Monday around midnight, senior Nicole Arcidiacono checked her cell phone and found a text message from Coquese Washington.
The message was the type of confirmation the Lady Lions so desperately wanted.
After waiting up to see if her team would be making an appearance in the Women's National Invitation Tournament, Arcidiacono was relieved when Washington's text told her the Lions were in.
Arcidiacono hurried off to bed and waited to view the rest of the bracket until after class Tuesday. When she first saw the bracket, the senior was impressed by the teams in the field.
"Looking through all these teams I was like, 'Oh they're not in the NCAA, they're in the WNIT?' " Arcidiacono said. "So it's going to be a really competitive tournament, and it's going to be just as fun for us to keep playing."
With the Lions (17-13, 8-10 Big Ten) making their first postseason appearance in five years, Washington said she's happy to coach one of the 128 teams still playing. However, she said the level of competition in this year's WNIT will test her young team and called it a great learning experience.
The WNIT expanded its field from 48 to 64 teams this season, and while Penn State won the inaugural WNIT in 1998 and the Lions have the same goal this year, Washington said her team is in a very tough quadrant.
The Lions host Hofstra at 7 p.m. Thursday, and Washington said she didn't even want to try and figure out potential second-round matchups.
"I really, honestly haven't thought that deeply about it," Washington said.
"We got to beat Hofstra and then see what happens. I don't really get off into all the possibilities and potentials, but looking at the bracket ... it's gonna be some great basketball."
If the Lions would surpass Hofstra's (19-13, 11-7 CAA) balanced offensive attack -- one player averages 13.5 points per game, while three others chip in nine points per game -- they would still face many strong opponents.
Notable teams sitting in the same quadrant with the Lions are Delaware, Pittsburgh, Robert Morris, Syracuse and Toledo. The 16 teams in the quadrant averaged 19.6 wins on the year, and Toledo leads the region with a 24-8 record.
Arcidiacono said Delaware's star player and former Connecticut signee, Elena Delle Donne, is a big presence for the Blue Hens.
And while Arcidiacono saw Delle Donne's dominance first hand when she played against her in high school, Arciadicono said the main thing for the Lions to remember is the tournament isn't necessarily about the success of one player.
"We've just been working like it's a whole new season, and that's what we've been saying," Arcidiacono said. "Since all these tournaments began, since the Big Ten, the NCAA or the WNIT, anything. It's a whole new season. It's March and anything can happen."
