RICHMOND, Ky. – For the first time in program history, the Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team will compete in the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT) and host No. 1 seed Utah on Thursday night inside Baptist Health Arena.
Thursday's first-round matchup is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. Fans can purchase tickets starting at $15
online here or at the door. EKU students will receive free admission with a valid ID.
Fans unable to attend can watch the game live on ESPN+ with Wes Chandler (play-by-play), Kent Miller (analyst) and Maggie Davis (sideline) on the call. The game will also be available for free on the Colonel All-Access page and @EKUWBB's account on X.
EKU (24-8, 15-3 ASUN) captured the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference Regular Season Championship, marking the program's first league title as a member of the ASUN and its first regular season conference championship since 2005.
The Colonels tied a program record with 24 wins and went 15-3 in conference play. EKU was ranked as high as No. 107 in the NCAA NET polls, the highest mark in school history, and received votes for nine weeks in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
Head coach
Greg Todd was named ASUN Coach of the Year, while senior guard Vaz earned ASUN Newcomer of the Year honors. Sophomore guard Freihofer was named ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year and senior guard Ndukwe was selected ASUN Sixth Woman of the Year.
Vaz and Freihofer both earned First Team All-ASUN honors, marking the program's first time with multiple first-team selections since 1998. Freshman guard Woods was also named to the ASUN All-Freshman Team.
Vaz leads EKU this season, averaging 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The Praia, Cape Verde native has scored in double figures in 10 of her last 12 games, including a 33-point performance against Austin Peay on Feb. 7 and 22 points at Stetson on Feb. 21.
With a win on Thursday, EKU would advance to the second round to face the winner of Harvard and Navy on Sunday, March 22.
Scouting Utah
Utah enters the WBIT with a 19-12 overall record and a 10-8 mark in Big 12 Conference play. The Utes fell 70-52 to No. 9 seed BYU in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.
Utah is led by second-year head coach Gavin Petersen. Senior guard Lani White leads the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game.
Series History
Thursday will mark the second all-time meeting between EKU and Utah. The Utes defeated the Colonels, 117-72, in the 2023 Great Alaska Shootout championship game. Utah's Alissa Pili, a WNBA first-round draft pick, scored 29 points in the contest.
