PORTLAND, Ore. – The Women's National Invitation Tournament bracket has been revealed, and the Portland Pilots will officially host the San Houston State Bearkats in the opening round of the WNIT. The two teams will play on Thursday, March 19 at 6 p.m. here at the Chiles Center.
Should the Pilots win, they would advance to the second round to take on the Lamar Cardinals. That game's site, date and time has yet to be determined.
The Pilots qualified for the WNIT on Sunday, marking the fourth time in program history they've qualified for the tournament and the 14
th postseason qualification in program history. They last played in the WNIT in 2022, earning their first ever win in the tournament with a victory over the Colorado State Rams at the Chiles Center. It was the first home victory for the Pilots in the playoffs.
The 48-team tournament begins on Thursday, March 19 with the first round running through March 21. Second round games follow from March 22-24, followed by the Super 16 from March 25-27 and the Great 8 March 28-30. The Fab 4 will be played March 31 and April 1 followed by the championship on April 4. All games are played at selected host sites.
Last season the Pilots played in the WBIT for the first time in program history, earning two wins in the tournament over the Stanford Cardinal and the Seton Hall Pirates – their first ever over the Cardinal and their first ever over a Big East team – before losing to the Villanova Wildcats in the quarterfinals. It was one of the most successful seasons in program history, with the Pilots breaking numerous program records on their way to a record-breaking 31 wins. After having no previous postseason wins, the Pilots have earned five in the last seven seasons under head coach Michael Meek.
The Pilots finished the regular season at 18-14 overall and 11-7 in WCC play, posting a top-five finish in WCC play for the sixth time in seven seasons under Meek. They earned a win in the third round of the WCC Tournament over the Washington State Cougars before falling in the quarterfinals to the Oregon State Beavers.
Stay tuned to PortlandPilots.com for tickets, live stats and video options.
POSTSEASON HISTORY
• 1994 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to USC – 77-62)
• 1995 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to Purdue – 74-59)
• 1996 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to TTU – 61-78)
• 1997 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to Michigan State – 75-70 (OT))
• 1999 WNIT (1st Round Loss to Washington – 67-63)
• 2009 WNIT (1st Round Loss to Portland State – 57-51)
• 2010 WBI (1st Round Loss to Washington – 75-44)
• 2020 NCAA Tournament (Canceled due to COVID-19)
• 2021 WBI (Championship Loss to Cleveland State – 67-64)
• 2022 WNIT (2nd Round loss to Oregon State - 74-56)
• 2023 NCAA Tournament (1st Round loss to Oklahoma – 85-63)
• 2024 NCAA Tournament (1st Round loss to Kansas State – 78-65)
• 2025 WBIT Tournament (Quarterfinals loss to Villanova – 71-61)
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