BREAKING NEWS: Penn State, James Madison, Villanova and Washington State top seeds in new WBI Tournament

Penn State, James Madison, Villanova, and Washington State have secured the top seeds in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament, stepping in after narrowly missing out on the NCAAs.

Sponsored by the NCAA, this tournament serves as a counterpart to the men’s NIT. Historically, the WNIT served as the secondary women’s tournament, with teams bearing the cost of hosting games. However, the NCAA is covering expenses for teams participating in this new tournament.

Penn State is set to host George Mason on Thursday, with the exact timing yet to be determined.

Barbara Burke, former AD at Iowa and chair of the WBIT committee, expressed enthusiasm for the expanded postseason opportunity, allowing an additional 32 NCAA teams to prolong their season. She commended the NCAA for this initiative in women’s sports.

The WBIT committee seeded the top 16 teams of the 32-team field, while the selection committee placed the remaining teams into the bracket, aiming to keep them close to their natural areas of interest.

All games will take place on campus sites until the Final Four. The first round is slated for Thursday, followed by the second round three days later. Quarterfinals are scheduled for March 28. The Final Four will be held at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on April 1, with the championship game following two days later.

Villanova is accompanied by three other Big East teams: Georgetown, Seton Hall, and St. John’s. Washington State is joined by California and Washington from the Pac-12. The SEC also has three representatives: Arkansas, Florida, and Mississippi State.

Georgia Tech and Virginia represent the ACC. Miami, initially a No. 1 seed, declined the tournament invitation, leading James Madison to take their place.