North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack to Participate, Host Preseason WNIT
6/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
June 28, 2006
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State women's basketball announced its participation as one of 16 teams in the 2006 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday, June 28. The Wolfpack will serve as host of the event when it kicks off the 2006-07 season on Thursday, Nov. 9. NC State welcomes High Point at 7 p.m. ET.
"We're excited to be a part of a prestigious tournament such as the NIT," said NC State head coach Kay Yow. "We're looking forward to opening our season with some challenging opponents. It will allow us to get a gauge on our team early."
NC State has participated in the Preseason WNIT, which began in 1994, just one previous year, 1996, when it lost to the eventual champion, Louisiana Tech, 71-54 in the semifinals.
The event, which is slated for Thursday, Nov. 9 through Sunday, Nov. 19, will open at Purdue, St. John's, NC State and Stanford on Thursday, and at Hartford, Baylor, Wichita State and Brigham Young on Friday, Nov. 10.
The complete 16-team field includes NC State, Belmont, Purdue, Iona, St. John's, High Point, Loyola Marymount, Stanford, Dartmouth, Hartford, North Texas, Wichita State, Idaho State and Brigham Young.
Of those teams, 11 advanced to postseason play in 2006, including the Wolfpack, Baylor, BYU, Dartmouth, Hartford, Purdue, St. John's and Stanford played in the NCAA Tournament, and Belmont, Hofstra and Idaho State qualified for the Postseason WNIT field.
The single-elimination tournament opens Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played on Nov. 12-13, semifinals on Nov. 15-16 and the championship is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 19. All games are played on home campuses, which are determined after each round.
In last year's Preseason WNIT, Connecticut defeated Oklahoma and went on to a 32-5 season, advancing to the NCAA's Elite Eight round.
Following are this year's pairings. Visit www.womensnit.com for a bracket and history of the event.
First-round games:
All 2005-2006 team records in parentheses
Thursday, Nov. 9
Belmont (22-8) at Purdue (26-7), 7 p.m. ET
Iona (17-12) at St. John's (22-8), 7 p.m. ET
High Point (20-10) at N.C. State (19-12), 7 p.m. ET
Loyola-Marymount (17-12) at Stanford (26-8), 7 p.m. PT
Friday, Nov. 10
Dartmouth (23-7) at Hartford (27-4), 7 p.m. ET
North Texas (19-8) at Baylor (26-7), 7 p.m. CT
Hofstra (19-12) at Wichita State (15-13), 7 p.m. CT
Idaho State (17-13) at BYU (26-6), 7 p.m. MT
--PACK--
