USI Women's Basketball returning to WNIT

USI Women's Basketball Returns to WNIT Tournament

Being a student athlete in college is no joke! During my time playing soccer for the University of Southern Indiana, I quickly learned that time management would be the most important habit I'd develop in college. While my team never made it very far in any tournament, and I never truly grasped the concept of time management, another USI team is paving the way for women's sports in the tri-state. For the third year in a row, the USI Women's Basketball team will not only be going to the WNIT, but they've received a first-round bye again.

What Is The WNIT Tournament?

The Women's National Invitational Tournament was started in 1998 to give teams with a .500 record or better a chance to compete in the postseason. Believe it or not, this has no association with the NCAA. The WBIT (Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament) is for teams that have already won their conference and is similar to the NCAA March Madness tournament for men. The WNIT is owned and operated by Triple Crown Sports, which decided that it wanted to showcase the other good teams out there who simply didn't make the primary tournament. The tournament hosts 48 teams, and this isn't USI's first appearance.

USI Women's Basketball Improves Each Year In WNIT

This will be the third consecutive year the Screaming Eagles have appeared in the postseason extravaganza. Their first appearance was in 2024, where they reached the second round. In the 2025 tournament, the team reached the Super 16, where they lost to the eventual champions, the University of Buffalo. Hopefully, 2026 will be their year! Here is the schedule for this year's games:

Here's the 2026 schedule for each round:
Round 1 - March 19-21, 2026
Round 2 - March 22-24, 2026
Super 16 - March 25-27, 2026
Great 8 - March 28-30, 2026
Fab 4 – March 31-April 1, 2026
Championship - Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET