COLUMBIA, MO. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball announced its full 2016-17 schedule on Tuesday. The Tigers will host 18 guaranteed home games at Mizzou Arena, including two exhibition contests and 16 regular season matchups. Mizzou could potentially face 11 opponents that competed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
“Looking at our full schedule, we will have 16 games at home and that is certainly our favorite place to play,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “The support from our community and the environment that they help create has been really fun and special and we appreciate everyone’s support. We had the largest increase in attendance in Division I women’s basketball last year and it is my hope that we will be able to continue to build on that.”
Mizzou opens its slate with a pair of exhibition games against Central Missouri and Truman State on Nov. 1 and Nov. 7, respectively. The Tigers begin the regular season by hosting Abilene Christian at Mizzou Arena in the first round of the 2016 Preseason WNIT. This is the first time Mizzou has competed in the 16-team tournament, which features three guaranteed games and potential matchups against Nebraska, Washington and Notre Dame, among others. The second round is set for Nov. 13/14, the semifinals will take place Nov. 17 and the championship game is slated for Nov. 20.
“We are excited to not only start our season playing at home in Mizzou Arena but to also be participating in the prestigious WNIT tournament,” Coach Pingeton said. “They have put together a great field that I know will be very competitive.”
Following the Preseason WNIT, Mizzou returns home on Nov. 22 to face Indiana State for the second time in program history. Over Thanksgiving, the Tigers will head to Freeport, Bahamas, for the 2016 Junkanoo Jam. At the holiday invitational, Mizzou clashes with Creighton on Nov. 25 at 1:15 p.m. CT. A day later, Coach Pingeton’s squad will play either Dayton or Georgia Tech.
Mizzou then comes back to Columbia for two home games against Western Illinois and Missouri State on Nov. 29 and Dec. 2 before traveling to Indianapolis on Dec. 4 to square off with IUPUI. After that trip, the Tigers host four consecutive contests at Mizzou Arena vs. SIU Edwardsville, Wichita State, UT Martin and UC Riverside. Mizzou is a combined 13-0 all-time against those four programs.
The Tigers round out the nonconference slate with a road trip to Saint Louis on Dec. 21. Mizzou has never lost to the Billikens in 20 all-time meetings.
The Tigers open Southeastern Conference play with a home contest against Georgia on New Year’s Day before hitting the road to face Kentucky on Jan. 5. Both of those games will air on SEC Network. The Tigers host Alabama on Jan. 8 and then travel to LSU on Jan. 12 and Vanderbilt on Jan. 15. After an SEC Network-televised home matchup with Texas A&M on Jan. 19, Mizzou heads to rival Arkansas on Jan. 23.
A quick homestand the following week features contests against Auburn on Jan. 26 and Kentucky on Jan. 30. Mizzou hits the road Feb. 5 to take on Mississippi State at 1:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The Tigers knocked off the then-No. 6 Bulldogs last season, 66-54. Mizzou ends a road swing with a trip to national power Tennessee on Feb. 9, which will air on SEC Network.
After hosting Arkansas on Feb. 12 and traveling to Florida on Feb. 16, the Tigers will square off with vaunted South Carolina at Mizzou Arena on Feb. 19. That matchup will be televised on ESPN2.
Mizzou will wrap up its regular season with senior night vs. Ole Miss on Feb. 23 and a road game at Alabama on Feb. 26. The SEC Tournament will be held March 1-5 in Greenville, S.C.
“We are really looking forward to this season,” Coach Pingeton said. “The team has put in a lot of work over the last several months. None of us are satisfied and we want more, but we understand that only comes with a lot of hard work.”
— Mizzou Athletics —