Towson and Morgan State earn WNIT bids
Tigers scheduled vs. Harvard; Bears to meet Wake Forest
The Towson and Morgan State women’s basketball teams aren’t done yet.
After failing to earn NCAA Tournament berths, the Tigers and Bears have received bids to compete in the WNIT. Both teams earned automatic qualifiers after being the best regular-season finisher to not make the NCAA Tournament in their respective conferences.
The WNIT, the women’s version of the National Invitation Tournament, is a 64-team tournament that serves as a secondary postseason competition for teams not participating in March Madness.
Towson is in Group 2 and will play at Harvard on Thursday at 7 p.m. Morgan State was placed in Group 4 and will play at Wake Forest on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Towson (21-11) was the No. 1 seed in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament and had home-court advantage at SECU Arena, but the Tigers fell to No. 7 seed Monmouth in the championship game Sunday. The Tigers had won six in a row after going 13-5 in CAA play during the regular season, but they got behind early against Monmouth and couldn’t mount a comeback in the 80-55 loss.
Towson was hoping to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history, with the first coming in 2019. Last season, the Tigers played in their first WNIT and lost in the first round to Old Dominion.
Harvard (17-11) went 9-5 in Ivy League play but lost in the conference championship game to top-seeded Princeton. The Crimson are 10-3 at home this season.
If Towson defeats Harvard, the Tigers will take on the winner of UMass and Albany in the second round between Saturday and March 21.
Morgan State (17-11) was the No. 2 seed in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference after going 10-4 in conference play. But the Bears were upset by No. 7 seed Maryland-Eastern Shore in the MEAC Tournament quarterfinals. Morgan State opened 9-0 against MEAC foes, but the Bears have since lost five of their past six games.
The WNIT bid is Morgan State’s second Division I postseason appearance. The Bears last made the WNIT in 2011 and lost to Virginia in the first round.
Wake Forest (16-16) went 5-13 in the Atlantic Coast Conference to finish 12th out of 15 teams. However, the Demon Deacons did win two games in the ACC Tournament, including an upset over No. 5 seed Florida State, and are 11-4 at home.
If Morgan State defeats Wake Forest, the Bears will take on the winner of Florida and Wofford in the second round between Saturday and March 21.
The WNIT championship is scheduled for April 1 at 5:30 p.m.
WNIT FIRST ROUND Towson at Harvard Thursday, 7 p.m.
Stream: ESPN+
WNIT FIRST ROUND Morgan State at Wake Forest Thursday, 6 p.m.
Stream: ACC Network Extra