TicketsSept. 28, 2009
CINCINNATI- Nine NCAA Tournament teams and 13 20-win teams highlight the 2009-10 University of Cincinnati women's basketball schedule, head coach Jamelle Elliott announced today. The schedule includes a trip to Anchorage, Alaska, where the Bearcats will be one of four teams participating in the Great Alaska Shootout.
"I'm excited and anxious to start the season," Elliott said. "The Great Alaska Shootout will be a good barometer of where this team is early in the season. Home games against Dartmouth and Kentucky and the annual Crosstown Shootout against Xavier are excellent games to prepare for the rigors of a tough BIG EAST Conference schedule."
Cincinnati opens the regular season at home on Nov. 15 against Furman, then travel to Indiana to take on the Hoosiers (Nov. 18) before returning home to take on Detroit on Saturday, Nov. 21. Those three games precede the trip to Anchorage where the Bearcats will square off against Western Carolina (Nov. 24) and finish the tournament by playing the winner of the Alaska Anchorage and Western Carolina game on Nov. 25.
The Bearcats then return home for two home games against Dartmouth (Nov. 29) and Kentucky (Dec. 4). Dartmouth is coming off a trip to the 2008-09 NCAA tournament and an Ivy League Championship, its 17th Ivy title. Cincinnati looks to avenge a 58-55 defeat last season at Kentucky despite getting a career high 29 points from Kahla Roudebush in the game.
Two days after the Kentucky game the Bearcats head to crosstown rival Xavier to take on the Musketeers in the Skyline Chili Women's Crosstown Shootout (Dec. 6). The Bearcats knocked off No. 23 Xavier last year, 65-55, winning for the second straight time in the rivalry.
After a week off the Bearcats return home to play four non-conference games starting on Sunday, Dec. 13 against Butler, followed by Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 18), Valparaiso (Dec. 21) and concluding with Wright State (Dec. 29).
The Bearcats open their 16-game BIG EAST Conference slate on Jan. 2 against long time conference rival and 2008-09 NCAA National Runner-Up Louisville.
Five days later Coach Elliott makes her return to Storrs, Connecticut to take on the 2008-09 NCAA National Champion Huskies. Elliott, an assistant coach for 12 years, was a four-year letterwinner, helping build the UConn dynasty as a player and finished her career ranked No. 2 among UConn's all-time rebounding leaders (1,054), No. 5 in BIG EAST career rebounding (558), and No. 11 in UConn career scoring (1,387).
"Obviously this game will be very special for me because of all the history and memories I made in my time there," Elliott continued, "Coaching against some players I helped recruit and a coaching staff that I am extremely close to will be emotional, however once the game starts, my focus will be on competing."
Along with UConn and Louisville the Bearcats will face five other conference opponents who made the NCAA Tournament a season ago, including home contests against Notre Dame (Feb. 9), Villanova (Feb. 20), and Pittsburgh (Feb. 27), and road games against Rutgers (Jan. 16), DePaul (Jan. 27) and at Louisville (Feb. 2)
Cincinnati's remaining home schedule includes games against St. John's (Jan. 10), Georgetown (Jan. 19), USF (Jan. 30), and West Virginia (Feb. 23).
The road schedule includes games at Seton Hall (Jan. 23), Syracuse (Feb. 13), Providence (Feb. 16) and the season finale at Marquette (Mar. 1).
The Bearcats return Kahla Roudebush, an all-BIG EAST second team performer, and Shanasa Sanders, who made the all-BIG EAST Freshman Team a year ago.