Ball State University Athletics
Women?s Hoops Opens 2008-09 Season In The Preseason WNIT
July 08, 2008 | Women's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. ? For just the second time in program history, the Ball State women's basketball team has been invited to play in the 2008 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament first-year head coach Kelly Packard announced on Monday. The Cardinals accepted the invitation to participate in the 16-team tournament for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
“I am excited about the opportunity for our women's basketball program to represent Ball State University and the Mid-American Conference in the 2008 Preseason WNIT,” said Packard. “Opening our official preseason schedule with a prestigious national tournament provides an immediate focus for our program, and creates an intensity in preseason competition due to the tournament bracket nature.”
The tournament, which begins Nov. 14, will be the first competition of the season for the 2008-09 Cardinals. All 16 teams are guaranteed at least three games. The eight first round winners will advance to the quarterfinals, while the eight teams to lose in the first round will play in two separate four-team consolation brackets. All games will be played on the home court of one of the participating teams.
“This speaks volumes of the Ball State women's basketball program,” Ball State athletics director Tom Collins says. “Coach Packard is off to a great start as our head coach, and to be invited to such a distinguished tournament will enhance what we are doing. This is a great way for our coaches and student-athletes to open the 2008-09 basketball season.”
North Carolina and Oklahoma headline a field that includes 12 teams that played in the postseason last spring: Arizona State, Cleveland State, Illinois State, Indiana, Liberty, MTSU, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Robert Morris, VCU, Western Carolina, and Xavier. In last year's Preseason WNIT, Maryland defeated LSU. Maryland, ranked fifth in the nation, went on to a 33-4 year, while LSU advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, won the SEC conference title, and finished 31-6.
Ball State will face Indiana University Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
