UNDATED (AP) – The Big 12 women’s basketball programs have a lot to prove this season. After decades of battling for the Final Four and national championship, the league hasn’t sent a single team to the Final Four in nearly five years, and just one in more than a decade. Last year was particularly humbling as none of its six teams escaped the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. The Big 12 has just two teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, No. 13 Texas and No. 19 Baylor, although Kansas is coming off a WNIT title.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Regular-season conference champions no longer have a guaranteed spot in the National Invitation Tournament. The NIT Board of Directors changed its qualifying rules for its postseason tournament and declared that regular season champions who do not win their conference tournament and are not otherwise selected for the NIT tournament NCAA will not receive an automatic bid to the NIT. Instead, the NIT will guarantee two teams – based on NET rankings – from each of the six major conferences. That’s two teams from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC. These 12 will also be able to host a match.
CLEVELAND (AP) — The No. 1 seed in the women’s NCAA tournament will get preferential treatment moving forward. The Division I women’s basketball committee voted unanimously to place the tournament’s top seed in a regional group with game days on Friday and Sunday. The move guarantees as much rest as possible for the No. 1 seed between the regional final and the Women’s Final Four. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley had concerns and criticism about her No. 1 seed team not getting the same number of days off as Iowa. Staley contacted his broadcast partner ESPN and NCAA officials about the matter during the Southeastern Conference spring meetings in May.
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