Women's NIT

[HuskyNan]

Temple, Memphis, and Tulane are in! Local teams Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart got invites as did Elon (go Phoenix!). Our friends from Rutgers will vie for the championship as well.

http://www.womensnit.com/current-field.html

 

[stamfordhusky]

Quinny and Sacred Heart were automatic qualifiers, so they've known their fate for a while. Temple was also an AQ, although they were likely hoping for a better fate. The full field:

http://www.womensnit.com/current-field.html

 

[Vowelguy]

Looks like NC ST, Duke, and Vanderbilt turned down bids.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Looks like NC ST, Duke, and Vanderbilt turned down bids.

I guess there are reasons but if I was a coach I would wanna play the games and win a NIT championship!!

 

[EricLA]

I guess there are reasons but if I was a coach I would wanna play the games and win a NIT championship!!

I don't know if i've ever heard of a team turning down a NIT bid. Did those teams really think they deserved a NCAA Bid?

 

[Vowelguy]

I don't know if i've ever heard of a team turning down a NIT bid. Did those teams really think they deserved a NCAA Bid?

Pretty sure UNC turned down one several years ago. Hatchell said the NCAA was the only goal every year.
Also sometimes teams have a bunch of injuries and decide it's better to end things now.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Teams have turned down NIT bids. I think at least one did this year. Some teams think that the NIT/WNIT is beneath them. For example, given Tennessee's history, if they had missed the big dance, they might have turned down the WNIT.

Generally speaking, I think turning down the NIT/WNIT is a bad idea. For teams with seniors, it extends their careers and gives them a shot at getting to play in MSG. For young teams, it can provide a springboard for the future. The UConn men and other men's teams have used it as such.

 

[UcMiami]

I don't know if i've ever heard of a team turning down a NIT bid. Did those teams really think they deserved a NCAA Bid?

Rutgers also turned one down one of the last years of the old big east - she followed up by accepting the next one, but she was really POed when they didn't get the NCAA bid. It one one of those years when their OOC included something like 10 of the top 25 teams and they ended the year with a lot of losses but some good wins as well and a really good RPI.

 

[uconnfan68]

I don't know if i've ever heard of a team turning down a NIT bid. Did those teams really think they deserved a NCAA Bid?

They absolutely thought they deserved an NCAA bid, they just didn't earn it.

 

[Vowelguy]

Fairfield makes the WBI
http://www.womensbasketballinvitational.com/buttons/2016_WBI_Bracket_.pdf

 

[ochoopsfan]

Two west coast teams I thought would be in it were USC and UC Davis. Not sure if they turned down bids or not.
USC beat 4 teams in the NCAA tournament this season(W.Va, Iona, Albany and UCLA)
UC Davis just lost in their Big West Tournament after beating the 1 seed, UC Riverside in the semi's.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Fairfield makes the WBI
http://www.womensbasketballinvitational.com/buttons/2016_WBI_Bracket_.pdf

Fairfield is currently ranked #211 by Sagarin and had an RPI of 200. At what point, do these events become silly? Fairfield is in because dozens of higher-ranked teams turned down invitations. Does anyone know how much this will cost the school? A participant in the men's CBI has to be willing to pay $50,000 or more per game to participate. It can't possibly be that high on the women's side - but it could be even more costly if attendance is a couple of hundred.

I see that one of the teams on the Fairfield side of the bracket - Northwestern State - is ranked #250 by Sagarin. I guess the #249 team turned them down.

 

[Plebe]

Pretty sure UNC turned down one several years ago. Hatchell said the NCAA was the only goal every year.
Also sometimes teams have a bunch of injuries and decide it's better to end things now.

Do they release the names of the teams that declined WNIT bids?

 

[Plebe]

Two west coast teams I thought would be in it were USC and UC Davis. Not sure if they turned down bids or not.
USC beat 4 teams in the NCAA tournament this season(W.Va, Iona, Albany and UCLA)
UC Davis just lost in their Big West Tournament after beating the 1 seed, UC Riverside in the semi's.

If Oregon and Utah got in, I'm sure USC must have been invited.

UC Davis is really low on the RPI (166). I suspect they didn't get an invite.

 

[Vowelguy]

Do they release the names of the teams that declined WNIT bids?

Doubtful.

But NC State and Vanderbilt were both the top teams in their conferences that didn't get an NCAA bid -- by rule they would've received automatic bids to the WNIT. IN the WNIT press release, the ACC & SEC are the only 2 conferences NOT listed with an auto qualifier.

Duke had a better year than Virginia, VaTech, Wake, & GaTech. Plus, they are a marquee name. I'm sure they wouldve been invited.

 

[Plebe]

Duke "will not participate ... due to a limited roster": http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=210803688

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I don't know if i've ever heard of a team turning down a NIT bid. Did those teams really think they deserved a NCAA Bid?

Up until the one year they accepted, Rutgers turned it down several times.

Some of the years, they might have thought they belonged in the NCAA dance, certainly the year they went to the WNIT they thought so. Other years, not necessarily, that wasn't ever Vivian's reasoning.

Her reasoning (expressed whenever we were on the bubble, even when we got in the big dance) was sometimes due to injury, or senior laden team (chance of injury), or other "semi-legit" reasoning. Otherwise, it was just that if you were not good enough for the National Championship, why would you want to play in a tournament of als0-rans? If you couldn't play well enough to earn your way to the goal, why take the consolation prize? Eventually, the AD took the decision out of her hands.

As to the WBI mentioned above, that is a "less said the better" tourney.

 

[HuskyNan]

Fairfield is currently ranked #211 by Sagarin and had an RPI of 200. At what point, do these events become silly? Fairfield is in because dozens of higher-ranked teams turned down invitations. Does anyone know how much this will cost the school? A participant in the men's CBI has to be willing to pay $50,000 or more per game to participate. It can't possibly be that high on the women's side - but it could be even more costly if attendance is a couple of hundred.

I see that one of the teams on the Fairfield side of the bracket - Northwestern State - is ranked #250 by Sagarin. I guess the #249 team turned them down.

If the school cares at all about its teams, it will pony up the $50k so the kids get some post season experience and extend practices a few more weeks. Not everything is about money.

 

[UcMiami]

For teams like Temple last year, I think it was very beneficial to participate in WNIT. For younger teams another chance to play in 'one and done' tournaments is great experience. Most bubble teams that get into the NCAA get a chance to travel to someone else's home court and get thrashed as the end of their season - at best they win one before getting thrashed. Those that don't get in but participate in the WNIT get to host one or more games that they have really good chances to win. As a player that sounds like fun, as a coach more chances to work with your team in preparation and in games, and as a program, another chance to develop your fan base - don't see the down side.
And while the WBI is an also ran in every way, again a nice way to extend your season. 200+ D1 teams never had a chance to make the NCAA or the WNIT in September, should they just cancel the season and save some money for their school? Did anyone really think Colgate would compete in their league, let alone against Uconn? What a waste of resources by the school!

 

[ThisJustIn]

The WNIT excites me because it gives folks a chance to see how conferences match up against each other... and builds relationships between programs/coaches for possible scheduling in the regular season. Builds RPI strength possibilities.

 

[stamfordhusky]

If the school cares at all about its teams, it will pony up the $50k so the kids get some post season experience and extend practices a few more weeks. Not everything is about money.

Most schools turn down these tournaments - both on the men's and women's side - and the main reason isn't the money. Their players have been practicing/playing 30+ hours a week for five months. Many are playing hurt. Bodies are breaking down. To extend the season for a few more weeks and risk more injuries may not be worth it for a contrived meaningless event. There are a number of doctors and trainers who agree with that philosophy. A few more practices in March really don't help prepare a team for games in late November.


As for the money, $50,000 isn't a lot of money for UConn - but it IS a lot of money for many smaller schools. Hundreds of them are in financial distress right now and that number is going to grow during the next decade. It is likely more than ten D1 schools will cease to exist at some point in the next 15 years. Wasting money is not a good practice for a school in that position.

 

[UcMiami]

Most schools turn down these tournaments - both on the men's and women's side - and the main reason isn't the money. Their players have been practicing/playing 30+ hours a week for five months. Many are playing hurt. Bodies are breaking down. To extend the season for a few more weeks and risk more injuries may not be worth it for a contrived meaningless event. There are a number of doctors and trainers who agree with that philosophy. A few more practices in March really don't help prepare a team for games in late November.


As for the money, $50,000 isn't a lot of money for UConn - but it IS a lot of money for many smaller schools. Hundreds of them are in financial distress right now and that number is going to grow during the next decade. It is likely more than ten D1 schools will cease to exist at some point in the next 15 years. Wasting money is not a good practice for a school in that position.

Tonya actually gave an interview on the WNIT experience and pointed to her team this year as proof that it was beneficial to their development.

 

[Vowelguy]

You know, there doesnt have to be one answer. It is possible that it can be valuable in some cases and not in others.

For teams that are young or really want to keep playing, yes. For a team that's been through a particularly bruising (physically or mentally) season, with a really short bench, with players anxious to get to surgery and start rehab, or even academically-minded players who want to get back to studying, no.

 

[HGN]

Glad to see Temple got some love...........They deserved to have been a NCAA at-large.