The Guru’s WBIT Report: Villanova Faces Penn State; Washington State Meets Illinois in Initial WBIT Tourney Semifinals in Indianapolis

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

There will be some pieces of familiarity Monday afternoon in the NCAA organized Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT) national semifinals when Villanova (21-12) faces Penn State (22-12) at 2:30 p.m. before Washington State (21-14) follows meeting Illinois (17-15) at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, both games on ESPNU.

Penn State coach Carolyn Kieger faced the Wildcats then under longtime mentor Harry Perretta when she was a Big East rival at Marquette while ‘Nova’s Maddie Burke played two years ago for the Lady Lions before transferring to the Main Line.

“First of all, Lucy Olsen, have to give her credit,” Kieger said Sunday afternoon at the preview press conferences of the Wildcats’ junior marquee scorer who enrolled well after Kieger left the Big East for the Big Ten program in Happy Valley. 

“She is playing phenomenally. She is an elite scorer, not only from the mid- range but three- level scorer.

“Her teammates do a great job of getting her the ball. Villanova's offense, it's hard to guard. Obviously, you need to understand the motion concepts and how to jump to the ball and cut cutters and rebound aware of personnel,” Kieger continued.

“So, we’ve got to be locked in defensively. Got to know where Lucy is at all times,” Kieger said of the nation’s third leading scorer. “Obviously, have to keep (Christena) Dalce off the boards. Phenomenal offensive rebounder. Top 1 percent in the country at what she does.

“I just have a lot of respect for how they play off each other and how they take care of the basketball. They always have been such an amazing team at controlling pace and taking care of the basketball. So, we need to get it up to our speed, our tempo and make it a game in the 80s, in the 90s, and play our pace.”

Of Burke, Wildcats coach Denise Dillon said, “I felt like I've had Maddie Burke since the beginning of her career. Even when you just said that, I was like, ohh, that's right, she was at Penn State. Yeah, she plays Villanova basketball, and she knows what we are doing and she's all about it.

“I said it when she stepped on campus, it was as if she had been there. I had to remind myself those first couple months, ohh, this is new to you.”

Dillon talked about the keys to Penn State.

“Yes, they certainly score the ball period. Their rotation is deep. They can go.

“They want to have as many offensive possessions as possible. They want to score quickly in transition. Even in their transitioning off a make, they are getting a ball in quick and looking for threes. They are looking to get to the rim. You stay with that defensive mentality of slowing them down, forced them to run the clock.

“I think we have the best in Bella Runyon as the best guard defender and Christina Dalce being named Big East Defensive Player of the Year, someone around the paint. 

“It has to be that one and done mentality on the defensive end. Then for us, be patient on offense.”

Villanova struggled down the stretch and fell by two points to Marquette in the Big East quarterfinals costing a third straight NCAA appearance.

The team is familiar with Hinkle, playing Butler home-and-home annually.

“I like playing here,” Olsen said. “It’s an awesome gym. It’s super nice. It’s super fun.”

Added Runyon, “When I saw it was at Hinkle, I was like, Oh, we get a little advantage. Like this is my fifth time here and I love playing here, too, and the history of Hinkle. So, it’s awesome to be back.”

The ‘Nova delegation is in love with the idea of being the first WBIT champion.

The NCAA, which owns the men’s NIT, added the event this year to add equal footing on the women’s side, though the long-running WNIT is continuing but with a field reduced from 68 to 48 teams.

Had the Ivy League not nixed it for their schools, or had Temple also applied for consideration besides the WBIT, which is free, the Owls off their finish and Penn likely would have been chosen.

The first four teams missing the NCAA field were given to the WBIT as the No. 1 seeds and they were guaranteed three home games if winning, with three others in each pod seeded and the rest designated by geographical location.

Miami was the fourth team but declined because of a shortened roster and thus that No. 1 slot was given to James Madison, which was the only top seed not to advance to Indianapolis, losing in the first round.

Washington State, the other No. 1 seed besides Villanova and Penn State, last year was one of the teams the Wildcats hosted as a top 16 seed in the NCAA opening weekend, but the two did not meet.

The Wildcats zipped through VCU, Virginia, and then a revenge win on three-seed Saint Joseph’s, which beat Villanova in December on the way to a sweep of the Big Five.

Penn State rallied each game, beating George Mason in overtime, then downing Belmont and Mississippi State.

When Ashley Owusu transferred to PSU, joining top scorer Makenna Marisa, it was expected to be a breakthrough season.

Though Owusu didn’t play till early in the Penn State Big Ten slate, the team got off to a hot start coming within two minutes of upsetting Southern Cal in a Thanksgiving tourney and taking Ohio State into overtime in Columbus in their first meeting.

Owusu finally got in the lineup at Rutgers igniting a run until Tay Valladay had a season-ending injury on January 31 sending the team on a six-game tailspin.

But the Lady Lions now enter the semifinals winning 6 of their last 7 while Villanova has been rejuvenatedthrough their tourney run.

Here’s the text version of the bracket to date.

WBIT RESULTS/SKED

(Thurs-Thurs results, Finals Schedule)

Way down below the third round Thursday schedule repeated for easy tracking

VILLANOVA QUAD

FIRST ROUND (Thurs: 3-21-24 ESPN+)

7 p.m.

VCU (26-6F) at No.1 Villanova (19-12) W:75-60

7 p.m.

High Point (20-112F) at No. 4 Virginia (16-15) W:81-59

 

SECOND ROUND (Sun: 3-24-24 ESPN+)

2 p.m.

No. 4 Virginia (16-16F) at No. 1 Villanova (20-12) W:73-55

 

FIRST ROUND (Thurs: 3-21-24 ESPN+)

7 p.m.

Seton Hall (17-15F) at No. 3 Saint Joseph’s (27-5) W:54-47

10 p.m.

Hawaii (20-11F) at No. 2 California (19-14) W:65-60

 

SECOND ROUND (Sun: 3-24-24 ESPN+)

4 p.m.

No. 3 Saint Joseph’s (28-5) W:63-61 at No. 2 California (19-15F) 

 

THIRD ROUND (THURS: 3-28-28 ESPN+)

7 p.m.

No. 3 Saint Joseph’s (28-6) at No. 1 Villanova (21-12) W:67-59

 

 

PENN STATE QUAD

 

FIRST ROUND (Thurs: 3-21-24 ESPN+)

6 p.m.

George Mason (23-8) at No. 1 Penn State (20-12) W:84-80 ovt.

4 p.m.

Belmont (26-8) W: 77-59 at No. 4 Ball State (28-6F)

 

SECOND ROUND (Mon: 3-25-24 ESPN+)

6 p.m.

Belmont (26-9F) at No. 1Penn State (21-12) W:74-66

 

FIRST ROUND (Thurs: 3-21-24 ESPN+)

7:30 p.m.

North Texas (23-9F) at No. 3 TCU (21-11) W:67-58

7:30 p.m.

Georgia Tech (17-16) at No. 2 Mississippi State (22-11) W:84-47

 

SECOND ROUND (Sun: 3-24-24 ESPN+)

3 p.m.

No. 3 TCU (21-12F) at No. 2 Mississippi State (23-11) W: 68-61

 

THIRD ROUND (Thurs: 3-28-24 ESPN+)

6 p.m.

No. 2 Mississippi State (23-12F) at No. 1 Penn State (22-12) W:92-87

 

JAMES MADISON QUAD

 

FIRST ROUND (Thurs: 3-21-24 ESPN+)

7 p.m.

Stony Brook (28-4) W:81-70 at No. 1 James Madison (23-12F)

7 p.m.

Missouri State (23-10F) at No. 4 Illinois (15-15) W:74-69

 

SECOND ROUND (Sun: 3-24-24 ESPN+)

3 p.m.

Stony Brook (28-5F) at No. 4 Illinois (16-15) W:79-62

 

FIRST ROUND (Thurs: 3-21-24 ESPN+)

7:30 p.m.

Arkansas (18-15F) at No. 3 Tulsa (24-9) W:80-62

10 p.m.

Georgetown (23-11) W:64-56 at No. 2 Washington (16-15F)

 

SECOND ROUND (Sun: 3-24-24 ESPN+)

3 p.m.

Georgetown (23-12F) at No. 3 Tulsa (25-9) W:73-61

 

THIRD ROUND (Thurs: 3-28-24 ESPN+)

7:30 p.m.

No. 4 Illinois (17-15) W:69-61 at No. 3 Tulsa (25-10F)

 

WASHINGTON STATE QUAD

9 p.m.

FIRST ROUND (Thurs: 3-21-24 ESPN+)

9 p.m.

Lamar (24-7F) at No. 1 Washington State (19-14) W:66-46

9 p.m.

BYU (16-17) at No. 4 Santa Clara (25-8) W:60-59

 

SECOND ROUND (Sun: 3-24-24 ESPN+)

4 p.m.

No. 4 Santa Clara (25-9F) at No. 1 Washington State (20-14) W:73-47

 

FIRST ROUND (Thurs: 3-21-24 ESPN+)

7 p.m.

St. John’s (18-14) W:79-60 at No. 3 Florida (16-16F)

7 p.m.

Cleveland State (29-6F) at No. 2 Toledo (27-5) W:76-68

 

SECOND ROUND (Sun: 3-24-24 ESPN+)

2 p.m.

St. John’s (18-15F) at No. 2 Toledo (28-5) W:72-71

 

THIRD ROUND (Thurs: 3-28-24 ESPN+)

9 p.m.

No.2 Toledo (28-6F) at No. 1 Washington State (21-14) W:63-61

 

Repeating Thursday Third Round Schedule and Tip Times

 

THIRD ROUND (THURS: 3-28-28 ESPN+)

7 p.m.

No. 3 Saint Joseph’s (28-6F) at No. 1 Villanova (21-12) W:67-59

6 p.m.

No. 2 Mississippi State (23-12F) at No. 1 Penn State (22-12) W:92-87

7:30 p.m.

No. 4 Illinois (17-15) W:69-61 at No. 3 Tulsa (25-10F)

9 p.m.

No.2 Toledo (28-6F) at No. 1 Washington State (21-14) W:63-61

 

NATIONAL SEMIFINALS

Monday, April 1

Hinkle Fieldhouse

Indianapolis, Indiana

2:30 p.m. ESPNU

No. 1 Villanova (21-12) vs. No. 1 Penn State (22-12)

4:30 p.m. ESPNU 

No. 1 Washington State (21-14) vs. No. 4 Illinois (17-15)

 

Championship

Wednesday, April 3

7 p.m. ESPN2

No. 1 Villanova or No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 1 Washington State or No. 4 Illinois