OXFORD, Miss. A slate featuring eight NCAA Tournament teams, highlighted by defending National Champion Maryland and Final Four participant LSU, lies ahead for the 2006-07 edition of the Ole Miss Women’s Basketball program, as fourth-year head coach Carol Ross continues to put together one of the toughest schedules in the country.
“Our schedule is again like most of my schedules,” said Ross, who owns a 53-39 record in three seasons at the helm of the Ole Miss program. “It’s going to challenge these players and coaches. I have not backed off our schedule at all. There is a purpose to what we do in November and December, and that is to prepare us for the Southeastern Conference and postseason play.”
Ole Miss will open the season by hosting Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, November 10, at 11 a.m. The game will be played as part of the fourth annual “School Day” celebration, where school children from across the state of Mississippi come watch the Rebels play.
The Rebels will then hit the road for back-to-back road games at UAB (Nov. 14) and 2006 WNIT participant Rice (Nov. 17), before returning to Tad Smith Coliseum to host Rhode Island (Nov. 19) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 21).
The November portion of the schedule heats up with a trip to the Bahamas over Thanksgiving for the Junkanoo Jam. The Rebels will take on Northwestern with Gardner-Webb and Maryland sitting across the bracket.
“We have an opportunity to measure ourselves right off with a very healthy field in the Junkanoo Jam,” said Ross. “We have the potential, if things go our way, to play defending National Champion Maryland, who returns all five starters from last season.”
Ole Miss opens December with back-to-back games playing the host to Big Ten opponents Illinois (Dec. 2), a 2006 WNIT participant, and traditional power Penn State (Dec. 10). Following the games against the Big Ten, the Rebels will return a game to Rutgers (Dec. 12), a 2006 NCAA Sweet 16 team.
“Going to Rutgers will present a huge challenge,” said Ross. “Year in and year out they are one of the best teams in the country, and they will be again this season. That’s a team we upset here in Oxford last year, so I am sure that will be a tough road trip, but again that’s going to prepare us for road battles in the SEC.”
The Rebels will return from the east coast to face Central Arkansas (Dec. 17) and Atlantic Coast Conference contender Miami (Dec. 21). They will close out 2006 with a holiday tournament appearance in New Orleans hosted by Tulane. The Rebels and Green Wave will join Fordham and Texas-Arlington in the Big Easy on Dec. 29-30.
Ole Miss’ final non-conference match-up will open the 2007 portion of the schedule with a game in Oxford versus Nicholls State (Jan. 2).
Ole Miss will open Southeastern Conference action on the road with a trip to Auburn (Jan. 4). They will then come home to host Vanderbilt (Jan. 7) and two-time defending SEC Champions LSU (Jan. 11), before returning to the road with a game at Kentucky (Jan. 14). The remainder of January is filled with home games versus South Carolina (Jan. 18) and Mississippi State (Jan. 28) sandwiched around a road game at Georgia (Jan. 25).
Back-to-back road trips at Florida (Feb. 1) and Arkansas (Feb. 4) are on tap to open the month of February and will be followed by a pair of home games versus Kentucky (Feb. 8) and Alabama (Feb. 11). Ole Miss will travel to NCAA Elite Eight team Tennessee (Feb. 15) and return a trip to Mississippi State (Feb. 18), before hosting Auburn (Feb. 25),as they bid farewell to seniors Ashley Awkward, Jada Mincy and Armintie Price on Senior Night.
The 2007 SEC Tournament will kick-off on Thursday, March 1 at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. The tournament champion will be crowned on Sunday, March 4.
Ross credits Coordinator of Women’s Basketball Operations Margie Gill for putting together a highly competitive schedule, which features eight NCAA Tournament participants and four WNIT squads.
“This year’s team should be more than capable mentally, physically and emotionally to handle a competitive schedule from start to finish and that is just what we have created for this veteran team.”
The Ole Miss women will begin official practice for the 2006-07 campaign on Oct 13. They will take on DT3 on Nov. 5, for the first and only exhibition contest of the season. Game time for the exhibition is set for 2 p.m.
2006-07 Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Schedule
Day Date Opponent Site Time
Sun. 11-5-06 DT3 (Exhibition) Oxford, Miss. 2 p.m.
Fri. 11-10-06 Southeastern Louisiana Oxford, Miss. 11 a.m.
Tues. 11-14-06 at Alabama-Birmingham Birmingham, Ala. 7 p.m.
Fri. 11-17-06 at Rice Houston, Texas 7 p.m.
Sun. 11-19-06 Rhode Island Oxford, Miss. 2 p.m.
Tues. 11-21-06 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Oxford, Miss. 7 p.m.
Fri. 11-24-06 vs. Northwestern $ Freeport, Bahamas TBA
Sat. 11-25-06 vs. Gardner Webb/Maryland $ Freeport, Bahamas TBA
Sat. 12-2-06 Illinois Oxford, Miss. TBA
Sun. 12-10-06 Penn State Oxford, Miss. 2 p.m.
Tues. 12-12-06 at Rutgers New Brunswick, N.J. TBA
Sun. 12-17-06 Central Arkansas Oxford, Miss. 2 p.m.
Thurs. 12-21-06 Miami Oxford, Miss. 7 p.m.
Fri. 12-28-06 vs. UTA & New Orleans, La. 5 p.m.
Sat. 12-29-06 vs. Tulane/Fordham & New Orleans, La. 5/7 p.m.
Tues. 1-2-07 Nicholls State Oxford, Miss. 7 p.m.
Thurs. 1-4-07 at Auburn* (FSN) Auburn, Ala. 7 p.m.
Sun. 1-7-07 Vanderbilt* (FSN) Oxford, Miss. 2:30 p.m.
Thurs. 1-11-07 LSU* Oxford, Miss. 7 p.m.
Sun. 1-14-07 at Kentucky* Lexington, Ky. 1 p.m.
Thurs. 1-18-07 South Carolina* (FSN) Oxford, Miss. 7 p.m.
Thurs. 1-25-07 at Georgia* Athens, Ga. 6 p.m.
Sun. 1-28-07 Mississippi State* Oxford, Miss. 2 p.m.
Thurs. 2-1-07 at Florida* Gainesville, Fla. 6 p.m.
Sun. 2-4-07 at Arkansas* Fayetteville, Ark. 2 p.m.
Thurs. 2-8-07 Kentucky* Oxford, Miss. 7 p.m.
Sun. 2-11-07 Alabama* Oxford, Miss. 2 p.m.
Thurs. 2-15-07 at Tennessee* Knoxville, Tenn. 6 p.m.
Sun. 2-18-07 at Mississippi State* Starkville, Miss. 2 p.m.
Sun. 2-25-07 Auburn* Oxford, Miss. 2 p.m.
Thurs 3-1-4-07 SEC Tournament # Duluth, Ga. TBA
Home games in bold
All times are Central and subject to change.
*-Southeastern Conference Game
$-Junkanoo Jam Freeport, Bahamas
&-Tulane Tournament New Orleans, La.
#-SEC Tournament Duluth, Ga.
