Aug. 23, 2011
2011-12 Schedule | 2011-12 Schedule (PDF) 
| Order Season Tickets
Vanderbilt women’s basketball head coach Melanie Balcomb announced the Commodores’ 2011-12 schedule on Tuesday. The schedule is comprised of 29 games, including 17 home dates and match-ups against eight teams that advanced to the postseason in 2011.
The Commodores return three starters off a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th straight season. The returning players and newcomers will be tested early before conference play begins with a challenging non-conference slate that includes games with five teams that made it to the postseason in 2011. Highlighting the non-conference schedule are home games with perennial NCAA Tournament teams Oklahoma and Florida State.
“We feel that our non-conference schedule will provide us with outstanding preparation for the strong competition we face in the Southeastern Conference,” Balcomb said. “The schedule includes a good mix of road games in difficult environments and home contests that will challenge us and provide our fans with an opportunity to watch some great competition.”
The first opportunity fans will get to watch the Commodores will be Nov. 5 in a home exhibition game against Clayton State. Vanderbilt will open its regular season on Nov. 11 against Alabama A&M. The men’s team will also open its regular season the same day by hosting Oregon.
In addition to the 17 home contests during the regular season, Commodore fans will not have to travel far at all this postseason. Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena will play host to the SEC Tournament for the second year in a row (March 1-4), and the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be held at Memorial Gym March 17 & 19 or 18 & 20.
Season tickets to watch the Commodores are on sale starting at just $45. Sideline, chairback seats are also available for $99. Vanderbilt is also offering a family plan for $220 that consists of two adult and two youth season tickets. Tickets may be ordered on vucommodores.com at any time. Tickets may also be ordered by phone at 615-322-GOLD (5643) or in person at the McGugin Center from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Vanderbilt full-time employees will be able to order discounted tickets with a valid ID badge and employee ID number.
Vanderbilt’s first six games will be played at home. Following its season opening game against Alabama A&M, the Commodores will stay at home to face Western Illinois on Nov. 14, USC Upstate on Nov. 16 and Sam Houston State on Nov. 22 before hosting their annual Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 25 and 26. Vanderbilt’s men’s team will also play a home game on Nov. 25 against Monmouth.
This year’s field includes two teams that advanced to the postseason last year in Oklahoma and Liberty as well as cross-town foe Lipscomb. The Sooners advanced to the Sweet 16 last year and Liberty was in the WNIT. Vanderbilt is 24-0 all-time in its annual Thanksgiving Tournament, having won the title all 12 years of the event.
The Commodores’ first road test will come Nov. 30 at Austin Peay. It will be Vanderbilt’s first trip to Clarksville since 1989-90.
Vanderbilt will play six games in December, beginning Dec. 2 when the Commodores will look to avenge last year’s loss against Denver – a squad that qualified for the WNIT last year. On Dec. 4, Vanderbilt will host High Point, which will bring a familiar face back to Memorial Gym. Former Commodore Merideth Marsh was hired as an assistant at High Point this past summer.
Before breaking for finals, the Commodores will head to Jackson, Tenn. to face UT Martin, which qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year. Vanderbilt is 9-1 all-time against UT Martin, including a 72-60 win last season in Nashville.
Vanderbilt will return to the floor Dec. 18 for its second straight road game of the season at N.C. State. The Commodores will play their second consecutive ACC foe on Dec. 22 when Florida State visits Memorial Gym. The Seminoles advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year and topped the Commodores 72-66 in Tallahassee a season ago.
Vanderbilt’s final non-conference game will come against Western Carolina on Dec. 29.
The 2012 SEC slate includes 16 games for the third straight year. Vanderbilt will play home-and-home series with Auburn, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee. Georgia and Tennessee each qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year. Every team in the SEC plays each other once and every team plays five opponents twice. One of the five opponents is a permanent partner that play twice every year. Tennessee is Vanderbilt’s permanent partner. The rotating opponents are played on a two-year basis (home and away). This is the first year of new rotating opponents for the teams.
After having its bye the first weekend of SEC play, Vanderbilt’s first SEC contest will come Jan. 5 at South Carolina. The first home game will be Jan. 8 against Ole Miss. The Commodores will stay home to face Auburn on Jan. 12 before hitting the road for two straight games at Tennessee and at Arkansas.
Vanderbilt’s annual home matchup against Tennessee will take place on Thursday, Feb. 9. The Commodores will also be featured on ESPN2, Monday, Feb. 20 at Kentucky.
Vanderbilt will close its regular season schedule Feb. 26 against Alabama.
The 2012 Final Four will be played April 1-3 at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Game times are subject to change once the league and its television partners announce the season’s entire television schedule.
