June 30, 2009
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team is one of 16 teams in the field announced Tuesday who will play in the 2009 Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
The Yellow Jackets will host Winthrop in the opening round of the tournament. The Jackets and Lady Eagles will face off for the fourth time. Last season, Tech defeated Winthrop, 65-27, in the opening round of the Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout. The winner will play either Oklahoma State or Arkansas-Little Rock in the second round.
“We are so excited about the opportunity to participate in the 2009 Preseason WNIT,” head coach MaChelle Joseph said. “This is the next step to helping us take this program to another level. Winthrop is a well coached team that will present a challenge for our team. However, we are looking forward to this great experience.”
Georgia Tech and Ohio State headline a field that includes 11 teams that played in the postseason last spring: Arkansas-Little Rock, Bowling Green, Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia Tech, Marist, New Mexico, North Carolina A&T, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and Winthrop. They will be joined in the Preseason WNIT field by Chicago State, Eastern Illinois, Northern Colorado, Towson, and UTEP.
The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Friday, Nov. 13 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 15-16; semifinals will be Nov. 18-19; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 22. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 20-22. All games are hosted by participating schools, and sites are announced by the end of the preceding round.
In last year’s Preseason WNIT, North Carolina defeated Oklahoma 80-79 in a fierce battle of Top-5 teams.
The Jackets reached the second round of the WNIT in their first appearance in the event in Nov. 2002.
First-round Preseason WNIT games
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
Eastern Illinois (24-9) at Ohio State (29-6), 5 p.m. ET
UTEP (18-12) at Florida Gulf Coast (26-5), 7 p.m. ET
Arkansas-Little Rock (26-7) at Oklahoma State (17-16), 7 p.m. ET
Towson (17-13) at West Virginia (18-15), 7 p.m. ET
Winthrop (16-16) at Georgia Tech (22-10), 7:30 p.m. ET Chicago State (16-13) at Bowling Green (29-5), 7:30 p.m. ET
North Carolina A&T (26-7) at Marist (29-4), 7:30 p.m. ET
Northern Colorado (12-18) at New Mexico (25-11), 9 p.m. ET
For more information, visit the website at www.womensnit.com.
– RamblinWreck.com –
