UW women receive a first-round bye for the WNIT

MADISON – The Wisconsin women’s basketball team will have to wait a few more days until its first postseason game in 13 years.

The Badgers are one of 16 teams that received a first-round bye for the WNIT, which begins play Wednesday at various campus sites. UW will face the winner of the Illinois-Chicago at Southern Indiana game that will be played Thursday. The specific details of the secondround game will be announced after the first round.

The Badgers (13-16) benefited from an increased pool of postseason opportunities in women’s basketball. The inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament added 32 postseason slots, pushing the overall total to 148.

The Badgers had off a few days following their loss to Penn State in the Big Ten tournament before resuming practice. The team wasn’t sure if it would make the field despite a solid NET ranking of 127, but the bye indicates that Wisconsin was far from the WNIT bubble.

“I’m obviously really excited for our players and our program to be able to take another step toward what it is we’re trying to accomplish in being able to play in the postseason…,” Wisconsin coach Marisa Moseley said. “I think it shows that we’re headed in the right direction.”

WNIT Tournament schedule

Round 1: March 20-22

Round 2: March 23-26

Round 3: March 27-29 Quarterfinals: March 30-April 1 Semifinals: April 2-3. Championship: April 6, 3 p.m.

MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL Wisconsin guard Ronnie Porter and teammates will have to wait to see who they’ll play in the WNIT.