MORGANTOWN — A possible run to the WNIT quarterfinals for the WVU women’s basketball team will have to wait one more day.
Due to a travel delay, James Madison did not arrive in Morgantown on Wednesday, as scheduled.
Instead, the team will bus to Morgantown today — 170 miles separate Morgantown from Harrisonburg, Va. — and the game will tip at 5:30 p.m. Friday, at the WVU Coliseum.
The game was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. today.
“They keep changing the dates on us,” WVU head coach Mike Carey said. “I thought we had things set up pretty good.”
The majority of the third-round games in the WNIT will tip today.
The exceptions are WVU-James Madison and the Kansas State-U.C. Davis game, which is scheduled to tip at 8 p.m. Friday.
Friday is the final day for third-round games for the WNIT.
If WVU (23-11) were to advance past James Madison (23-10), which is making its second consecutive trip to the third round of the WNIT, the Mountaineers would play the winner of the St. John’s-Duquesne game, in the quarterfinals.
“The problem is, you get an extra day” to prepare for JMU, Carey said. “But then you lose a day on the other end.”
A trip to the quarterfinals could become interesting, especially if WVU were asked to play on the road.
Home sites are selected by the WNIT based on a bidding process that includes attendance, among other factors, in previous rounds. WVU’s attendance in the first two rounds averaged 1,580.
The WNIT quarterfinals are scheduled in a three-day window for Saturday, Sunday or Monday.
It is possible WVU could play Friday, against the Dukes, and — if the Mountaineers advance — then play either St. John’s or Duquesne on Sunday or Monday.
“That’s not really good for us, especially when you think about all the injuries we’re dealing with,” Carey said.
There is not much of a break after the quarterfinals, either. The WNIT semifinals are slated for March 28-29, and the final is scheduled for March 31.
As for the third-round game against JMU, tickets are $6 for general admission, $4 for youth tickets and $3 for groups of 10 or more.
Carey’s Crew members get in free, as do WVU students. A valid student ID or Carey’s Crew membership card must be shown to receive the free ticket.
The first 350 fans in attendance will receive vouchers for free pizza and a drink at the concession stands.
