WNIT preseason bracket announced, Purdue to host Austin Peay

Purdue is set to take on Austin Peay in the opening matchup of the 2010 Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament. The Boilermakers host the Lady Govs at 5 p.m. ET on Friday, November 12 in Mackey Arena.

"We’re excited to be invited to the Preseason WNIT," said Lady Govs head coach Carrie Daniels. "Being from Indiana I’m looking forward to facing a team from my home state. Purdue is a tremendous program that has a lot of rich tradition. We know it will be a tough game and we’ll have to be ready to play."

Purdue is 1-0 all time against Austin Peay, with the only matchup an 80-49 Boilermaker win at home in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 16, 2002. Austin Peay has four starters from last season’s squad, which won a second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball tournament title. The Lady Govs went 15-18 overall but rallied to a third-place finish in the OVC regular-season race with an 11-7 record before posting three straight victories in the OVC tournament.

It is the third Preseason WNIT appearance for Purdue and the second for the Lady Govs. The Boilermakers won the tournament in coach Sharon Versyp’s first year as head coach, defeating No. 16 Baylor, 69-55, on Nov. 19, 2006, in Waco, Texas. In 2000, fourth-ranked Purdue finished as runners up to No. 11 Louisiana Tech, 68-63. 

The 16-team, invitation-only Preseason WNIT field features 14 teams coming off postseason play, with half of those teams winning their conference tournaments. The preseason WNIT is an exempt event that is played as a three-game guarantee format. The tournament opens with first-round games Nov. 12 and 13. Second-round games will be played Nov. 14 and 15; semifinals will be Nov. 17 and 18; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 21. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 19 and 20. All games are hosted by participating schools and the next round sites will be announced by the end of the preceding round.

In last year’s Preseason WNIT, Big Ten Conference member Ohio State defeated Oklahoma State 93-72.

First-round Preseason WNIT games
2009-2010 team records in parentheses

Friday, Nov. 12, 2010

• Austin Peay (15-18) at Purdue (15-17), 5 p.m. ET
• St. Francis PA (17-15) at Toledo (25-9), 7 p.m. ET
• Hampton (20-12) at JMU (26-7), 7 p.m. ET
• Lamar (26-8) at Missouri State (22-11), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Valparaiso (9-21) at DePaul (21-12), 8 p.m. ET
• Utah Valley (10-22) at South Dakota State (22-11), 8 p.m. ET

Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010

• Central Florida (11-16) at Florida (15-17), time TBA
• Iona (18-14) at Charlotte (18-14), 5 p.m. ET