(WNFL) The Wisconsin women’s basketball team will play 14 non-conference games during the 2016-17 season, first-year head coach Jonathan Tsipis announced Wednesday.
“I am excited that we were able to build a non-conference schedule that will challenge our team for the Big Ten Conference schedule,” said Tsipis. “We will face different styles that mirror the great teams we will play in the conference slate.
“The trip to Las Vegas will simulate the Big Ten Tournament with back-to-back games. We will welcome a great Dayton program, ACC powerhouse North Carolina, and in-state rival Marquette to the Kohl Center. We will travel to Charlotte, Green Bay and Milwaukee who are all NCAA-tournament level teams. Challenging ourselves in the non-conference will be always be a top priority for our program.”
Following two home exhibition games against Winona State and UW-Stout, the Badgers open the regular season on the road at UNC Charlotte on Nov. 11. The 49ers were 19-12 last season, losing in the first round of the WNIT.
Wisconsin opens its home season on Nov. 13 when it hosts Saint Francis (Pa.) in the Kohl Center. The Red Flashes were 14-17 in 2015-16. UW remains home for two more games, hosting Dayton (14-15) and Butler (10-21) before traveling to in-state rival Milwaukee (19-13) on Nov. 22. The Panthers also advanced to the first round of the WNIT last season.
The Badgers spend their Thanksgiving break in Las Vegas, competing in the UNLV Invitational. UW opens tournament play on Nov. 26 against Ole Miss (10-20) and will play either Tennessee State (12-18) or host UNLV (18-14) on Nov. 27.
Wisconsin hosts North Carolina (14-18) in the 10th-annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 1 in the Kohl Center. UW travels to Illinois State (8-22) for a game on Dec. 4 before returning home for three straight contests. The Badgers take on Idaho State (18-15), Mississippi Valley State (3-26) and Marquette (14-16) from Dec. 6-11.
UW wraps up its non-conference season at Green Bay on Dec. 15. The Phoenix were 28-5 in 2015-16, losing to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The first Big Ten game is scheduled for late December.
