ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF
Despite falling short of the NCAA Women’s Tournament, the Florida basketball team will have the opportunity to thrive in the postseason when it competes in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament.
The third-seeded Gators (16-17) will host Northern Iowa (17-16) for round one of the tournament on Thursday in the O’Dome. The game is available for streaming on ESPN+ and airs on ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF at 6:40 p.m.
Looking Back At Panthers
The UNI Panthers finished their season after a difficult 64-46 loss to Belmont in second round of the MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament. Although the Panthers went on a 8-0 run to start the game, the Bruins responded, taking the lead at the end of the first quarter. Unwilling to let up the advantage, they continued to widen the deficit for NIU and defend the ball. The Panthers scored less than ten points in two of the four quarters (6 points each).
Despite this loss, the Panthers did enough throughout their season to earn a spot in the WBIT for the first time in the program’s history. Against UNI, the Gators will need to defend against senior guard Maya McDermott. She averages 18.5 points per game and was named to the All-MVC First Team.
Looking Back at the Gators
Florida finished its season with a tough matchup to No. 9 LSU, falling short in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Despite the 101-87 loss, the Gators had a strong run in the tournament, beating Auburn in the first round and then going on to upset No. 20 Alabama 63-61. The win against the Crimson Tide was Florida’s first against a ranked opponent since 2022.
WBIT
This is the second consecutive year that the Gators received a spot in the WBIT. They lost a first-round game, 79-60, to St. John’s in the O’Connell Center. If they come out victorious in the first round, they would face the winner of the game between the UNLV Rebels and the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine on Sunday.
