Tulane first round WNIT opponent for Kats
3/18/2013 11:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The full 64-team field for the postseason WNIT was announced Monday night.
The winner of the Sam Houston vs. Tulane game faces the Arkansas vs. Memphis winner. Those two teams will face off Thursday in Fayetteville.
Tulane reached the quarterfinals of the Conference USA post-season tournament, falling to host Tulsa 75-68. The Green Wave produced a 22-8 record during the 2013 seasons. Tulane tied for second place in Conference USA with an 11-4 league mark. Tulane had only one meeting this season with a Southland Conference team, defeating McNeese State 69-63 in non-conference play.
Sam Houston State earned its WNIT postseason berth by finishing as co-champions in the Southland Conference and advancing to its first Southland post-season tournament finals appearance.
The 2013 WNIT field includes 31 teams that earned automatic berths and 33 teams that are selected at-large.
"The girls and coaching staff are excited to still be playing basketball," head coach Brenda Nichols said. "Looking at who some of the bubble teams are for NCAA selection, the WNIT should have an outstanding field this year. It's a thrill to get to test ourselves against the best."
The postseason WNIT will open with first-round games Wednesday through Friday, March 20-22. The event culminates Saturday, April 6, with the championship game which will be telecast live on CBS Sports Network. All games are hosted by participating schools.
Sam Houston earned its first women's basketball Southland Conference regular season title in its 26 years in the league in 2013 with an 18-14 overall mark and 13-5 league record.
The WNIT schedule by round:
Round 1 - March 20-22
Round 2 - March 23-25
Round 3 - March 27-29
Quarterfinals - March 30-April 1
Semifinals - April 3-4
Championship Game - April 6, 2 p.m.
First-Round Pairings
Wednesday, March 20
Utah @ Long Beach State
UCSB @ San Diego State
Idaho State @ BYU
Eastern Illinois @ Missouri
UAB @ Auburn
Thursday, March 21
Hawaii @ San Diego
Seattle @ Saint Mary's
Northern Colorado @ Wyoming
Texas Southern @ Kansas State
IUPUI @ Illinois State
Butler @ Toledo
Indiana State @ Youngstown State
Miami (OH) @ Illinois
East Carolina @ Western Kentucky
Memphis @ Arkansas
Sam Houston State @ Tulane
Iona @ Drexel
Harvard @ Hartford
SMU @ Bowling Green State
Akron @ Duquesne
Sacred Heart @ Boston
Army @ Fordham
NC A&T @ James Madison
Richmond @ North Carolina State
Davidson @ Old Dominion
Appalachian State @ Charlotte
Florida @ Florida International
Winthrop @ FGCU
Friday, March 22
Eastern Washington @ Washington
UALR @ Pacific
Ball State @ Minnesota
Northern Iowa @ Marquette
