Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Blue Raiders to face Belmont in WBIT first round
3/16/2025 8:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee will be participating in postseason basketball for the 21st consecutive season after gaining an invitation into the 2025 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.
The Blue Raiders (26-8, 16-2 CUSA) will take on third-seed Belmont (22-12, 15-5 MVC) on Thursday, Mar. 20, in Nashville, Tenn., at the Curb Event Center. Tipoff is TBD. The game will air on the Blue Raider Network and broadcast on ESPN+. This marks the 23rd meeting in series history between the Blue Raiders and Bruins.
"I'm proud of our players for earning the opportunity to keep playing," said Head Coach Rick Insell, who has guided Middle Tennessee to postseason play in all 20 seasons at the helm of his alma mater, with the exception of 2019 when the postseason was canceled due to COVID-19. "We've had a strong season, and this is a chance to build on everything this team has accomplished."
Middle Tennessee is making its first appearance in the WBIT.
About the WBIT
In 2023, the NCAA announced the creation of an annual 32-team postseason invitation tournament for women's basketball, which will be owned and funded by the NCAA. The 2023-24 season marked the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.
The creation of the WBIT ensures the NCAA is providing equitable postseason opportunities for women's basketball similar to that of men's basketball, which was a recommendation from the 2021 Gender Equity Report.
NCAA-supported men's and women's basketball postseason opportunities are now equitably available through a combination of the NCAA Division I Men's or Women's Basketball Championships (68 teams each) and men's or women's basketball postseason invitation tournaments (32 teams each).
Additionally, as women's basketball continues its growth trajectory, opportunities, and events like this support our three strategic goals of transformational student-athlete experience, quality competition and memorable championships.
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