Missouri, Kansas State, Missouri State qualify for Women’s NIT basketball tourney
Missouri earned an automatic berth from the SEC, while Kansas State and Missouri State were selected as at-large participants into the 64-team field Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Missouri was the SEC’s automatic qualifier for the 64-team Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
The field was announced Monday and also includes Kansas State, which was an at-large selection.
TCU was the Big 12’s automatic qualifier, while Mississippi, West Virginia and Missouri State also were chosen as at-large selections.
Despite a litany of injuries, the Tigers finished the season 17-13 overall and 7-9 in the SEC, which was tied for seventh among 14 teams.
Missouri — which lost point guard Lianna Doty and forwards Kayla McDowell and Bri Porter to season-ending injuries before conference play this season — was upset by
Georgia in the first round of the conference tournament.
The Tigers were an automatic qualifier as the top finisher from the SEC that was not selected for the NCAA Tournament.
It is Missouri’s third consecutive appearance in the WNIT and sixth overall.
The Tigers open tourney play Thursday at Northern Iowa. Tip time will be announced Tuesday.
The Wildcats went 18-13, including a 7-11 record in conference play, during the first season under head coach Jeff Mittie.
K-State, which tied West Virginia for seventh in the Big 12 standings, beat Kansas in the first round of the Big 12 postseason tournament, but lost to Baylor in the quarterfinals.
Mittie’s squad hosts Akron on Thursday with the tip time to be announced.
This season marks the Wildcats’ fifth WNIT appearance and first since reaching the semifinals in 2013.
K-State won the 2006 WNIT and also reached the semifinal in 2007.
Missouri State, which hosts Tulsa on Friday with the game time to be announced, went 18-14 overall and 13-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
To reach Tod Palmer, call 816-234-4389 or send email to tpalmer@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter at @todpalmer.
This story was originally published March 16, 2015 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Missouri, Kansas State, Missouri State qualify for Women’s NIT basketball tourney."