Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 1, 1994 TAG: 9404010165
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press and staff reports
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
In November, women's basketball will join the men with a preseason NIT.
A field of 16 that includes Virginia Tech was announced Thursday for the inaugural preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament. All games will be played at campus sites, although organizers said they hope to have a permanent location for the semifinals and final for 1995.
The tournament is being put together by Triple Crown Sports, a Fort Collins, Colo., company that has staged slow-pitch softball tournaments, soccer tournaments, three-on-three basketball and four-on-four volleyball. This is Triple Crown's first venture into college athletics.
Texas Tech, the 1993 NCAA champion, heads the inaugural field. The Red Raiders will play host to Toledo on Nov. 15.
The other first-round games, also Nov. 15, are Virginia Tech at Maryland, Notre Dame at Northern Illinois, Florida International at Vanderbilt, Oklahoma at Montana, Seton Hall at Rutgers, Northwestern at Washington and Marquette at Southwest Missouri.
The quarterfinals will be Nov. 17, the semifinals Nov. 20 and the championship game Nov. 22. Sites for those rounds will be awarded to the schools that would be expected to draw the biggest crowds, said Triple Crown spokesman David King.
"Host schools in each game give the event the best chance for financial success to ensure a good future," King said. "By hosting rounds completely through the finals, we should have a tremendous draw by the championships themselves."
The semifinals and final will be shown by Prime Network, which is affiliated with Home Team Sports.
Virginia Tech coach Carol Alfano said she was thrilled the Hokies have a chance to be a part of the first women's preseason NIT.
"This is another big step for us in raising our program to the next level," she said. "It is a unique experience because it is the inaugural tournament, which makes it even more prestigious. We are very excited about the opportunity to showcase our program."
The Hokies had the best record in school history this season, finishing 24-6, winning their first Metro Conference tournament title and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
The Hokies' first-round NIT opponent, Maryland, finished 15-13 overall and was fourth in the ACC with an 8-8 record this season.
King said his organization hoped to have a permanent site chosen for the final two rounds in time for the 1995 tournament. Prime Network has signed a two-year contract to televise the semifinals and final.
The NCAA in January agreed to exempt women's teams playing in a preseason tournament from the limit on games. A school will be allowed to play in the preseason NIT only once every four years and no more than one school from a conference may play in any year.
by CNB