Women's Hoops 2007-08 Schedule Announced

OXFORD, Miss.  Ole Miss Head Coach Renee Ladner announced Thursday the schedule for her first season at the helm of the women’s basketball program. The slate features eight NCAA Tournament teams from last season, a home tilt versus defending National Champion Tennessee and also includes three appearances on Fox Sports South for the Rebels in 2007-08.
 
“We basically have the same theory every year. We need a challenging schedule, something that will prepare us for the rigors of SEC play,” said Ladner, who helped lead Ole Miss to the Elite Eight last season as an assistant under former Head Coach Carol Ross. “It will be a daunting task. This may be one of the toughest schedules that we have ever had.”
 
Ole Miss will open the season on the road at Nebraska on Nov. 11. It will be the second ever meeting between the Rebels and the Huskers, with Ole Miss winning the only other meeting in 2003.
 
The Rebels will then make their season debut in Tad Smith Coliseum a week later as the team will take on Louisiana-Lafayette (Nov. 18) followed by Alabama A&M (Nov. 20).
 
For Thanksgiving, Ole Miss will head west to Malibu, Calif., to play in the Pepperdine Timeout 4 HIV AIDS Tournament in a field with Wisconsin (Nov. 23), UT-Arlington (Nov. 24) and host-school Pepperdine, before returning home to play UAB on Nov. 29.
 
December will find the Rebels on the road for several games with trips to Ohio State, Penn State and Miami (Fla.). 

“We are going to be tested early on to see what we are made of,” Ladner said. “The travel will be treacherous, because some of these places aren’t the easiest to get to. You want to prepare yourself for SEC play and these games should accomplish that.”
 
Ole Miss will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 10 and then take on the Wolfpack of NC State at the Tad Pad on Dec. 21 before heading into the Christmas break.
 
“Traditionally they have been a powerhouse,” Ladner said of the ACC squad. “Coach (Kay) Yow is going to put a good team on the floor. Because of her commitment to coaching and her style of play, they’re going to play extremely hard for her. We would like to win that one especially heading into our Christmas break.”
 
Ole Miss will close out December by competing in a holiday classic in Montana as the team will face UC-Santa Barbara (Dec. 29) and the hosting team of Montana (Dec. 30).
 
“In the SEC Tournament, you will play good teams back-to-back,” Ladner said.  “We want the same scenario for the non-conference tournaments as well.”
 
The Rebels will return home to finish off their non-conference schedule on Jan. 3 against Central Michigan.
 
Southeastern Conference action will commence for Ole Miss on Jan. 10 when the team travels to Athens, Ga., for a match-up against a Georgia squad that reached the Sweet Sixteen last season.
 
“There are no nights off in conference play,” Ladner said. “Naturally, I would have preferred a home SEC opener because I believe we’ll have great crowds due to our incredible run last season.”
 
Ole Miss then returns home to host Arkansas on Jan.13, a game which will be televised by FSN South. The Rebels will also host South Carolina on Jan. 20, before hitting the road for games against in-state rival Mississippi State on Jan. 24 and defending SEC Champion Vanderbilt on Jan. 27.
 
Defending National Champion Tennessee will make its way to Oxford on Jan. 31 to cap off the month.
 
“This will be an opportunity for our fans to fill the Tad Pad,” Ladner said. “Our largest crowds traditionally have been against Tennessee. This year should not be any different. In fact, it should be a given that our Ole Miss family will come out to see us play any SEC opponent, much less the Tennessee Lady Vols.”
 
February opens up with a visiting Alabama team in Oxford on Feb. 3 before the Rebels head to Lexington to face Kentucky on Feb. 7 for the second televised game by FSN South.
 
Ole Miss travels to South Carolina on Feb. 10 then hosts Mississippi State in a Valentine’s Day match-up on Feb. 14. Next up, the Rebels travel to face former Ole Miss coach Van Chancellor and his LSU Tigers on Feb. 17 before returning home for a Feb. 21 match-up against Auburn, a game which will televised by FSN South. February ends with the Rebels traveling to Alabama on Feb. 24.
 
The regular season will come to an end on March 2 against Florida as the seniors also close out their home careers in Red and Blue.
 
The 2008 SEC Tournament will return to Nashville, Tenn., after taking a year off. The tournament will take place March 6-9 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

2007-08 Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Schedule

Date                 Opponent                                 Site

Nov. 4              DT 3 (Exhibition)                   Oxford, Miss.

Nov. 8              OGBR Legends (Exhibition)     Oxford, Miss.

Nov. 11             at Nebraska                               Lincoln, Neb.

Nov. 18             Louisiana-Lafayette                 Oxford, Miss.

Nov. 20             Alabama A & M                        Oxford, Miss.

Nov. 23             vs. Wisconsin $                          Malibu, Calif.

Nov. 24             vs. UT-Arlington$                        Malibu, Calif.

Nov. 29             UAB                                         Oxford, Miss.

Dec. 2              at Ohio State                             Columbus, Ohio

Dec. 10             Arkansas Pine Bluff              Oxford, Miss.

Dec. 13             at Penn State                            University Park, Pa.

Dec. 16             at Miami (Fla.)                           Miami, Fla.

Dec. 21             NC State                                  Oxford, Miss.

Dec. 29             vs. UC-Santa Barbara%              Missoula, Mont.

Dec. 30             at Montana%                             Missoula, Mont.

Jan. 3               Central Michigan                     Oxford, Miss.

Jan. 10             at Georgia*                                 Athens, Ga.

Jan. 13             Arkansas*                                 Oxford, Miss.

Jan. 20             South Carolina*                        Oxford, Miss.

Jan. 24             at Mississippi State*                   Starkville, Miss.

Jan. 27             at Vanderbilt*                              Nashville, Tenn.

Jan. 31             Tennessee*                               Oxford, Miss.

 

Feb. 3               Alabama*                                 Oxford, Miss.

Feb. 7               at Kentucky*                              Lexington, Ky.

Feb. 10             at South Carolina*                       Columbia, S.C.

Feb. 14             Mississippi State*                     Oxford, Miss.

Feb. 17             at LSU*                                      Baton Rouge, La.

Feb. 21             Auburn*                                    Oxford, Miss.

Feb. 24             at Alabama*                                Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mar. 2               Florida*                                     Oxford, Miss.

Mar. 6-9            SEC Tournament                         Nashville, Tenn.

Home games in bold

* - Southeastern Conference Game

$ - Timeout 4 HIV AIDS Tournament

% - Lady Griz Holiday Classic

The University of Mississippi Athletics

Related News

Related Videos