The growing popularity of women's college basketball has helped spur the NCAA to create a new postseason tournament beginning in 2024.
The Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament will feature 32 teams, matching the National Invitation Tournament for men. The women's NCAA tournament expanded last year from 64 to 68 teams, so now both men and women will have 100 NCAA-funded opportunities in the postseason.
"Women's basketball is at an all-time high with records being set for national championship and Final Four viewership, and the tournament was the most viewed since 2009," Jamie Boggs, chair of the Division I Women's Basketball Oversight Committee and vice president of athletics for Grand Canyon, said in a news release. "This tournament will create an additional NCAA-funded postseason opportunity for women's basketball, and it comes at a time when we are seeing tremendous growth in popularity for women's basketball."
The independently operated Women's NIT has for 25 years offered a second option to teams not qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Last season the field was 64 teams, but teams bid to host games and paid for most of their travel expenses.
Unless the WNIT returns, there will be 100 postseason berths for women's teams instead of 132, but with less of a financial burden on these programs.
The NCAA owns and funds its new women's tournament. It said details on the WBIT's format, selection process, bracketing and host sites will be released at a later date.
A selection committee will be identified later this summer, the NCAA said in the release.
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