2010-11 South Alabama women's basketball schedule (.pdf)
MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama women’s basketball head coach Rick Pietri announced Sunday the Lady Jags’ 2010-11 schedule, which features eight teams who reached postseason play a year ago. Of those eight opponents, five participated in the 2009 NCAA tournament, while three others earned WNIT bids.
“There’s no question that this our most challenging non-conference schedule since I have been here at South Alabama,” South Alabama head coach Rick Pietri said. “It wasn’t a goal of ours as a staff to create this difficult schedule. When it came to finding people who wanted to come to the Mitchell Center and fulfilling existing contracts, it just worked out this way. From a fan’s standpoint our games against last season’s C-USA champion Tulane, our home games against Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and our games away from home against Florida, Auburn and last year’s SWAC champion Southern, those are the games that will catch (fan’s) eyes. Not to mention our other non-conference games on our schedule. We will be clearly tested as we head into conference play in December.”
USA is slated to host 14 regular-season games at the Mitchell Center after welcoming West Florida in an exhibition contest on Nov. 8. The Jags will open the regular season five days later following the game versus the Argonauts when they travel to New Orleans to take on Tulane (Nov. 13). Last season, the Green Wave – who finished with 26 wins during the 2009-10 campaign – captured both the regular season and conference tournament title, earning the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. South Alabama will then return home and host its second-straight CUSA foe when Southern Miss comes to Mobile on Nov. 16. Three days later, USA heads back out on the road to face off with Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Southern on Nov. 19. Like Tulane, the Jaguars captured both their league’s regular season and tournament titles.
The Jaguars will then begin the toughest stretch of their non-conference schedule when they host Mississippi State on Nov. 23. MSU is coming of one of the program’s best seasons as the Bulldogs advanced all the way to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to10th-ranked Florida State. The game versus Mississippi State will start a stretch in which South Alabama faces four Southeastern Conference opponents within a span of 13 days. USA will close out the month of November and spend their Thanksgiving holiday in Orono, Maine to compete at the Dead River Tournament hosted by Maine University (Nov. 26-27). The Jags will open up with Florida and then face either the host Bears or Navy on the second day of the tournament.
Following a road contest against in-state rival Auburn in the Tigers’ brand new arena on Dec. 2, USA returns to Mobile to play four of its next five games at the Mitchell Center versus WNIT participant Ole Miss (Dec. 5), Spring Hill (Dec. 8), Mobile (Dec. 15) and Lipscomb (Dec. 22). The only road game for the Jags during that stretch will be at Southland Conference member Northwestern State on Sun., Dec. 19.
With the loss of New Orleans from the league, the Jaguars are slated to play a 16-game Sun Belt Conference schedule. USA will play each team from the East Division twice, while also facing all six members from the West Division. When the Lady Jags return from the Christmas break, South Alabama will step right into league play when it travels to Jonesboro, Ark., to face off against Arkansas State (Dec. 30).
South Alabama will begin the New Year at home on Jan. 2 when it welcomes Middle Tennessee – the defending SBC tournament champion. The Blue Raiders were 25-6 overall and 17-1 in the conference last season, but will have to replace four of their five starters, including the two-time SBC Player of the Year Alysha Clark.
After a two-game road swing to Florida Atlantic (Jan. 5) and Florida International (Jan. 8), USA returns to Mitchell Center. The contest versus Western Kentucky on Jan. 12 will be the first of three-straight and four of the Jags’ next five at home. South Alabama will also host SBC foes Louisiana-Monroe on Jan. 15, FIU on Jan. 22 and Louisiana-Lafayette on Jan. 30. Sandwiched in between the contests versus the Warhawks and the Ragin’ Cajuns, USA will travel to Troy on Jan. 27.
The final month of the regular season sees South Alabama open on the road with a pair of games, with first against the Blue Raiders (Feb. 2) and then three days later against the Lady Toppers (Feb. 5). Following a home contest versus Troy on Feb. 9, USA will head back out for its final two road contests – at North Texas (Feb. 17) and at Denver (Feb. 20). South Alabama will host UALR on Feb. 23 before closing out the regular season against Florida Atlantic on Feb. 27. UALR captured the Sun Belt’s West Division title last season and upset Georgia Tech in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The Trojans return most of their starting lineup and should be one of the favorites in the league. USA was the only conference opponent to defeat UALR during the regular season – a 58-49 win by the Jags in Mobile.
As it has been for the previous two seasons, the Sun Belt Tournament will be held in The Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark., March 5-8, with the winner earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tourney.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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