MVC Women's Basketball Postseason Schedule
NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Friday, March 20 -- #12 Murray State vs. #5 Maryland | 2 p.m. CT (ESPNU)

WNIT [campus sites]
Thursday, March 19 -- Bradley at George Washington | 5 p.m. CT 
Sunday, March 22 - Tuesday, March 24 -- Illinois State vs. Austin Peay/UTRGV | TBD

ABOUT THE RACERS
Murray State earned its second-straight Missouri Valley Conference tournament title on Sunday at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The Racers overcame No. 10-seeded Evansville, 91-70, in the championship game to earn the league's automatic bid into the Big Dance. Murray State, who is making their third NCAA Tournament appearance, will take on Maryland in the First Round on Friday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

Murray State (31-3) is just the second program in MVC history to eclipse 30 wins, matching Missouri State's record of 31 in 1991-92. The Racers boast the fifth-highest scoring offense in the nation behind LSU, UConn, Oklahoma and South Carolina, averaging 86.1 points per game. The 2026 Jackie Stiles Award and Patty Viverito Award winner, Halli Poock, is averaging a league-leading 22.5 points per game, which is the 10th-best average in Division I, while teammate Sharnecce Currie-Jelks leads the country with 26 double-doubles. The Racers enter the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a 15-game win streak - the fifth-longest in the nation. 

ABOUT THE REDBIRDS
For the sixth-straight season, Illinois State will play in the postseason as the Redbirds were selected to compete in the 28th annual WNIT, powered by Triple Crown Sports. Illinois State (20-13) secured a 20-win campaign for the fourth consecutive season under head coach Kristen Gillespie with their quarterfinal win over Drake in the 2026 Credit Union 1 MVC Women's Basketball Tournament. It marks the first time since 2007-08 to 2010-11 that the program has put together four straight seasons with 20 or more wins.

The Redbirds will be making their 17th appearance all-time in the postseason WNIT and their fifth trip in Gillespie's tenure. Illinois State, who is making its fourth-straight WNIT appearance, is 19-11 overall in the event since 2000, which includes a 3-1 record and run to the WNIT Fab 4 in 2025. 

ABOUT THE BRAVES
For the first time in program history, Bradley (20-12) earned a spot in the WNIT, as the Braves will travel to George Washington for the opening round. The Braves earned 20 wins for just the fifth time in program history while their 13 Conference wins tied a program record. Bradley's postseason appearance marks just the second in program history, last earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2021. The Braves are the 13th different MVC program in the history of the league to make an appearance in the WNIT.

The Braves led The Valley in 3-point percentage and 3-point percentage defense this season, ranking inside the top 20 nationally in the defensive category. Fifth-year senior Kaylen Nelson consistently led the Conference behind the 3-point arc, ranking first in made shots (87), 3-point percentage (39.5%) and 3-pointers per game (2.72).