Detroit To Join Nationally Ranked Teams In Baylor, Notre Dame, UCLA In Preseason WNIT

Preseason WNIT Website

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The 16-team field for the 2011 Preseason WNIT was announced today and the Detroit Women's basketball team will have some big company to compete against.

Along with Detroit, the tournament will feature Akron, Baylor, Drexel, Eastern Tennessee State, Hartford, Howard, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan, McNeese State, Notre Dame, Tennessee Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech, UAB and UCLA.

Notre Dame finished last season as the No. 2 in the nation as the Fighting Irish advanced to the National Championship game. Baylor ended the year ranked No. 5 in ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll as the Bears made it all the way to the Final Four, while UCLA was ranked No. 13 in the final poll.

The Titans could also potentially face two other 2011 NCAA Tournament squads in Hartford or McNeese State, as well as four teams that made the postseason WNIT or WBI in Drexel, Manhattan, Tennessee Tech or UAB.

Overall, 12 teams in the field posted winning records last season.

The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The tournament opens on Nov. 11 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 13-14; semifinals will be Nov. 16-17; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 20. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 18-19. All games are hosted by participating schools.

The official bracket and schedule for the preseason WNIT will be released in June.