Postseason play begins for BYU and Utah women as top seeds in WBIT
Cougars and Utes extend seasons with appearance in national postseason tournament.
Utah Utes guard Lani White (0) drives against BYU Cougars guard Brinley Cannon (24) at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News BYU and Utah were among the first four teams that missed the cut for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament this season.
As a result, the two in-state rivals are two of the four No. 1 seeds in this year’s Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, the sport’s equivalent of the NIT on the men’s side. If things go well, both BYU and Utah could be playing for a WBIT championship on April Fool’s Day.
If that were to happen, it would result in a fourth matchup between the schools this season because they are on opposite ends of the 32-team WBIT bracket, which was revealed Sunday evening. Before another potential rivalry game could even be possible, though, the Cougars and Utes start the postseason Thursday with first-round matchups. Details on the WBIT - 32-team field, a tournament in its third year of existence The WBIT, which is in its third year of existence, plays the first three rounds on campus sites, and this season, the semifinals and championship game will be at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas, on March 30 and April 1.
While it’s a small sample size, each of the first two WBIT winners — Illinois in 2024 and Minnesota in 2025 — earned spots in the NCAA Tournament the next season. What’s at stake for Utah Utah’s first-round matchup When: Thursday at Eastern Kentucky, 4:30 p. m.