UCLA Women's Basketball Accepts Bid to WNIT After Missing Out on NCAA Tournament
The Bruins are going dancing – just not in the NCAA tournament.
UCLA women's basketball (14-12, 8-8 Pac-12) accepted a big to the Women's National Invitational Tournament on Sunday after not making into the premier bracket for the top 64 teams in the country. The Bruins were ranked No. 41 in the NET Rankings, putting them ahead of several teams that made it as at-larges, but an early exit in the Pac-12 tournament against Oregon apparently robbed them of a chance to steal a bid.
The Bruins were the highest-ranked Pac-12 team not to make the NCAA tournament, and therefore earned an automatic bid to the WNIT.
The last time UCLA missed the NCAA tournament was in 2015, when it also accepted a bid to the WNIT in its place. That year, the Bruins went all the way and won the WNIT title, and immediately followed that up with four consecutive trips to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.
While the WNIT bracket will not be released until Monday, coach Cori Close said on Twitter that her team had accepted their invitation. The WNIT also showed UCLA as a participant on their website, and the Bruins announced it on their official Twitter account not long after.
A trip to the WNIT provides UCLA a chance to right the ship after a bumpy season dominated by injuries, upsets and missed opportunities. The rotation was down to as little as seven players for a good chunk of the year, and several key pieces didn't make their first appearances until the final few weeks of the regular season.
Point guard Gina Conti, who transferred in from Wake Forest before getting hurt in the preseason, could end up making her debut in blue and gold if she is medically cleared for the WNIT. Forwards Angela Dugalic and Brynn Masikewich, both of whom made their debuts later in the year, could get a chance to take the court a few more times as well.
When UCLA went to the WNIT in 2015, it was a young team just starting a new era with Jordin Canada and Monique Billings taking over as freshmen. This time around, there are seven seniors who will be looking to go out on a high note and give the program some momentum and positive vibes before they welcome the nation's No. 1 recruiting class to campus next fall.
The WNIT will start March 16 and will run until the championship game on April 2.
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