Boston College women’s basketball earned a No.1 seed in the 2022 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) after falling just short of what would have been its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2006. This will mark BC’s first NIT appearance since 2011.
BC (19–11, 10–8 Atlantic Coast) is one of 30 automatic qualifiers in the tournament, a status given to the highest finisher in each conference that did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
The Eagles will face Maine at home at 7 p.m. on March 17. The Black Bears (20–11, 15–3 America East) fell to Albany 56–47 in the AEC Tournament championship game. The Eagles are 7–3 all-time and 4–1 at home against Maine and last faced the Black Bears during the 2017–18 season, where BC lost 61–40.
BC is the first team out of the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. As the first team out, the Eagles are on standby as a replacement if any currently qualified team is unable to accept its spot in the tournament.
The Eagles dropped their matchup against Florida State in the first round of the ACC Tournament, losing to the Seminoles 63–58. Florida State was the lowest-seeded ACC team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
This will be the first time BC has qualified for the NIT since head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee took over in 2018. BC last played in the postseason when it qualified for the tournament after the 2010–11 season. The Eagles made it to the Sweet 16 after defeating Yale and St. Joseph’s but fell to Virginia in the third round of the 2011 NIT.
The Eagles were projected to qualify for the 2019–20 NCAA Tournament after earning 11 ACC wins and making it to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, but the season was cut short due to COVID-19.
BC also played the NIT during the 2007–08 season, reaching the Sweet 16, and the 2008–09 season where the Eagles fell to South Florida in the semifinals.
Featured Image by Nicole Wei / Heights Staff
