Huskers to Host Three Games in Preseason WNIT

Lincoln - The Nebraska women's basketball team will compete in its third Preseason WNIT in school history, the Huskers announced on Wednesday, May 11.

The 23rd Preseason WNIT will feature a 16-team field with 11 teams that competed in postseason play in 2016, including the Huskers who earned a spot in the first round of the 2016 Postseason WNIT.

Nebraska, is expected to play three guaranteed home games in the 2016 Preseason WNIT under first-year head coach Amy Williams, who led South Dakota to the 2016 Postseason WNIT crown. The former Husker guard competed in Nebraska's first Preseason WNIT appearance as a player in 1997, under then first-year Nebraska head coach Paul Sanderford.

The 1997-98 Huskers advanced to the Preseason WNIT Championship game against No. 6 UConn at Storrs, after defeating Miami (Ohio) and No. 11 Alabama at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, before knocking off No. 16 Western Kentucky in the semifinals in Storrs, Conn. That Husker team also went on to advance to the second round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

It will be Nebraska's third all-time appearance in the Preseason WNIT, joining a trip to the 2004 tournament. The 2004-05 Huskers opened with a win over Western Illinois at the Devaney Center in Lincoln on Nov. 12, 2004, before falling at No. 10 Notre Dame in the second round on Nov. 14.

The Huskers finished 2015-16 with an 18-13 overall record that included a 9-9 Big Ten Conference mark. Nebraska is one of 12 teams in the 2016 Preseason WNIT field that won 18 or more games in 2015-16.

Nebraska is expected to open play in the 2016 Preseason WNIT with a home game at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday, Nov. 12. That game will likely feature an early afternoon tip-off because of Nebraska's previously announced home football game against Minnesota scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Nebraska plans to play its second home game in the Preseason WNIT on Monday, Nov. 14, before playing its third guaranteed home game at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thursday, Nov. 17. The championship game of the Preseason WNIT is expected to be played on Sunday, Nov. 20, on the home court of a host institution.

The 2016 Preseason WNIT field includes perennial power Notre Dame (33-2, ACC) and 2016 NCAA Women's Final Four qualifier Washington (26-11, Pac-12). Nebraska's former Big Eight and Big 12 Conference counterpart Missouri (22-11) will be the SEC's representative in the 16-team field. All three of those schools have been projected in early preseason top-25 polls for 2016-17.

Other 2016 Preseason WNIT teams include Abilene Christian (26-4), which won the Southland Conference title last year but is still one year away from being eligible for the NCAA Tournament while making the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. 

Central Michigan (22-11) will represent the MAC, while Colorado State (31-2) will carry the banner for the Mountain West Conference. Eastern Washington (20-12, Big Sky), Elon (18-13, Colonial), Fordham (14-17, Atlantic 10), Furman (15-16, Southern) and Green Bay (28-5, Horizon) add to a strong tournament field.

Little Rock (20-13, Sun Belt), North Texas (11-19, C-USA), Omaha (15-15, Summit), and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (19-14, WAC) round out the tournament field.

A full bracket for the 2016 Preseason WNIT is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.