The Youngstown State women's basketball team's 2021-22 season will continue next week as the Penguins have accepted the Horizon League's automatic bid to compete in the Women's NIT.
This will be the fourth time in the last 10 years that YSU will play in the WNIT and the sixth postseason appearance overall for the program in the last decade. First-round games will be held March 16-18 on campus sites, and the Penguins will find out who, when and where they will play to start the tournament on Sunday evening.
Youngstown State received the automatic bid from the Horizon League by being the highest-finishing team in the conference's regular-season standings that is not selected for the NCAA Tournament. IUPUI, which YSU shared the league's regular-season title with, earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Keeps Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship on Tuesday afternoon.
While the Penguins will compete in the WNIT for the fourth time in program history, this will be just their second appearance as an automatic qualifier. YSU received the Horizon League's automatic bid in 2013, and it was an at-large selection in the WNIT in 2015 and 2019. In between the at-large berths, YSU also competed in the Women's Basketball Invitational in 2016 and 2018.
Youngstown State is 1-3 all-time in the Women's NIT and will be looking for its first win in the tournament since beating Indiana State at Beeghly Center in the opening round in 2013. Since then, YSU has played at Toledo in 2013, hosted Duquesne in 2015, and played at Cincinnati in 2019.
More details will be announced as they become available.
