FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Following its best season in recent years, the Cleveland State women's basketball team has earned an at-large bid to play in the 2015 Women's National Invitation Tournament. The Vikings earned a spot in the 64-team field and will face Michigan on Wednesday, March 18 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.
This marks the fourth time that Cleveland State will make a postseason appearance under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, and the first since the 2010-11 season. While the Vikings own a 1-3 record in postseason play, this will be the first time that Cleveland State will be playing in the WNIT.
Cleveland State enters the WNIT with a 19-12 overall record – marking the fifth time that the Vikings have reached 19 wins over the past 12 seasons. The Vikings also finished the regular season with a 10-6 mark in Horizon League action, earning the No. 3 seed in the 2015 Horizon League Tournament.
Cleveland State is one of three Horizon League teams in this year's WNIT field, joining Wright State and Youngstown State. The Raiders earned the league's automatic bid into the tournament field, while the Penguins also earned an at-large bid.
Michigan enters the tournament with a 16-14 overall record, and advanced to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. This will be the fifth meeting between the Wolverines and the Vikings, but the first since the 1986-87 season. The overall series between the two teams is tied at 2-2.
The 64-team WNIT field is comprised of 32 automatic qualifiers and 32 at-large bids. The official WNIT bracket can be found by clicking the link below:
First round action of the WNIT tips off Wednesday, March 18 and concludes Friday, March 20. Second round games begin March 21-24, round three will be held March 25-27, quarterfinals March 28-30, and semifinals April 1-2. The championship game will be played Saturday, April 4 and will be televised live on CBS Sports Network at 3:00 p.m. EST. All games will be hosted by participating schools.
