A season-long struggle with injuries may have cost the Colorado women’s basketball team from earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but the Buffaloes’ season will continue.

On Sunday, CU was not included in the NCAA Tournament field but earned a No. 1 seed in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT). The NCAA-sponsored, 32-team WBIT replaced the Women’s NIT as the secondary postseason tournament last year.

The Buffs (20-12) were one of four No. 1 seeds for the WBIT, meaning they were among the first four to miss the 68-team NCAA Tournament field. Virginia Tech, James Madison and St. Joseph’s were the other No. 1 seeds. Top seeds could host up to three games in the tournament.

CU will host Southeastern Louisiana (26-5) on Thursday at the CU Events Center. The winner will face either Gonzaga or UTSA on March 23 in the second round. The quarterfinals are scheduled for March 27, while the final four will be held March 31-April 2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

This is the fifth consecutive season that CU will play in the postseason, the second-longest streak in program history. (CU had a six-year postseason run from 1992-97).

At No. 58 in the NET rankings, the Buffaloes (20-12) were on the March Madness bubble, and most projections had them among the first teams out, which turned out to be the case.

CU’s season includes victories over West Virginia and Kansas State, who were both ranked in the Associated Press top 15 at the time (both are still top 20). The Buffs, despite missing two of their top four scorers due to injury, also made a strong showing in the Big 12 tournament last week, going 2-1 and nearly upsetting No. 6 TCU in the quarterfinals before falling, 69-62.

However, the season also included disappointing losses at Boise State (No. 149 NET), Cincinnati (No. 91) and Texas Tech (No. 77), as well as blowout losses to Iowa State and Baylor.

Nationally, the Buffs are one of just 40 teams with at least two Quad 1 wins. CU is one of 38 teams in that group that also has multiple Quad 2 wins.

Injuries have hit the Buffs all year, though, and contributed to a late-season slide that cost them a spot in March Madness.

CU has had its full rotation (players averaging at least 10 minutes per game) available for just eight games this year and not since Jan. 4. This season, the rotation has missed 43 games due to injuries — more than the previous four years combined (33).

The Buffs have been without leading scorer Frida Formann (foot injury) since Jan. 29 and have dealt with other injuries during that time. The Buffs played several games in the past six weeks with multiple starters sidelined, which contributed to a 2-5 slide at the end of the regular season.

The Buffs could finally be healthy this week, though, as Nyamer Diew (concussion) is expected to return and Formann could, as well.