BYU was selected as the No. 1 seed in the 2026 Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament and will host Alabama A&M in the first round at the Marriott Center, according to a March 15 announcement by the WBIT Selection Committee.
The selection gives BYU another opportunity to compete in postseason play after not being chosen for the NCAA Tournament. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Spencer Linton and Kristen Kozlowski providing commentary. The exact game time for Thursday’s matchup will be announced later.
“Despite being left out of the NCAA Tournament field, I am grateful for the opportunity that our team has to continue our season in the WBIT,” head coach Lee Cummard said. “Earning a spot in the postseason is always the goal for our team, and getting the opportunity to play in the Marriott Center again is always a blessing. We look forward to facing a good Alabama A&M team on Thursday and getting back to playing BYU basketball.”
This marks BYU’s second appearance in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament, following their participation in its inaugural year in 2024 when they lost a close opening-round game against Santa Clara, 60-59.
Under first-year head coach Lee Cummard, BYU finished this regular season with a record of 22-11 overall and 9-9 in Big 12 conference play—their highest win total since 2021-22 and best conference finish since joining the league in 2023. The Cougars ended their season strong by winning five of their last six games, including victories over Utah, Arizona State, Colorado, Houston, and Utah again during early rounds of the Big 12 Tournament. Their only recent loss came against No. 10 TCU in the tournament quarterfinals.
Looking ahead, BYU aims to capitalize on its home-court advantage as it seeks success in this year’s WBIT.
