SPRINGFIELD -- Fresh off their first trip to the postseason in four years, the Missouri State Lady Bears will kick off the 2010-11 basketball season with their fourth appearance in the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament. Head coach Nyla Milleson's Lady Bears were one of 14 postseason qualifiers to be selected for the 16-team tournament field that was announced Tuesday.

The Preseason WNIT field will feature seven teams that won their conference tournaments in 2009-10, including Austin Peay, Hampton, James Madison, Lamar, South Dakota State, St. Francis (Pa.) and Utah Valley. In addition to the Lady Bears, at-large postseason participants included in the field are Charlotte, DePaul, Florida, Iona, Purdue and Toledo. Central Florida and Valparaiso round out the field for this year's Preseason WNIT.

The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format, with opening-round games slated for Nov. 12-13. Second-round games will be played Nov. 14-15, with semifinal games on Nov. 17-18, and the championship to follow on Sunday, Nov. 21. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 19-20. All games will be hosted by participating schools, and sites will be announced at the conclusion of the preceding round.

The Preseason WNIT bracket and opening-round host sites will be announced in June.

The Lady Bears last participated in the Preseason WNIT in 2002, dropping their opening-round contest to Tulsa at Hammons Student Center. MSU also competed in the tournament on two other occasions, going 1-1 in 1998 and 2-1 in the inaugural meet in 1994.

Missouri State will return four starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's club that went 22-11 and advanced to the third round of the Postseason WNIT.