Houston, Louisville and DePaul will represent C-USA in the WNIT.

CHICAGO, Ill. – Houston, Louisville and DePaul will represent Conference USA in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament beginning on Wednesday, March 13. Houston (22-7) will host Rice on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip off. Louisville (17-12) travels to Ball State on Wednesday at 6 p.m., and DePaul (15-13) faces Michigan State on Thursday, March 14 in East Lansing, Mich.

Houston made a big run towards postseason play at the end of the season, winning eight of its last 10 games and posting a 22-7 record. Sophomore Chandi Jones was named C-USA Player of the Year, after becoming the fastest player in C-USA history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. She also ranks second in the league with 22.6 points per game. Houston will be making its fifth postseason and second consecutive WNIT appearance. The Cougars holds a 35-5 series advantage against Rice (21-8) with their last meeting coming during the 1995-96 season.

The Cardinals will be making their 10th postseason appearance and second-ever WNIT game when they take on Ball State on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Louisville advanced to the quarterfinals round of the C-USA tournament, before falling to eventual winner Cincinnati, 80-70. The Cardinals are led by sophomore Sara Nord, who is second in the nation in assists with 7.90 per game and was named to the C-USA All-Conference first team for the second consecutive year. It will mark the first meeting against Ball State, who is 23-7 overall.

DePaul is 15-13 heading into the postseason and is led by one of the nation's top offensive players, Lenae Williams. The senior forward has been ranked in the top 10 nationally all season in scoring and three-point field goals per game. She is currently third on the NCAA’s all-time three-point list with 327 career treys. The Blue Demons will be making their third consecutive WNIT appearance when they take on Michigan State (16-12) on Thursday. Last year, DePaul advanced to the second round before losing to eventual champion Ohio State.


-C-USA-