CHICAGO, Ill. - Cincinnati, Houston, UAB, Memphis and DePaul will represent Conference USA in the Women's National Invitational Tournament beginning on March 14. UAB and DePaul will host, with Memphis, Houston and Cincinnati going on the road for the first round of action. Cincinnati (22-9) travels to Ohio State (17-11) on Wednesday and will play at 7:00 p.m. EST. Houston (19-12) is at New Mexico (18-12) on Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. MST tip off. UAB (18-10) will host Florida International (20-9) on Friday at 7:00p.m. Memphis (17-12) travels to Alabama (18-11) on Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. tip, while DePaul (17-13) host Northern Iowa (18-10) Friday at 7:00 p.m.

Cincinnati made a big run towards the end of the season, winning eight of its last 10 games and advancing to the championship game of the Conference USA Tournament. Freshman Valerie King was named the Most Valuable player of the tournament after scoring 83 points in the four-day event. The Bearcats will be making their fourth straight postseason appearance and their second consecutive WNIT appearance. The Bearcats face Big Ten foe Ohio State with Wednesday's game being the fourth time that UC head coach Laurie Pirtle has coached against her alma mater, holding a 1-2 record.

Houston will make its first postseason trip since 1992 and will face New Mexico of the Mountain West Conference. The Cougars wrapped up regular season play with a 19-12 overall record, marking their first winning season in nearly 10 years. Most of Houston's success was due in part to the play of freshman standout Chandi Jones. Jones was named C-USA Freshman of the Year after leading the team in scoring, averaging at 21.2 points, before going down with a season ending knee injury in late January.

After becoming the first Conference USA team to advance to the Sweet Sixteen last season, UAB will make its third overall WNIT appearance and will host Florida International on Friday. The Blazers earned a first round bye in the conference tournament and dropped a 74-56 decision to Cincinnati in the quarterfinals. UAB is led by All-American Deanna Jackson. Jackson posted 19 double-doubles on the season and is the second-leading scorer in the nation, averaging 25.1 points and is sixth in rebounding at 11.8 per game. The Blazers will face Florida International for the fourth time and hold the series lead two games to one.

Memphis advanced to the quarterfinals round of the C-USA tournament before falling to Houston, 80-74. The Tigers have won seven of their last eight games and will travel to Alabama. The Crimson Tide defeated Memphis earlier this season 65-55, while the Tigers hold the all-time series record at 6-4. Memphis is led by senior forward Tiffany Adkins, who averages 17.9 points and was selected to Conference USA's all-conference first team. The Tigers will be making their fourth WNIT appearance and advanced to the championship game of the WNIT in 1999 before falling to Wisconsin, 92-73.

DePaul advanced to the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament after knocking off No. 1 seed Louisville in the quarterfinals. Junior Lenae Williams tied the tournament record for points scored in a single-game with 38. DePaul faces Northern Iowa for only the third time in school history with the last meeting coming during the 1984-85 season. The Blue Demons hold a 2-0 series advantage and will make their seventh WNIT appearance. DePaul advanced to the second round of the WNIT last season before falling to eventual champion Wisconsin, 82-76. The 1987-88 DePaul team won the WNIT in Amarillo, Texas by defeating Purdue in the finals, 83-55.