Cal State Bakersfield senior guard Katie Williams gets a steal against USC in the Women of Troy Basketball Classic in December. Photo by Craig Bennett/112575 Media.

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As previously reported by Seattle Times reporter Jayda Evans, the Women's Basketball Invitational will provide women's college basketball programs with an additional post-season option so that more schools are able to compete after conference play ends.

One such team that is hoping to benefit from the new tournament is Cal State - Bakersfield, an athletic and scrappy 16-10 team with nobody on the roster over 6'1" that could be entertaining to watch.

Women's Hoops Blog | Game thread: Cal State Bakersfield at Seattle University | Seattle Times Newspaper
CS Bakersfield wants Bonvicini to make a call about an invitation to the WBI. The Roadrunners are 16-10 and entertaining. A scary lot if they do get a berth.

It will be interesting to follow not only who gets invited to the new 16 team tournament, but also who actually accepts the invitation to a tournament that would obviously have less prestige than the more established WNIT.

So who cares about this relatively obscure post-season opportunity?

The 16 teams who are selected for the opportunity to compete for a championship after working hard all year certainly will. If you appreciate sports for the sake of competition, that should be enough.

Click here for a photo gallery of Cal St Bakersfield's non-conference game USC.