BOISE, Idaho — Boise State is headed to Missoula for a matchup with Montana in the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament, the event announced Monday afternoon with the release of its 48-team bracket.
The Broncos (21-13) and Grizzlies (22-9) will square off at 7 p.m. MT Wednesday inside Dahlberg Arena on ESPN+ and 670 KBOI AM. The winner advances to face North Dakota State (21-11) in the second round, which is scheduled for March 23-26.
Boise State is making its third WNIT appearance. Head coach Gordy Presnell and Co. beat Idaho State in the first round in 2008, before losing to TCU in the second round. The Broncos dropped their tournament opener to LSU in 1998.
Montana reached 20 wins this season for the first time since 2015-2016, the same year it last appeared in a national tournament. The Grizzlies are making their sixth trip to the WNIT after reaching the Big Sky semifinals in Boise earlier this month.
As a No. 6 seed in Las Vegas, Boise State earned back-to-back wins over Utah State and Wyoming to claim a spot in the Mountain West semifinals. The Broncos fell to San Diego State in a 72-69 thriller on March 12.
The Broncos are led by All-Mountain West Team honoree Natalie Pasco, and back-to-back MW All-Defensive Team member Abby Muse. All-Big Sky first-team standout Carmen Gfeller is averaging 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Grizzlies.
The 26th edition of the WNIT is made up of 11 automatic qualifiers and 37 at-large bids. Conference foe Wyoming was also selected to the postseason event, earning a first-round bye. The Cowboys await the winner of UTSA and Northern Colorado.
Boise State's matchup with Montana is the third and final game Wednesday. 10 of the 16 first round contests are scheduled for Thursday, followed by three more Friday.
WNIT Schedule:
- Round 1 - March 20-22, 2024
- Round 2 - March 23-26, 2024
- Round 3 - March 27-29, 2024
- Quarterfinals - March 30-31, 2024
- Semifinals - April 2-3, 2024
- Championship - Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 1 p.m. MT (CBS Sports Network)
The Boise State men's basketball team is also in action Wednesday evening, facing off with Colorado in Dayton in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. The winner earns the No. 10 seed in the South Region and advances to play No. 7 Florida in Indianapolis in the Round of 64.
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