NCAA Tournament Selection Show at 7pmET tonight. WNIT site advises the 64-team field will be released by 9pm tonight and full bracket, dates/times, hosting locations, etc., will be released by midnight tonight... https://www.womensnit.com/news/2018-post...for-launch

JMU's solid home attendance has normally warranted consideration for hosting WNIT games in the past. I am hopeful and confident that will be the case again this year (assuming we are invited of course, which should be the case...though, you never know I guess).

Being we won/tied the regular season, is it fair to assume both JMU and Drexel are being invited? I'd think in a field of 64 both teams will get in.

I think the auto bid is only given to one school. If Drexel had won the CAA, JMU would have been an auto qualifier. Since Elon won, Drexel is the auto qualifier.

Still, the WNIT is a 64 team tournament, not 32 like the men. JMU is getting in regardless of the auto-qualifier.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see Delaware make the field as well. JMU and Drexel are locks.

Likely first round opponents: Radford, Hampton, George Mason...have to imagine VT isn’t far away from us in the bracket either

Both should be in easy and have a home game or two.

Final 8 teams vying for 4 spots into the NCAA were announced as: Buffalo(RPI 22, SOS 88), Creighton(RPI 49, SOS 27), Minnesota(RPI 41,SOS 82), Oklahoma(RPI 35, SOS 2), Purdue (RPI 62, SOS 26), Rutgers(RPI 40, SOS 16), USC(RPI 52, SOS 47), WVU(RPI 64, SOS 57)

For Reference Drexel(RPI 51, SOS 127), JMU(RPI 68, SOS 89)

Creme has the next 4 out as Michigan St(RPI 65, SOS 30), Indiana (RPI 54, SOS 11), VT(RPI 66, SOS 35), UCF(RPI 46, SOS 59)

SOS drives everything it appears, which is fine. It is hard to get an at large as a mid in the women's game

Gone are the days of the Mighty Macs, Lady Techsters and Lady Monarchs. The womens game is dominated by the top conferences even more than the mens game. Until some mid majors make serious deep noise, what Dan10 suggests will be the case.

(03-12-2018 10:16 AM)PhillyDuke Wrote:  Gone are the days of the Mighty Macs, Lady Techsters and Lady Monarchs. The womens game is dominated by the top conferences even more than the mens game. Until some mid majors make serious deep noise, what Dan10 suggests will be the case.

ODU will be back, but they will be a powerful mid. Nikki McCray is an awesome coach, brought up in the Pat Summit mold and trained by Dawn Staley. She is a terrific recruiter and she had a team patched together from what was left and what she recruited over the summer that started out with loss after loss but by midseason started winning and reeled off a string of home victories and started believing in themselves. They'll be back. You watch.

(03-12-2018 12:22 PM)orange-to-purple Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 10:16 AM)PhillyDuke Wrote:  Gone are the days of the Mighty Macs, Lady Techsters and Lady Monarchs. The womens game is dominated by the top conferences even more than the mens game. Until some mid majors make serious deep noise, what Dan10 suggests will be the case.

ODU will be back, but they will be a powerful mid. Nikki McCray is an awesome coach, brought up in the Pat Summit mold and trained by Dawn Staley. She is a terrific recruiter and she had a team patched together from what was left and what she recruited over the summer that started out with loss after loss but by midseason started winning and reeled off a string of home victories and started believing in themselves. They'll be back. You watch.

Okay, but pardon me if I don't hold my breath. Personally, the more ODU stinks it up, the better I feel.

(03-12-2018 08:44 AM)Wear Purple Wrote:  JMU's solid home attendance has normally warranted consideration for hosting WNIT games in the past. I am hopeful and confident that will be the case again this year (assuming we are invited of course, which should be the case...though, you never know I guess).

I was under the impression, it was some sort of bid process similar to the FCS playoffs, is it not?

(03-12-2018 12:22 PM)orange-to-purple Wrote:  

(03-12-2018 10:16 AM)PhillyDuke Wrote:  Gone are the days of the Mighty Macs, Lady Techsters and Lady Monarchs. The womens game is dominated by the top conferences even more than the mens game. Until some mid majors make serious deep noise, what Dan10 suggests will be the case.

ODU will be back, but they will be a powerful mid. Nikki McCray is an awesome coach, brought up in the Pat Summit mold and trained by Dawn Staley. She is a terrific recruiter and she had a team patched together from what was left and what she recruited over the summer that started out with loss after loss but by midseason started winning and reeled off a string of home victories and started believing in themselves. They'll be back. You watch.

Nobody's going to watch, because nobody cares about ODU anymore. They sold their souls so their football team could play in crappy bowl games that nobody watches. Now their basketball teams play in this obscure conference of mismatched teams from the south and nobody's watching.

No real surprise, but confirmation the Lady D's are in the WNIT... https://www.womensnit.com/news/committee...-2018-wnit

(Drexel also in as an auto qualifier + Delaware with an at large bid as well)

ETSU at JMU on Thursday. Winner plays the winner of Radford at Penn State. https://www.womensnit.com/bracket.html

Thursday night, 7pm, streamed live via MadiZone

If you are in the Harrisonburg area or can get here easily be in the stands for the game Thursday night. I think the ladies are feeling a little bummed at the way they played Friday night and they are ready to show us all what a good team they really are. They deserve our support!! Should be a fun night.

Kinda odd that they sent ETSU to JMU and Navy to Blacksburg. Seems like ETSU at VPI&SU and Navy at JMU would've made better sense. Oh well.

I expect the Lady Dukes to come out pretty torqued off after their last game. ETSU is going to walk into a potential ambush from an angry bunch of Duke Dogs.

A good crowd increases the chances that the winner of Radford-Penn State comes to H'burg assuming we advance.

Good article in yesterday's DNR about how JMU is willing to put out the resources necessary to help host WNIT games. As much grief as I give the administration, I do appreciate how supportive they are of the women's team.

Looking at our inner bracket just a bit...

ETSU: 19-12 overall, 11-3 in the SoCon (2nd place)...opened the season 6-8 thru first half of the season, but then went 13-4 on the back end with 3 of the losses to SoCon champ, Mercer, who finished 30-2 on the season, including the SoCon Tournament championship game. They went 1-9 vs Top 100 RPI (lone win over Duquesne back on Nov. 19 by 4 pts.

If we get past the Bucs...

Penn State: 16-15 overall, 6-10 in the Big 10+4 (11th place)...5-13 vs Top 100 RPI...11-3 at home, 5-12 away from State College...defeated Drexel by 14 at home back on Nov. 12...defeated Rutgers at home by 3...defeated a bad Illinois team in the play-in round of the B10T before being destroyed by a solid Michigan team...enter their game with Radford having gone 3-7 in their last 10

Radford: 22-8 overall, 15-3 in the Big South (2nd place)...1-3 vs Top 100 RPI...didn't play anybody in the top 50 RPI (JMU had 8 games against top 50 RPI going 1-7)...was upset by UNC-Asheville in the BST semifinals...15-2 since January 13th, including a home win over Big South champion Liberty...lost to the Hokies by 26 pts back on Dec. 3rd...lost to West Va (also a NIT team on our side of the bigger bracket) by 20 back on Dec. 16th

Current RPI's FWIW...

JMU: 68
ETSU: 110
Penn St: 93
Radford: 138

I like the bracket. I think our team could do some work in the tourney if we remember how to shoot the ball.

The NCAA likes using the NIT and WNIT as grounds for experimentation for potential rules changes in the future. Although they each seem rather minor (and I can't fathom what is driving these), here are the experimental rules for this year's WNIT... https://www.womensnit.com/uploads/2/0/0/...n_wnit.pdf

Unfortunately the wife and I will not be able to make the games as we are leaving tomorrow for our annual trip to FL to watch the Nats. Will be watching and ROOTIN!! on Madizone.

Go Dukes!!

Brian