2026 Women’s National Invitational Tournament Bracket (PDF)
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Three Conference USA Women’s Basketball teams earned bids to the Women’s Basketball National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) following their regular season campaigns. FIU, Middle Tennessee and Sam Houston will be extending their seasons with games starting Thursday, March 19.
FIU (20-11) was an automatic qualifier after earning the No. 2 seed at the 2026 Air National Guard CUSA Basketball Championship, finishing the season with a 12-6 league mark. The Panthers are led by First Team All-Conference members Parris Atkins and Rhema Collins. FIU is set to host Stetson (20-11) on Friday, March 20 at 6 p.m. CT.
Middle Tennessee earned a spot in the 2026 WNIT after finishing the season with an overall record of 16-15 and 11-7 conference mark. The Lady Raiders boast CUSA Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Conference member, Blair Baugus. MTSU earned a first-round bye and is set to take on the winner of St. Bonaventure (16-15) and Drexel (21-10).
Sam Houston will make its third appearance in the WNIT after finishing conference play at 11-7 and an overall record of 18-12. The Bearkats are led by CUSA Defensive Player of the Year, Fanta Kone. Sam Houston is set to face off against Portland (18-14) on Thursday, March 19 at 8 p.m. CT in Portland, Ore.
About Triple Crown Sports
Based in Fort Collins, CO., Triple Crown Sports has been producing youth, high school and college events for more than 40 years. TCS runs the Postseason WNIT basketball event and produces the men’s and women’s DI Cancun Challenge tournaments in November. Triple Crown is also powering a “WNIT” concept event in D-I volleyball (NIVC), with that event debuting in 2017. Triple Crown’s PV College Challenge features more than 10 of the top DI college softball teams in the country each year in Puerto Vallarta, MX. Anchored by the 1,300-team Colorado 4th of July event, TC fastpitch softball tournaments draw the nation’s finest club programs, and hundreds of college coaches attend TCS events for recruiting purposes. TCS produces one of the largest youth baseball events in the world with the 700-team Omaha SlumpBuster during the College World Series. The Triple Crown Volleyball NIT has become the top-recruited club volleyball event in the country each February when 650 teams compete in Kansas City, MO.