10 and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It was Missouri’s first NCAA appearance in 10 years, and the Tigers are loaded for another run, with sophomore-to-be Sophie Cunning- ham (14 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and senior Jordan Frericks (12.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg) already comfortable in the spotlight. Head coach Robin Pingeton has shown a knack for recruiting, bringing in two top-50 players in last year’s class.

Nebraska welcomes a new head coach in Amy Williams, a Cornhusker alum who just wrapped up four solid years at South Dakota (which won the 2016 Postseason WNIT). She’s got a reliable interior starter in Jessica Shepard, who was the Big Ten freshman of the year after averaging 18.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Senior-to-be Allie Havers is another force down low; the 6-5 center averaged 8.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest. Nebraska went 18-13 last year and lost at home in the first round of the Postseason WNIT; the Huskers have earned a postseason berth in 12 of the past 13 years.

North Texas finished 11-19 last season under first-year head coach Jalie Mitchell, an impressive bounce-back for a program that went 5-24 in the previous season. The Mean Green improved their shooting percentage by more than 7 points (best in the nation) and secured the program’s first victory against a top-20 team when North Texas beat Oklahoma. JUCO transfer Kelsey Criner had a stellar debut, averaging 13 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. Senior guard Terra Ellison is back after averaging 10 points per game.

Notre Dame returns a deep roster with significant upside, and there’s plenty of reason to believe in the Fighting Irish even after the team (33-2) was upset in the NCAA Sweet 16 last year. Two incoming freshmen are ranked in the top 15 nationally (Erin Boley was named Gatorade HS player of the year); there’s also star power in Brianna Turner and Lindsay Allen. Turner averaged 14.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and shot nearly 60 percent from the field;Allan averaged just below 10 points per game and had 204 assists last year. The team shot a scorching 41 percent from 3-point range last year.

Omaha went 15-15 last season and will surely lean heavily on senior Mikaela Shaw, who averaged 18.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and also led the team in assists. The Mavericks also return junior guard Remy Davenport, who averaged better than 10 points per contest and shot 37 percent from the 3-point line. Look for the team to get extra scoring punch from senior Michaela Dapprich, a transfer from Wichita State who started 34 games for the Shockers as a junior. Head coach Brittany Lange was the second-youngest coach in D-I basketball when she was hired three years ago.

UTRGV went 19-14 last year and reached the Postseason WNIT. The past two seasons under head coach Larry Tidwell (who started at UTRGV in 2013-14) have been the first two winning seasons in school history. The Vaqueros will look to senior guard and WAC player of the year Shawnte’ Goff, who averaged 15.5 points per game. Mary Savoy scored about 12 points and reeled in nearly 11 rebounds per game through 11 contests but was shelved after that with a broken knuckle on her right hand; she’s back for her senior season. UTRGV was formerly known as UT-Pan American until August of last year.

Washington was one of the feel-good stories from last year, reaching the NCAA Final Four and joining Oregon State as Pac-12 schools in the mix for the title. It’s logical to assume a return to earth for the Huskies (26-11), but senior guard Kelsey Plum will put up a fight – she’s already the program’s all-time leading scorer (2,418) and is poised to be the 12th player in NCAA history to reach 3,000 career points. Another senior looking to finish strong is center Chantel Osahor, who averaged 10 points a game and shot 35 percent from 3-point range.

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RANKINGS: USA TODAY COACHES RANKINGS: ASSOCIATED PRESS 1 Connecticut (18) 755 38-0 1 1 Notre Dame (14) 33-2 793 2 2 Notre Dame (8) 739 33-2 6 2 Baylor (12) 36-2 789 4 3 South Carolina (3) 712 33-2 5 3 UConn (6) 38-0 743 1 4 Baylor (2) 709 36-2 4 4 South Carolina (1) 33-2 719 3 5 Maryland 603 31-4 9 5 Louisville 26-8 718 8 T-6 Texas (1) 594 31-5 7 6 Maryland 31-4 635 5 T-6 Ohio State 594 26-8 10 7 Ohio State 26-8 632 9 8 Louisville 586 26-8 14 8 Texas 31-5 604 7 9 UCLA 481 26-9 13 9 UCLA 26-9 557 10 10 Stanford 467 27-8 11 10 Mississippi State 28-8 516 15 11 Mississippi State 446 28-8 18 11 Stanford 27-8 471 13 12 Florida State 431 25-8 12 12 Florida State 25-8 437 17 13 Syracuse 394 30-8 3 13 Tennessee 22-14 415 NR 14 Tennessee 360 22-14 19 14 Miami (FL) 24-9 328 19 15 Washington 352 26-11 8 14 Syracuse 30-8 328 14 16 Arizona State 321 26-7 16 16 Oklahoma 22-11 285 24 17 Oregon State 255 32-5 2 17 Washington 26-11 259 NR 18 Oklahoma 235 22-11 23 18 Arizona State 26-7 244 11 19 Kentucky 227 25-8 15 19 Kentucky 25-8 228 12 20 Miami (Fla.) 179 24-9 24 20 Florida 22-9 181 25 21 DePaul 173 27-9 17 21 DePaul 27-9 160 20 22 Michigan State 167 25-9 21 22 West Virginia 25-10 154 23 23 Texas A&M 123 22-10 20 23 Indiana 21-12 108 NR 24 Florida 101 22-9 NR 24 Missouri 22-10 98 NR 25 West Virginia 76 25-10 25 25 Oregon State 32-5 95 6 Others Receiving Votes: South Florida 65; Indiana 51; South Dakota Others Receiving Votes: Michigan State 78, Auburn 43, Texas A&M 20, State 38; Missouri 17; Colorado State 17; Duke 16; Auburn 14; Creighton Duke 16, Colorado State 10, California 9, Creighton 9, South Florida 8, 10; Michigan 10; Western Kentucky 10; St. John?s 9; Wisconsin-Green Brigham Young 6, Temple 6, South Dakota State 5, Belmont 4, UTEP 3, Bay 7; Northwestern 7; Oklahoma State 7; Pennsylvania 6; North Carolina Boise State 2, Green Bay 2, North Carolina State 2, Chattanooga 2, Iowa State 5; Georgia 5; California 4; Temple 4; Brigham Young 3; Iowa 3; Or- State 1, Saint Louis 1, Oregon 1. egon www.womensnit.com2; Gonzaga 2; George Washington | Media 2; Duquesne Contact: 2; Drake Andy 1; Georgia Hansen | (970) 672-0517 | [email protected] Tech 1; Troy 1; Tulane 1. PRESEASON WNIT PRESEASON WNIT Nov. 11-20, 2016 Nov. 11-20, 2016 Tournament History and Notes #WNIT Tournament History and Notes www.womensnit.com www.womensnit.com

Huskies hungry to follow up remarkable season

When the party is still rolling, you don’t want to be the one who starts tidying up and running the vacuum too soon.

Floating in the background of the amazing 2015-16 run of the Washington women’s basketball team was that thought of … when do we turn the page? You can understand the desire to revel, as the Huskies rumbled through all comers and into the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four, coming up short to Syracuse but still posting a memorable 26-11 record and helping the nation fully appreciate the strength of West Coast hoops.

Weeks and weeks later the Pacific Northwest was still cheering UW players on their accomplishments, and if it took until summertime to start thinking about the next chapter, so be it. But eventually, a new season and a fresh set of challenges got the Huskies interested in sharpening their fangs for a fresh meal.

“Once everything was over, I went back and watched the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games, and those were so fun to watch,” said senior for- ward Chantel Osahor, who averaged better than 10 points and 11 rebounds per game last season and set a UW single-season record with 417 rebounds. “I don’t think I really was over it until our team retreat before this season, when I knew it was time to buckle down and think about this team, this year, and let that go. It’s time to move on. When I was in Seattle, every day, someone would come up to me and congratulate me and the team – it was fun to see the community support us and be happy for us.”

“I relied upon our team to be the gauge. We’ve got things to do, with the banners and the ring ceremonies,” said Washington head coach Mike Neighbors. “Once our freshmen hit campus and it became a new team; that’s when it sunk in. We had everybody here for the Australia trip (this past summer), and knew when we had said goodbye to three great seniors and welcomed in five new faces, that’s when it made sense.”

It helps to have a reason to be excited about the future, and the Huskies are not hurting in that department. With Oregon State, Stanford and UCLA also making deep NCAA runs, attention on the West is rising, and the player they will see first is UW senior guard Kelsey Plum. Already the all-time leading scorer in Huskies history (2,418 points), Plum led the nation in minutes played and will own a spot on every relevant pre- season all-American list.

With the exit of Talia Walton (who hit eight 3-pointers in the loss to Syracuse and was selected in the WNBA Draft), Plum likely will be asked to chip in a bit more on offense, although she prefers her senior year be remembered for something other than volume shooting.

She plays on the attack, but there’s an attack plan.

“Throughout my years here, I’ve learned the hard way, been more like a pit bull. I’d keep coming and coming until I finally break free. Now, I come to it with more poise and intelligence,” Plum said. “You look at situations, being triple-teamed or box-and-one, and I have to look for my teammates then. As we start this year, especially, it’s crucial that I get my teammates involved and feel confident they’ll be able to do it. And when they need me, I’ll be there. It’s my job to bring it out of them. I’m excited, because it’s an opportunity for me to become a better leader and better playmaker … especially for the next level. I won’t be the focal point to start out with, so I like having new ways to grow my game.”

If Plum stays healthy and continues her trend as a potent, multi-faceted scorer, she’ll finish with more than 3,000 career points. There are 11 players currently on that list, and Plum has an outside chance to reach the No. 1 spot, held by Jackie Stiles of Southwest Missouri State (3,393 points). It’s a storyline the nation will get more accustomed to hearing once conference play has begun in earnest.

“She’s an integral part of what we do. I don’t see her attempts going down. All I’ve ever said – the fact she’s doing it against the competition she’s faced is what boggles my mind, and the consistency is mind-blowing,” Neighbors said. “You look at the top 10 scorers in history of game, elite players, and some who were very, very good but not in a Power 5 Conference. And she did it at a time before Washington was a chic place to go to school. You’ve got to wrap your head around the whole thing to appreciate the impact she’s had. I’ll pay attention to stuff like that for her; I’ll cover the historical side of things. We’ll pay attention as it comes close, and now we’re talking only about what it takes to win games.”

“When I look back, I didn’t expect this. I expected to come in, play and compete. I didn’t expect to put up certain numbers. I’m just a competitor,” Plum said. “I’ll get these questions about the (scoring) record, but at the end of the day, if we win 30-somegames and make a run in the NCAA Tournament, that’s what I’ll be most proud of. That’s what I will be remembered by. To lead a team to a national championship game is a lot more cool, in my eyes. I hope people will appreciate the overall body of work and how far the program has come, more than any scoring record.”

With Plum and Osahor in place, what will the Huskies put forward to round out the lineup? The answer begins with senior Katie Collier, who start- ed all 37 games last year and is a spirit-lifter every day after staring down leukemia and a significant knee injury on the front end of her college career. Nebraska transfer Natalie Romero is a 3-point weapon of the highest order, and will be a huge asset if the NCAA approves her eligibility waiver so she can suit up this season.

After that – it’s all about the kids. Four freshmen have been brought in to contribute immediately, and Neighbors will also look at some of his deeper roster players from a year ago – they may not have played much, but the hope is the Final Four run had the power to change all involved. www.womensnit.com | Media Contact: Andy Hansen | (970) 672-0517 | [email protected] PRESEASON WNIT Nov. 11-20, 2016 #WNIT Tournament History and Notes www.womensnit.com

“I think if the team from last year lined up against this team I’ve seen in practice, this year’s team beats ‘em by double figures. The addition of the freshmen, the maturity of Chantel, Kelsey and Katie, three more great senior leaders – it’s very encouraging,” Neighbors said. “Obviously, we’ve got some unproven talent that hasn’t done it on the big stage, and there are changing roles with people who were here last year but didn’t play as many minutes. I’ll have angst about some of that until we line up against someone in a different uniform. We are explosive offensively and would put a stress on last year’s team if we would go head-head.”

“One thing is, our freshmen don’t play like freshmen. They’re good at listening, they ask questions, and they make it easy for us to help them,” Osahor added. “Our transfer is an absolute stud and is up to date with everything, and so all credit to her for that knowledge of the game. I’m pleased with where they are at. The great thing is, they are all about attacking, going downhill. They’re not afraid to take the big shot.”

Osahor’s unique in-and-out skill set, and Plum’s ability to drive the Huskies in multiple ways, will keep Washington winning and make the Pac-12 deeper and more relevant, with both UCLA and Stanford picked to win a ton of games and Arizona State and Oregon State expecting to thrive. And that serves the larger picture the Huskies really value.

“We talked about it, being the strongest league, and we went out and proved it,” Neighbors said. “RPI, and number of teams in Final Four, Elite 8, Sweet 16 – any gauge used to judge other great conferences, we certainly performed at that very high level. This year – it’s even deeper, even stronger. What we all know now is, this league prepares you for anything the NCAA Tournament can throw at you.”

“It’ll be essential to bring the new players into our group. We haven’t had a big roster or played a lot of people since I’ve been here,” Plum added. “As a leader, I take pride in everyone feeling like they belong, and they are comfortable. You help with love and compassion and support; anyone knows, when you feel comfortable and are loved, you’ll play better basketball.

“We haven’t played a game yet. Anything can happen, I want to stay hungry and stay in the gym. I’m grateful for the attention, because I think it helps the program. It helps the West Coast, because there’s a bias the West Coast isn’t as good as the East. In the tournament, we proved that wrong. It’s bigger than me – it’s about representing a brand of basketball that gets pushed aside.”

Transition game challenges, inspires WNIT teams

Talking about running a Division-I athletic program is a million times easier than actually doing it, but universities are still drawn by the appeal of putting their athletic departments in the most elevated setting possible.

The arguments for making the leap are plentiful – if your academic intentions are to rise to the level of other strong competition, why wouldn’t you wish the same for your athletic department? And it’s possible that the change can create more involved alumni, and maybe draw added commu- nity involvement and interest.

When the time comes to execute the move to D-I, you can count on some unique strain and pressure on the coaches and players who are the public face of a complicated journey. Three teams playing in the 2016 Preseason WNIT – Abilene Christian, Omaha and UT-Rio Grande Valley – are at varying stages of a D-I change, all confident that the destination is more than worth some difficult stops along the way.

ABILENE CHRISTIAN

The Wildcats are down to one more season “in between” divisions, but ACU has certainly made the most of their time. After winning the South- land Conference tournament last season, the team earned a spot in the Postseason WNIT and its first D-I postseason moment; that 26-4 finish and a strong senior-led roster has the Wildcats thirsting for similar success this year.

While a shot at the NCAA Tournament must wait until 2017-18, Abilene Christian is already establishing itself as a mid-major with a purpose. Much of that presence is due to four seniors who were there at the start and worked tirelessly, even though they knew coming in they’d never play an NCAA Tournament game – Alexis Mason, Sydney Shelstead and twin sisters Lizzy and Suzzy Dimba.

“I’m so proud of them. I appreciate what they’ve done for the program these first three years and I’m excited what their senior year will look like,” said ACU head coach Julie Goodenough. “Anything less than phenomenal would be a disappointment to them and me, considering their body of work through three years. They came in as freshmen knowing they’d be the only class that wouldn’t have an opportunity to play in the Southland Conference tournament – it didn’t faze them at all.

“The sales pitch was, come in and be part of something special. Come in and be the class that builds the foundation for D-I women’s basketball at ACU. It was, you will forever be in our record books, and they loved that opportunity and have totally embraced that.”

The group of four was actually a group of nine when they started, which meant the Wildcats were a little ragged around the edges for a while. In the end, Mason would earn Player of the Year honors in Southland as a junior, while the other three would be recognized for their contributions – PRESEASON WNIT PRESEASON WNIT Nov. 11-20, 2016 Nov. 11-20, 2016 Tournament History and Notes #WNIT Tournament History and Notes www.womensnit.com www.womensnit.com

there was nothing inevitable about that progress,

“What looked like a burden our first year in Division I, we had nine freshmen on the team and just two returning starters, so three spots had to be filled with freshmen,” Goodenough said. “As a staff, we really had to get used to freshmen mistakes, turnovers – as long as they played hard, we praised everything even if they were chucking the ball into the stands. And there were many times we had four freshmen on the floor that first year at Division I. It was kind of hard to watch sometimes, but it turned out to really benefit us.This group played way more minutes than most senior classes. They developed a lot faster; they had to figure out how to play through it. They didn’t get pulled out after mistakes … like our freshmen will this year!”

Knowing another huge transition is coming – the graduation of this current senior class – the Wildcats are looking for a group of four freshmen to steady the roster. Point guards Breanna Wright and Pamela Herrera are already being leaned on; 5-foot-11 wing player Dominique Golightly has some natural offensive explosiveness, and 6-4 center Lexi Kirgan will look to ease the burden on the frontcourt.

Notable talent like that is a function of ABU’s steady course on the journey to D-I, and each taste of postseason play will only help the cause.

“(Playing in postseason WNIT) for sure quieted the negative recruiters who said, ‘Don’t go there – you’ll never see postseason play.’ Our players were good about focusing on what we could do; they were determined to be the Southland Conference regular-season champions,” Goodenough added. “It was a mark on the wall for us, to go to the postseason and play in the WNIT. We had a lot of focus and discipline; it was icing on the cake to be in a postseason national tournament. Our players did a great job representing the program, and it was a very good experience for us. It helps set the standard.”

OMAHA

A few steps into the transition to D-I in 2013, Brittany Lange looked to fulfill her coaching role for the Omaha women’s program, just a 26-year-old trying to establish herself. Suddenly, on Oct. 2, head coach Chance Lindley stepped down, and Omaha AD Trev Alberts asked Lange to run the show.

If you want to hazard a guess at the headwinds Lange faced as a head coach in her 20’s, trying to talk to parents twice her age and recruit their daughters, while the program itself couldn’t yet offer the appeal of an NCAA postseason … let’s just say it paid to have a thick skin and a short memory.

“It’s a mix of a lot of emotions. When I came to the job, it was completely unanticipated. I was pleased the staff and team that was here bonded together,” said Lange, who guided the Mavericks to a 15-15 record last season, another positive step in terms of wins and D-I competitiveness. “The first two years were definitely tough. We were limited in talent and culture and system, so for us it’s been gratifying to see the progress we’ve made with our culture and the people in our program. It definitely didn’t happen overnight.

“I was fortunate to come up through great program at Iowa State and be around great mentors, otherwise I wouldn’t have had a clue about what it was supposed to look like. We’ve turned around the academic side of things, the character and culture of the team, and now we’re starting to see the talent we want to implement our system. There were some bruises along the way and so many things I have an appreciation for what coaches across the country have to do – like manage people every day. You won’t always be the good guy. But it’s starting to be really fun and fulfilling. I will be honest – the first couple of years were a challenge, and I questioned if we were going to make it.”

The Mavericks are positioned to reach their first national postseason tournament moment, and nearly pulled it off last year after upsetting IUPUI in the Summit League tournament. One more win might have done it, but South Dakota State knocked Omaha out of the mix with a 76-60 victory. This season’s roster is anchored by senior forward Mikaela Shaw, who is a first-team preseason all-Summit League selection. Right behind her are Remy Davenport (who started all 30 games last year), Abi Lujan and Amber Vidal.

The Mavs also have three transfers to add some punch – sisters Michaela and Moriah Dapprich (Wichita State) and Courtney Vaccher (Texas Tech). It’s a nice mix of size, athleticism and shooting that should provide that next bump up.

“We were very young last year, with just one player with more than one year of D-I experience,” Lange said. “We were able to make that run at the end of the year and improve; we retain much of that team and have added some transfers – they feel they can compete against anybody. We have the toughest non-conference schedule we’ve ever had, and our players wanted that. They want to achieve the top of the top, and that’s been key in recruiting.

“We’ve been a good defensive team. The team we inherited, we had one or two players who could shoot it from 3-point range. If you can’t spread the floor, you are limited in opportunities, and that leads to turnovers. We’ve got better shooters, and that should open up more things for players like (Shaw) and the transfers who play inside. You need a threat from all five positions, and that’s not something we’ve always had.”

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The Vaqueros have long been a D-I program; the curious part of the recent past has been the university’s full-on name change. As of August 2015, UT-Pan American became University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, which meant women’s coach Larry Tidwell had a lot of explaining and clarifying to do, while he kept trying to fortify his roster.

Part of that switch was becoming a member of the Western Athletic Conference; that was another big deal, because the Vaqueros now have a dedicated doorway to national postseason achievement. Getting to the WBI event in 2015 and the postseason WNIT in 2016 are important land- marks for a program that is trying to nail down an identity.

“It was definitely a process. You’re looking at branding, street signs, campus signs, signs out on the highway,” said UTRGV head coach Larry Tidwell, who must hustle for players with 22 other D-I women’s programs in Texas. “They’ve hit a home run with our marketing and branding. We continue to get that new brand out there, and it’s all about the impact it makes on recruiting. I’ve coached 41 years and haven’t scored a point or grabbed a rebound, so it’s pretty clear the players make the difference.”

Tidwell has a lot of intriguing facts to pitch about the Vaqueros (who went 19-14 last year), once he gets past all the name-change conversation. His players put in about 1,200 hours of community service and have helped bump up home attendance totals by more than 80 percent over the past two seasons. He’s not only comfortable recruiting in the Southwest; he’s secured the services of two players from Turkey, one from Iceland (a look at the pronunciation guide is suggested for Hildur Björg Kjartansdóttir) and one from Australia.

“We’ve got a global team, and that comes from years of contacts and networking. I’m a FIBA volunteer, I coached the national team for Bahamas and have been to 38 countries,” Tidwell said. “I like to go there; a lot of coaches can get on the phone and look on the Internet, but I go there. I say, get face-to-face and let them know you will take care of that child. I also like to recruit JUCO kids, who often have a little chip on shoulder and play that way. And when I get a JUCO international kid, man, I hit a home run.”

The Vaqueros were picked to finish second in the preseason WAC poll, with senior Shawnte Goff named preseason player of the year. Tidwell tried to recruit her when he was coaching at Lamar; after coming to UTRGV, he got her signed and they together assembled a plan to fortify her grades, which threatened to hold her out of action.

Being resourceful and exploring ways to grow players on and off the court is one of Tidwell’s trademarks, and it’s worked out for Goff (who needs 50 points to become the program’s all-time leading scorer) in every respect.

“I was at Lamar and recruiting Shawnte; we couldn’t get it right. I came to UTRGV, and people said she couldn’t get in because of grades,” Tidwell said. “We worked hard, got her eligible, and then she stepped on campus and got focused.

“After the first three games, when I hadn’t started her, I looked at my staff and said, ‘What am I doing?’ She started every game since and is a warrior for me. I’ve seen her grow academically, and she’s on time for her degree. When she leaves the gym after practice, she’ll go to the rec gym. She plays against the guys, against her brothers. I knew she could do it on the floor, and I’m so proud she exceeded expectations in the classroom.”

Colorado State stock rises, reporting strong imports When the Colorado State women’s basketball program was in full-throttle struggle during the early 2000s, coaches and players filtered through the system with no real solution ever really blossoming.

So a transplant was in order, and you can’t swap out roots any more aggressively than by pulling in players who grew up 5,000 miles away.

The ability to attract high-achieving athletes from the Nordic Region came in very handy when Ryun Williams took over the Rams’ head coach position in 2012, and the regeneration at CSU was almost immediate. After an 11-19 transition year, Colorado State has won three consecutive Mountain West Conference championships (going 79-18 in that span) and displayed an ability to get players from different cultures to play self- less, efficient basketball.

A substantial postseason run to put the Rams’ recipe in front of a broader audience hasn’t happened yet, but the initial mini-miracle of return- ing CSU to an elevated state in the game is an accomplishment all its own. From its heyday in the Becky Hammon-Katie Cronin era of the late 1990s, Colorado State had tumbled as far down as a 4-28 campaign, and the hard times seemed to take on a stubborn quality.

“It was about 10 years of a ragged state; (looking internationally) was something we felt we needed to do,” said Williams, who had coached four years at South Dakota before coming to CSU. “How could we be different? How could we elevate our program at a quicker pace? We thought the international route was the way to go. We signed the right couple of kids, and they were connected, and it just kind of snowballed.

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“Now, we just love the food over there and go over all the time. We like to eat first, and if we find a player, we find a player.” While that was said in jest, there’s no denying the serious skill level the CSU Import Division seems to uncover. The current group of eight inter- national players is led by senior Ellen Nystrom, who hails from Sweden and was named MWC Player of the Year for 2015-16; club teammate Elin Gustavsson, also a senior, returns after starting all 33 games last season and averaging better than 10 points per contest.

The program just recently said goodbye to Denmark native Gritt Ryder, co-MWC Player of the Year two seasons ago who had transferred from Alaska-Anchorage (where current CSU assistant coach Tim Moser had coached). Take a look at the CSU roster today, and you’ll see five Swedes and one player each from Norway, Denmark and Latvia.

With eight time zones standing between Colorado and Sweden, you might think the basketball would feel worlds apart for the international ath- letes. It does at times, but team-building seems to have enough power to shrink the distance.

“Fort Collins as a city and Colorado together, it’s pretty similar to Sweden. It feels like home to us. It’s a cultural difference, but everybody was so welcoming, it wasn’t a big deal,” said Nystrom, who filled box scores last season with her all-around play, finishing in the league’s top 20 in eight key categories. “They wanted to bring in people who came from a winning culture, and I think we helped bring that in.”

“I don’t think it’s any different. You might have a player from Broomfield (suburban Denver), and one from Sacramento … a kid from Sweden and a kid from Fort Collins, Colorado,” Williams said. “They understand the importance of teamwork, and that they need each other. We’re a basket- ball team, and we need to mesh and have relationships on the floor and off the floor. The international style is maybe a little more team-based than the American style, so we do like that.

“If anything, we have to teach them to be a little more selfish.A player like Elin Nystrom, who’s got a wonderful game she holds in a lot, we are asking her to be a little more selfish and force the offense, which is hard for her. For our team to elevate, she’ll have to do that this year.”

Gustavsson and Nystrom were part of Williams’ first wave, so they didn’t have many people to turn to for insight on their big move. Besides, eight holdover players were gone from CSU’s roster after Williams’ first year, so the newcomers could almost define their own transition.

“It’s a huge difference between this basketball world and back home; I didn’t know a whole lot before I got here,” Gustavsson said. “I was so ex- cited to try something new. I was living in the moment and not worrying about what the team was before or what it might be now. If you think too much, sometimes it’s not going to turn out good.

“My advice (to current foreign players) is to take everything in. You learn so much on and off the court; we can order whatever food we want, we get gear … enjoy and appreciate and have fun.”

For the Rams to enjoy the upcoming season, a few important things have to break the right way. First – don’t get caught up in remembering and repeating the highs of last year (winning 31 games) or the lows (a first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament). While the scoring burden was shared in 2015-16, the top two point producers are gone, so roles have to be remodeled.

CSU’s lone exhibition game (a 56-48 win against CSU-Pueblo) pointed to some of Williams’ work ahead, as the Rams shot just 33 percent from the field and was a gnarly 4-of-22 from 3-point range. But if there’s a brand of athletes he trusts to find a solution, it’s this one. ​ “This group has some versatility defensively; that will need to be our identity early on as we get some traction offensively. We lost some really good offensive pieces,” Williams said. “I think we can be equally as tough defensively, and in some areas even better. We can be a little more athletic on the ball, put more pressure on full-court with our personnel. We’re still figuring out who can shoulder some of the responsibility of the kids we lost.”

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BAYLOR CHURNS BY DEPAUL FOR WNIT TITLE 2015 Championship Game 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Waco, TX DePaul 22 13 18 19 72 November 22, 2015 Baylor 24 20 23 19 86

Kim Mulkey’s not sure if her fourth-ranked Baylor Lady Bears will see another team like the DePaul Blue Demons the rest of this season. But if they do, they’ll be ready.

Offsetting 21 turnovers with sizzling 63.2 percent shooting from the field, the Lady Bears finished off their Preseason WNIT run by beating 19th-ranked DePaul, 86-72, in Sunday’s championship game at the Ferrell Center.

“Obviously when you shoot 63 percent, a lot of that is transition because of the style they play defensively,” Mulkey said. “They got in that 3-2 zone, and we took some bad shots a couple times. But for the most part, I was pleased with our offense.”

Tournament MVP Nina Davis recorded her first double-double of the season and 26th of her career, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. But it was a balanced attack with five double-figure scorers that led ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Baylor (4-0) to its second Preseason WNIT championship in five years and Amanda Cahill - Indiana 156th win in a row at home over non-ranked opponents. Courtney Williams - South Florida Chanise Jenkins - DePaul Junior guard Alexis Jones had 11 of her season- and game-high 21 points in Megan Podkowa - DePaul the first quarter, Khadijah Cave scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Kristy Niya Johnson - Baylor Wallace just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine assists and the freshman post duo of Kalani Brown and Beatrice Mompremier combined for 18 MVP: Nina Davis - Baylor points, 11 boards and three blocks.

“I’m really excited about this team this year,” said Davis, who was 9-of-11 from the floor. “It’s hard to guard us. Most teams have one or two players, and you can key in on those two. And if you stop them, you stop the team. But we had TEAM LEADERS five in double figures, the freshmen played great, Jones came out on fire . . . and Niya always does what Niya does. They just make us hard to stop.” DePaul Baylor PTS Megan Podkowa 19 Alexis Jones 21 For the most part, the Lady Bears handled DePaul’s press, but still turned it REB Megan Podkowa 7 Nina Davis 10 over a season-high 21 times. AST Jessica January 8 Niya Johnson 10 STL Mart’e Grays 3 Davis, Brown, Wallace 2 “A lot of our turnovers were just moving too fast,” said Jones, who had five BLK Tanita Allen 1 Kalani Brown 2 assists, four turnovers and one steal. “That’s just with DePaul’s defense mak- ing us play a fast game, too. A lot of it is just moving really fast and seeing a player and thinking it was open at that time.”

It doesn’t help that Baylor’s shorthanded at the guard spots with Alexis Prince, STATS COMPARISON Alyssa Dry and Alexandria Gulley all out with injuries. DePaul Baylor Points 72 86 “We’ve just got little things like that we need to clean up and be more fun- FG Made-Attempted 29-66 36-57 damentally sound, I don’t care if it’s DePaul’s style of play or not” Mulkey FG Percentage .439 .632 said. “I’m asking Nina to play minutes (at wing). I’ve got to get confidence in 3PT Made-Attempted 5-28 5-12 Dekeiya Cohen and continue to give her more minutes. Really, that’s about the only five perimeter players I have to work with right now.” 3PT Percentage .179 .417 FT Made-Attempted 9-15 9-13 Podkowa (19) and Jenkins (13) led the Blue Demons in scoring and joined Da- FT Percentage .600 .692 vis on an all-tournament team that included Baylor point guard Niya Johnson, Rebounds 27 37 Indiana’s Amanda Cahill and South Florida guard Courtney Williams. Turnovers 13 4 PRESEASON WNIT PRESEASON WNIT Nov. 11-20, 2016 Nov. 11-20, 2016 Tournament History and Notes #WNIT Tournament History and Notes www.womensnit.com www.womensnit.com

THE RECORD BOOK

TEAM RECORDS INDIVIDUAL RECORDS Most Points - Game Most Points - Game 120 - Missouri State, vs. Davidson (NC), 11/13/98 42 - LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State, vs. Tulsa, 11/17/02

Most Points - Tournament Most Points - Tournament 367 - Ohio State, 2009 112 - Kelly Mazzante, Penn State, 2002

Most 3-Pointers - Game Most 3-Pointers - Game 14 - UTEP, vs. Eastern Illinois, 11/20/09 9 - Kelsey Cook, Tennessee Tech, vs. ETSU, 11/11/11

Most 3-Pointers - Tournament Most 3-Pointers - Tournament 33 - Bowling Green, 2009 12 - Kimberly Wilson, Arkansas, 1995 12 - Ta'Wuana Cook, North Carolina A&T, 2009 Most Rebounds - Game 70 - Connecticut, vs. North Carolina, 11/15/01 Most Rebounds - Game 20 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, vs. SMU, 11/13/05 Most Rebounds - Tournament 201 - Connecticut, 2001 Most Rebounds - Tournament 54 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, 2005 Most Assists - Game 28 - Connecticut, vs. Fairfield, 11/9/01 Most Assists - Game 28 - Vanderbilt, vs. Eastern Kentucky, 11/9/01 17 - Lisa Branch, Texas A&M, vs. Duke, 11/17/95

Most Assists - Tournament Most Assists - Tournament 87 - Texas Tech, 1994 37 - Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State, 2009

Most Steals - Game Most Steals - Game 29 - Notre Dame, vs. Akron, 11/11/11 8 - Joskeen Garner, Northwestern State La., vs. Arkansas, 11/15/95 Most Steals - Tournament 77 - Notre Dame, 2011 Most Steals - Tournament TEAM LEADERS 17 - Amanda Wilson, Louisiana Tech, 1996 Most Blocks - Game 14 - Florida, vs. UCF, 11/13/10 Most Blocks - Game DePaul Baylor PTS Megan Podkowa 19 Alexis Jones 21 8 - Brittney Griner, Baylor, vs. Howard, 11/11/11 Most Blocks - Tournament REB Megan Podkowa 7 Nina Davis 10 40 - Baylor, 2006 AST Jessica January 8 Niya Johnson 10 Most Blocks - Tournament 22 - Brittney Griner, Baylor, 2011 STL Mart’e Grays 3 Davis, Brown, Wallace 2 Most Field Goals - Game BLK Tanita Allen 1 Kalani Brown 2 39 - Texas A&M, vs. Lamar, 11/15/95 Most Field Goals - Game 39 - Connecticut, vs. North Carolina, 11/15/01 20 - LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State, vs. Tulsa, 11/17/02

Most Field Goals - Tournament Most Field Goals - Tournament STATS COMPARISON 137 - Connecticut, 2001 42 - Katryna Gaither, Notre Dame, 1996 DePaul Baylor Points 72 86 Most Free Throws - Game Most Free Throws - Game 33 - Arkansas, vs. Ohio State, 11/19/95 FG Made-Attempted 29-66 36-57 17 - Tricia Wakely, Drake, vs. Arkansas, 11/17/95

FG Percentage .439 .632 Most Free Throws - Tournament 3PT Made-Attempted 5-28 5-12 Most Free Throws - Tournament 83 - Washington, 1994 33 - Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State, 2009 3PT Percentage .179 .417 FT Made-Attempted 9-15 9-13 FT Percentage .600 .692 Rebounds 27 37 Turnovers 13 4 PRESEASON WNIT Nov. 11-20, 2016 #WNIT Tournament History and Notes www.womensnit.com

ATTENDANCE RECORDS

1. Texas Tech - 10,854 Rutgers at Texas Tech, Championship Game 2003

2. Texas Tech - 10,442 Texas San Antonio at Texas Tech, First Round 2003

3. Texas Tech - 10,421 UC Santa Barbara at Texas Tech, Semifinal Game 2003

4. Connecticut - 10,167 Marist at Connecticut, First Round 2005

5. Connecticut - 10,027 Vanderbilt at Connecticut, Championship Game 2001 Connecticut has won the Preseason WNIT a record 3 times. 6. Connecticut - 10,027 North Carolina at Connecticut, Semifinal Game 2001

7. Connecticut - 10,027 DID YOU KNOW? Florida International at Connecticut, Second Round 2001

8. Connecticut - 10,027 Over 200 teams representing all 32 Fairfield at Connecticut, First Round 2001 Division I conferences have competed 9. Texas Tech - 9,859 Western Kentucky at Texas Tech, Second Round 2003 in the Preseason WNIT since 1994.

10. Connecticut - 9,722 Oklahoma at Connecticut, Championship Game 2005

PAST CHAMPIONS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM 1994: Washington - 79-75 over Texas Tech 1995: Colorado - 73-71 over Arkansas An All-Tournament Team is chosen each year, and highlights six players, 1996: Louisiana Tech - 66-64 over Tennessee including an MVP for the tournament. The members must have played 1997: Connecticut - 71-61 over Nebraska on teams that advanced to the semifinals. Each of the teams that lose 1998: Colorado State - 71-60 over Rutgers in the semifinals gets one player voted to the All-Tournament Team. The 1999: Georgia - 85-64 over UC Santa Barbara remainder of the All-Tournament Team consists of two players from the 2000: Louisiana Tech - 68-63 over Purdue team that finishes as runner-up in the Preseason WNIT, and two players 2001: Connecticut - 69-50 over Vanderbilt (including one MVP) from the team that wins the WNIT title. The team is 2002: Kansas State - 88-66 over Penn State voted on by media and tournament personnel. 2003: Texas Tech - 73-45 over Rutgers 2004: Notre Dame - 66-62 over Ohio State Notable players chosen for All-Tournament Team: 2005: Connecticut - 82-62 over Oklahoma Tamicha Jackson - La. Tech (1996) 2006: Purdue - 69-55 over Baylor Chamique Holdsclaw - Tennessee (1996) 2007: Maryland - 75-62 over LSU Becky Hammon - Colorado State (1998) 2008: North Carolina - 80-79 over Oklahoma Sue Bird - Connecticut (2001) 2009: Ohio State - 93-72 over Oklahoma State Ashley and Courtney Paris - Oklahoma (2005) 2010: Purdue - 67-58 over DePaul Brittney Griner - Baylor (2012) 2011: Baylor - 94-81 over Notre Dame Odyssey Sims - Baylor (2012) 2012: North Carolina - 77-64 over Iowa Skylar Diggins - Notre Dame (2012) 2013: Louisville - 97-92 (OT) over Oklahoma Sara Hammond and Asia Taylor - Louisville (2013) 2014: Mississippi State - 88-77 over Western Kentucky 2015: Baylor - 86-72 over DePaul PRESEASON WNIT PRESEASON WNIT Nov. 11-20, 2016 Nov. 11-20, 2016 Tournament History and Notes #WNIT Tournament History and Notes www.womensnit.com www.womensnit.com

2006 – Purdue ended Baylor’s 20-game home winning streak BACK IN TIME against nonconference opponents as the Boilermakers captured their first WNIT title, 69-55, in Waco, Texas. 1994 – The Preseason WNIT began in 1994 and involved three former NCAA Final Four participants (Missouri State, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt). The University of Washington defeated Texas 2007 – Maryland defeated LSU in a battle of top-5 teams, in the Tech, the 1993 NCAA National Champions, for the champion- first Preseason WNIT to feature a three-game guarantee. Mary- ship. land, ranked third in the nation, went on to a 33-4 year, while No. 4 LSU advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, won the SEC conference title, and finished 31-6. 1995 – University of Colorado defeated Arkansas in the cham- pionship game. More than 7,000 spectators watched the cham- pionship game at Arkansas. 2008 – Top 10 teams Oklahoma and North Carolina are joined by Arizona State, Indiana, MTSU, and Xavier in one of the most elite fields assembled in a preseason tournament. North Carolina 1996 – Six Sweet 16 teams from the 1996 NCAA Championship edged No. 2 host Oklahoma 80-79 for the title. competed in the event. Perennial power Louisiana Tech defeated Tennessee, the 1996 NCAA National Champions, for the WNIT title. 2009 – Ohio State set a WNIT record for points scored in the tournament, averaging 91.8 points a game (367 total) in four Connecticut has won the Preseason WNIT a record 3 times. games as they rolled to their first Preseason WNIT title in school 1997 – The University of Connecticut won the 1997 event draw- history. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 3 in the country, defeated ing a WNIT record 36,475 fans for the semifinal and champion- Oklahoma State 93-72. Ohio State went on to set a school record ship games. with 31 wins (31-5) and become the first Big Ten team to win six straight conference titles. 1998 – Colorado State, on its way to a 31-4 season, had to de- feat three national powers in succession (Oregon, Rutgers and 2010 – Purdue battled DePaul for a 67-58 victory and captured Florida) to win the event. its second Preseason WNIT title in school history.

1999 – SEC perennial power Georgia took the title after victo- 2011 – The 2011 Preseason WNIT set the stage for No. 1 Baylor ries over Virginia Tech, Boston College and University of Califor- and No. 2 Notre Dame to battle in an early test of what would nia Santa Barbara. forecast that season's NCAA Tournament Championship game. Baylor defeated Notre Dame 94-81 and went on to capture col- 2000 – Louisiana Tech defeated Purdue in West Lafayette, In- lege basketball's first and only 40-win season. diana. Purdue went on to capture the Big Ten regular season crown and reach the NCAA Championship game. Texas defeat- 2012 – North Carolina’s women’s basketball team won its sec- ed Virginia in the consolation game. ond Preseason WNIT title with a 77-64 victory over host Iowa. The Tar Heels, 10-1 all-time in the Preseason WNIT, took the lead 2001 – No. 1 ranked Connecticut defeated No. 3 ranked for good early in the first half, thanks in part to guard Tierra Ruffin- Vanderbilt for the championship in front of a capacity crowd of Pratt, who finished with 22 points and earned MVP honors in the 10,027 fans at Storrs, CT. This kicked off UConn’s undefeated event. and NCAA National Championship season. 2013 – Louisville’s women’s basketball team came back from 2002 – Kansas State, ranked No. 4 in the country, topped No. 15 points down to defeat Oklahoma 97-92 in overtime in front of 14 Penn State before 6,052 vocal fans at Bramlage Coliseum at 7,358 energetic fans at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. Manhattan, Kansas. 2014 – A second-half rally from a nine-point deficit saw host Mis- 2003 – Texas Tech dropped Rutgers 73-45 in Lubbock, Texas in sissippi State glide to the finish, with the Bulldogs claiming an 88- front of 10,854 spectators. Texas Tech drew 41,576 fans in four 77 victory against Western Kentucky in Starkville, Miss. home games for an average of 10,394 fans per game. 2015 – With its trademark defense leading the way, No. 4 Baylor 2004 – Notre Dame defeated two Top 10 ranked teams (Duke, kept No. 19 DePaul at arm’s length throughout Sunday’s contest, Ohio State) in four days to win the Preseason WNIT title. The shooting an impressive 63 percent from the field as well to post Fighting Irish scored the final 12 points in the championship to an 86-72 victory against the Blue Demons and win the 2015 Pre- edge Ohio State 66-62. season WNIT championship.

2005 – Connecticut made it a perfect trio of trophies as the Hus- kies earned their third Preseason WNIT title in three tries (1997, 2001, 2005). UConn defeated Oklahoma for the championship in front of 9,722 fans. PRESEASON WNIT Nov. 11-20, 2016 #WNIT Tournament History and Notes www.womensnit.com

PAST PARTICIPANTS

2015 2009 2006 2003 2000 2012 Cincinnati Delaware Alabama State Davidson Arkansas-Little Rock Baylor (Runner-up) Jackson State Eastern Michigan Baylor (Champion) Delaware Bowling Green Belmont Liberty Georgetown Chattanooga Duquesne Chicago State BYU Miami (OH) George Washington Dartmouth Georgetown Eastern Illinois Dartmouth Michigan Grambling State DePaul (Runner-Up) Grambling State Florida Gulf Coast Hartford Mississippi James Madison Drexel Illinois State Georgia Tech High Point Rhode Island La Tech (Champion) Indiana Iowa (Runner-up) Marist Hofstra Rutgers (Runner-up) Mount St. Mary’s Jacksonville Kennesaw State New Mexico Idaho State Saint Peter’s Purdue (Runner-Up) McNeese State Liberty North Carolina A&T Iona San Diego Rice Siena Memphis Northern Colorado Loyola-Marymount Southeast Missouri State South Carolina South Florida Middle Tennessee Ohio State (Champion) North Carolina State Texas - San Antonio Chattanooga Southern Illinois Morehead State Okla. St. (Runner-up) North Texas Texas Tech (Champion) Texas Southern Miss North Carolina (Champion) Towson Purdue (Champion) UC Santa Barbara Tulane St. Bonaventure Northern Illinois UTEP Saint John’s Utah Virginia Tennessee State Sacred Heart West Virginia Stanford Western Kentucky Wichita State UT Arlington Sam Houston State Winthrop Wichita State

2002 1999 2014 2011 2008 2005 Ball State Alabama-Birmingham Albany Akron Arizona State Boston College Bucknell Boston College Arkansas State Baylor (Champion) Ball State California-Berkeley Colorado State Duke Central Arkansas Chattanooga Cleveland State Chattanooga Georgia Tech Georgia (Champion) Colorado Detroit Illinois State Connecticut (Champion) Kansas St. (Champion) Illinois Eatern Kentucky Drexel Indiana Drexel Mississippi State Liberty Jackson State ETSU Lafayette Eastern Washington North Carolina - Charlotte Maine Mercer Hartford Liberty Hampton Northern Arizona UNC-Greensboro Mississippi State (Champion) Howard MTSU Indiana State Penn State (Runner-up) Northern Iowa North Dakota Indiana State N. Carolina (Champion) Louisiana-Lafayette San Francisco Oklahoma State Penn State Long Island Oklahoma (Runner-up) Marist Siena St. Mary’s Rider Manhattan Robert Morris New Mexico South Alabama TCU Seton Hall McNeese State Tulane Oklahoma (Runner-up) Southern California UCSB (Runner-Up) St. Francis Brooklyn Notre Dame (Runner-up) UC Riverside Oral Roberts Southwest Missouri State UNLV Towson Tennessee Tech VCU Richmond Syracuse Virginia Tech West Virginia UAB Western Carolina SMU Tulsa Western Michigan Western Kentucky (Runner-up) UCLA Xavier Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2001 1998 2013 2007 2004 2010 Colorado Arkansas State Georgia State Austin Peay Delaware Arizona Connecticut (Champion) Baylor Gonzaga Charlotte Delaware State Boston University Eastern Kentucky Cincinnati Idaho DePaul (Runner-up) East Tennessee State Bowling Green Evansville Colorado St. (Champion) IPFW Florida Evansville Davidson Fairfield Davidson Louisville (Champion) Hampton IUPUI Duke Florida International Florida Loyola Chicago Iona LSU (Runner-up) Illinois State George Mason Indiana LSU JMU Marshall McNeese State Loyola Marymount Nevada Mount St. Mary’s Lamar Maryland (Champion) Middle Tennessee St. New Mexico NE Louisiana North Carolina A&T Missouri State Michigan State Nebraska North Carolina Oregon Oklahoma (Runner-Up) Purdue (Champion) Miami (OH) Notre Dame (Champion) Oral Roberts Rutgers (Runner-Up) Quinnipiac South Dakota State Notre Dame Ohio State (Runner-up) Oregon State St. Francis, PA Saint Joseph’s St. Francis PA Princeton Rice Pacific SW Missouri St. Stephen F. Austin Toledo Radford Saint Joseph’s Stephen F. Austin Toledo Stetson UCF Samford Saint Mary’s Temple Valparaiso UT Martin Utah Valley TCU South Florida Vanderbilt (Runner-Up) Xavier Wichita State Valparaiso Western Kentucky Western Illinois

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PAST PARTICIPANTS

2003 2000 1997 1994 Cincinnati Delaware Alabama Arkansas State Jackson State Eastern Michigan Clemson Florida Int’l. Liberty Georgetown Connecticut (Champion) Marquette Miami (OH) George Washington Furman Maryland Michigan Grambling State George Mason Montana Mississippi James Madison Holy Cross Northern Illinois Rhode Island La Tech (Champion) Louisville Northwestern Rutgers (Runner-up) Mount St. Mary’s Miami Oklahoma Saint Peter’s Purdue (Runner-Up) Nebraska (Runner-Up) Rutgers San Diego Rice New Mexico Seton Hall Southeast Missouri State South Carolina Northwestern Southwest Mo. St. Texas - San Antonio Chattanooga Santa Clara Texas Tech (Runner-Up) Texas Tech (Champion) Texas Southern Illinois Toledo UC Santa Barbara Tulane St. Joseph’s Vanderbilt Utah Virginia Tennessee Tech Virginia Tech Western Kentucky Wichita State Western Kentucky Washington (Champion)

2002 1999 1996 Ball State Alabama-Birmingham Appalachian State Bucknell Boston College Arizona Colorado State Duke Austin Peay Georgia Tech Georgia (Champion) George Washington Kansas St. (Champion) Illinois Illinois State Mississippi State Liberty Iowa North Carolina - Charlotte Maine Kansas Northern Arizona UNC-Greensboro Kent Penn State (Runner-up) Northern Iowa La Tech (Champion) San Francisco Oklahoma State North Carolina St. Siena St. Mary’s Notre Dame South Alabama TCU Old Dominion Southern California UCSB (Runner-Up) San Francisco Southwest Missouri State UNLV SMU Syracuse Virginia Tech Tennessee (Runner-Up) Tulsa Western Michigan Tulane

2001 1998 1995 Colorado Arkansas State Arkansas (Runner-Up) Connecticut (Champion) Baylor Colorado (Champion) Eastern Kentucky Cincinnati Drake Evansville Colorado St. (Champion) Duke Fairfield Davidson Lamar Florida International Florida Maine George Mason Indiana Massachusetts Loyola Marymount Nevada New Mexico State New Mexico NE Louisiana NW State Louisiana North Carolina Oregon Memphis Oral Roberts Rutgers (Runner-Up) Ohio State Oregon State St. Francis, PA Oregon Pacific SW Missouri St. Pittsburgh Stephen F. Austin Toledo Texas A&M Temple Valparaiso Utah Vanderbilt (Runner-Up) Xavier Virginia Commonwealth