Hurricanes Earn WNIT Berth

March 13, 2006

CORAL GABLES, Fla. –

The <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>University of Miami women’s basketball team has received an invitation to participate the 40-team Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). The Hurricanes will face the winner of Thursday’s FIU-Cincinnati game Saturday at 7 p.m. at the BankUnitedCenter.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

First-year head coach Katie Meier and the Hurricanes earned a first-round bye with an overall record of 16-12, while posting a 6-8 record in the ACC which was good sixth place the final regular season standings.

Miami will make its fourth appearance at the WNIT, holding a 2-4 all-time record at the tournament. The Hurricanes last made the WNIT in 2002, where they downed Georgia Tech 73-64 in the first round in Atlanta before falling 83-76 in the second round on the road against Houston.

The WNIT kicks off postseason action Wednesday, with preliminary-round games. Sixteen teams will play in that round, and then feed into 16 first-round games. All games are held on the campuses of participating schools, and no seeds are designated.

This is the first year that the tournament expanded from 32 to 40 teams, which was done to offer more postseason opportunities to teams that won their regular-season conference title but lost in their conference tournament and did not earn an NCAA automatic berth.

For ticket information, please visit the Hurricane Ticket Office at hurricanesports.com or call 1-800-GO-CANES.

Preliminary Round
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Jackson State at Rice
Western Illinois at Illinois
Stony Brook at Hofstra
Belmont at Tennessee Tech

Thursday, March 16
Northern Iowa at Kansas
Cincinnati at Florida International
Santa Clara at OregonState
UC-Santa Barbara at FresnoState

First Round
Thursday, March 16
Eastern Michigan at IndianaState
Wisconsin-GreenBay at IowaState
Drake at Nebraska

Friday, March 17
Western Illinois-Illinois winner at Marquette
South Carolina at Xavier
James Madison at Charlotte
Belmont-Tennessee Tech winner at WesternKentucky
IdahoState at KansasState

Saturday, March 18
Jackson State-Rice winner at Indiana
Northern Iowa-Kansas winner vs. Mississippi
Delaware at Pittsburgh
St. Joseph’s (Pa.) at Virginia
Cincinnati-Florida International winner at Miami
Stony Brook-Hofstra winner at Villanova
Santa Clara-Oregon State winner at Wyoming
UC-SantaBarbara-FresnoState winner vs. UNLV