Mar 13, 2018

2018 WBI Bracket

Milwaukee, WI - The ninth year of the 2018 Women’s Basketball
Invitational features an intriguing field of 16 teams that span from coast to coast representing 15 conferences. Each of the mid-major teams in the strong WBI field finished the regular season with a winning record.

Competition begins Wednesday, March 14 with Binghamton (19-11) visiting Youngstown State (16-15) at 7 p.m. ET in Youngstown, OH. Wednesday’s games also include a San Joaquin Valley battle in California when Fresno State (16-14) visits CSU Bakersfield (16-12) at 7 p.m. PT.

First round play continues Thursday with six compelling matchups. Action begins on the East Coast with Northeastern (16-14) hosting Yale (15-13) at 7 p.m. ET.

"We are excited to represent the CAA within this year's WBI field," said Northeastern head coach Kelly Cole. "This is an opportunity that our team welcomes to be able to test itself against talented competition on the postseason stage. It is a chance for us to grow both individually and as a group, as well as continue to improve the direction of our program."

Cole’s team will be making their first postseason appearance since the 1998-99 season.

Four of Thursday’s games take place in the South. UNC Asheville (17-15) hosts Furman (17-13) at 7 p.m. ET at Kimmel Arena in Asheville, NC. The game will mark the 30th meeting between the two programs with Furman holding a 15-14 all-time lead.

Stetson (17-14) travels from Florida to face South Alabama (19-12) in Mobile, AL at 7 p.m. CT. In addition, SIUE (17-14) leaves the confines Edwardsville, IL to play Central Arkansas (22-9) at 7 p.m. CT at the Farris Center in Conway, AR.

"The biggest thing is that I am excited for the opportunity for this team to continue to play," said SIUE head coach Paula Buscher.

Weber State (22-10) makes a trek from Odgen, UT to Texas Southern (19-12) for another 7 p.m. CT matchup on Thursday in Houston, TX.

"This is an exciting opportunity to continue our season and compete in more games with our team this year," said Weber State head coach Bethann Ord. "Anytime you get invited to participate in postseason it is a tremendous boost to your program. We have a special group of young women and as their coach I'm extremely thankful to continue this journey. We look forward to representing Weber State in Houston at Texas Southern this week.”

The last game of the first round promises to be an exciting contest between two West Coast teams that finished the season strong under up-and-coming coaches. Nevada (17-16) welcomes UC Irvine (18-13) at 6:30 p.m. PT. The game will mark the 23rd meeting between the programs.

The second round of the WBI will be held Saturday or Sunday, March 17 or 18. The semifinals are set for March 20 or 21. The championship game will be held March 28 or 29. All games are hosted by the higher seed.

Please check www.womensbasketballinvitational.com for more details or follow @PostseasonWBI on Twitter.