HATTIESBURG, Miss – Southern Miss women’s basketball head coach Joye Lee-McNelis announced the team’s 2017-18 schedule this afternoon.
“This schedule is one that will be definitely be challenging,” McNelis said. “It will be one that gives us, very early, a true evaluation of who we are. We are facing eight teams that participated in post-season play, six teams that had 20 plus win seasons last year and the kicker of it all is we’re playing three teams that played in championship post-season games.”
Mississippi State, who played in the NCAA Championship Game and Georgia Tech, who played in the WNIT Championship Game, all have non-conference matchups with the Lady Eagles. Rice, who will see a conference game with Southern Miss on Feb. 1, played in the WBI Championship Game.
Tulane, Ole Miss, WKU, Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee also joined in post-season play with the NCAA Tournament and WNIT.
Southern Miss kicks off their season with an exhibition game against the University of Antelope Valley Nov. 3. The regular season non-conference schedule begins on Nov. 10 when cross-town foe William Carey comes to Reed Green Coliseum on Education Day. The Lady Eagles also welcome Tulane and Mississippi Valley State to Hattiesburg before heading to Starkville, Miss to play the Bulldogs on Nov. 19. The Feisty Bunch then hosts the annual Lady Eagle Classic on Nov. 24 and 25 with contests against Alcorn State and Alabama State. Game against Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La. on Nov. 28 and South Alabama on Nov. 30 in Reed Green Coliseum wrap up the month of November.
The team takes a break for the student athletes to finish the semester and study for finals before picking back up with tilts on Dec. 12 at Ole Miss, at home on Dec. 15 against Sam Houston State, Dec. 19 at Samford and Dec. 21 at Georgia Tech. The Lady Eagles finish their non-conference schedule on Dec. 30 against Blue Mountain at home.
“The one thing we can say is we will be ready to play hard, gritty and feisty,” McNelis said. “If we do that then we’ll be able to get some victories that, if you look on paper now, you wouldn’t think we’d get.
Conference play begins on the road on Jan. 4 at Charlotte and continues Jan. 6 at WKU.
Southern Miss’ first conference game in Hattiesburg is Jan. 11 against LA Tech.
“You’ve got to be able to understand, respect, love each other and make sacrifices for each other,” McNelis said. “That’s what we’ve been building this season and that’s what we’ll focus on prior to starting practice Oct. 1.”
The full schedule can be found here.
“This schedule is one that will be definitely be challenging,” McNelis said. “It will be one that gives us, very early, a true evaluation of who we are. We are facing eight teams that participated in post-season play, six teams that had 20 plus win seasons last year and the kicker of it all is we’re playing three teams that played in championship post-season games.”
Mississippi State, who played in the NCAA Championship Game and Georgia Tech, who played in the WNIT Championship Game, all have non-conference matchups with the Lady Eagles. Rice, who will see a conference game with Southern Miss on Feb. 1, played in the WBI Championship Game.
Tulane, Ole Miss, WKU, Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee also joined in post-season play with the NCAA Tournament and WNIT.
Southern Miss kicks off their season with an exhibition game against the University of Antelope Valley Nov. 3. The regular season non-conference schedule begins on Nov. 10 when cross-town foe William Carey comes to Reed Green Coliseum on Education Day. The Lady Eagles also welcome Tulane and Mississippi Valley State to Hattiesburg before heading to Starkville, Miss to play the Bulldogs on Nov. 19. The Feisty Bunch then hosts the annual Lady Eagle Classic on Nov. 24 and 25 with contests against Alcorn State and Alabama State. Game against Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La. on Nov. 28 and South Alabama on Nov. 30 in Reed Green Coliseum wrap up the month of November.
The team takes a break for the student athletes to finish the semester and study for finals before picking back up with tilts on Dec. 12 at Ole Miss, at home on Dec. 15 against Sam Houston State, Dec. 19 at Samford and Dec. 21 at Georgia Tech. The Lady Eagles finish their non-conference schedule on Dec. 30 against Blue Mountain at home.
“The one thing we can say is we will be ready to play hard, gritty and feisty,” McNelis said. “If we do that then we’ll be able to get some victories that, if you look on paper now, you wouldn’t think we’d get.
Conference play begins on the road on Jan. 4 at Charlotte and continues Jan. 6 at WKU.
Southern Miss’ first conference game in Hattiesburg is Jan. 11 against LA Tech.
“You’ve got to be able to understand, respect, love each other and make sacrifices for each other,” McNelis said. “That’s what we’ve been building this season and that’s what we’ll focus on prior to starting practice Oct. 1.”
The full schedule can be found here.
