For the win and a chance to play for that Dodge Aries, what is the WBI?

Didn't make the NCAA? Or the WNIT? Well bless your hearts, there's postseason hope for you yet!

Introducing the Women's Basketball Invitational, an opportunity for those of you not deemed to be one of the top 128 teams in women's hoops to play in March. Featuring such powerhouse programs as ... Fairfield, Morehead State and Mo-Kansas City.

In fairness, it also has defending NCAA runner-up Louisville. How hard a fall is that, from national finalist to No. 3 East seed in a tournament nobody has ever heard of ... including the people playing in it?

Here's the Seattle Times story on it. Spot the factual error in the headline!

 

Is this brought to you by the same people behind the CBI?

 

I thought it was a new boxing alphabet group.

 

Washington is 12-17 and hosting a first-round game? Ohhhhhhhh kay.

 

To be honest -- why is this needed?

The WNIT has 64 teams in it (the mens NIT only has 32) - so there are already 128 teams going to either the WNCAA or the WNIT.

 

In the interests of full disclosure, here is that Dodge Aries you're playing for:

 

Why is Bubbler standing next to it?

 

Clearly, there is a burning need to find out who the 129th-best team is. It's part of our national "nobody goes home without a trophy" mentality.

 

It looked as if the woman they interviewed in that article basically said "We just think more teams deserve to play."

Really? Two teams that were 3 to 5 games under .500 deserved to be in post-season play? What is this, Kansas high-school basketball?

 

I'm not going to lie. I didn't know this tournament existed and I checked the bracket half expecting the school I cover to be in it.

Whew.

 

Unfortunately we're all about this lower-tier tournament here in Podunk. But don't dare call it a lower-tier tournament.

 

You could call it the lowest-tier tournament.