Aug. 3, 2016
The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team — with new head coach Stephanie White — has finalized the non-conference schedule for the 2016-17 season. The slate includes seven homes games, highlighted by match-ups against national powers Louisville and Duke at Memorial Gym.
The non-conference schedule, which begins with the regular-season opener against Kennesaw State on Nov. 11, will help the Commodores prepare for SEC play, which begins in January. (The conference schedule will be released by the SEC offices at a later date).
“We are excited about our non-conference schedule and the various challenges it contains,” said first-year Vanderbilt head coach Stephanie White. “We will be facing several high-quality opponents — including the games against Duke and Louisville at Memorial Gym — and we feel like we will have a great opportunity to grow as a team and prepare ourselves for conference play.”
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The Commodores posted 18 wins last season, and the team returns 70 percent of its scoring from last year’s squad. The Vanderbilt roster is also bolstered by a six-member freshmen class that was ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation by one prominent recruiting service.
“We are going to be a fun team to watch develop,” said White, “and we look forward to having enthusiastic crowds at our home games. The non-con schedule has a good variety, including some challenging road trips and several in-state rivalry games.”
Vanderbilt fans can get their first look at this year’s team on Sunday, Oct. 30, when the Commodores host an exhibition game against Bellarmine. Vanderbilt will then host Union University in another exhibition game the following Sunday, Nov. 6, before jumping into the regular season on Nov. 11 against Kennesaw State.
Vanderbilt will face a handful of in-state rivals during November and December, including road match-ups with UT-Martin (Nov. 27), ETSU (Dec. 8) and Memphis (Dec. 28), along with a home game against Tennessee Tech (Dec. 18).
The non-conference slate also includes a trip to Colorado Springs, where the Commodores will compete in the Air Force Classic on Dec. 2-3.
Here’s a closer look at the entire non-conference schedule, including series information for each opponent. Note: Tip-off times are subject to change.
Opponent: Kennesaw State
Date: Nov. 11
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville)
Series History: First-ever meeting
Most Recent Meeting: N/A
Opponent: Indiana
Date: Nov. 13
Time: TBA
Site: Bloomington, Ind.
Series History: Series tied 1-1
Most Recent Meeting: Dec. 1, 1999 (Vanderbilt won 74-54 in Nashville)
Opponent: Drexel
Date: Nov. 16
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville)
Series History: VU leads 1-0
Most Recent Meeting: Dec. 3, 2015 (Vanderbilt won 74-64 in Philadelphia)
Opponent: Duke
Date: Nov. 20
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville)
Series History: Duke leads 5-2
Most Recent Meeting: Nov. 21, 2013 (Duke won 88-69 in Durham, N.C.)
Opponent: Robert Morris
Date: Nov. 22
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville)
Series History: First-ever meeting
Most Recent Meeting: N/A
Opponent: UT Martin
Date: Nov. 27
Time: TBA
Site: Martin, Tenn.
Series History: VU leads 11-1
Most Recent Meeting: Nov. 28, 2015 (Vanderbilt won 64-61 in Nashville)
Opponent: Air Force
Date: Dec. 2
Time: TBA
Site: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Series History: VU leads 1-0
Most Recent Meeting: Nov. 30, 2015 (Vanderbilt won 86-29 in Nashville)
Opponent: Utah Valley or So. Illinois-Edwardsville
Date: Dec. 3
Time: TBA
Site: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Opponent: Tulane
Date: Dec. 5
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville)
Series History: First-ever meeting
Most Recent Meeting: N/A
Opponent: ETSU
Date: Dec. 8
Time: TBA
Site: Johnson City, Tenn.
Series History: VU leads 5-2
Most Recent Meeting: Dec. 5, 2015 (Vanderbilt won 65-39 in Nashville)
Opponent: Tennessee Tech
Date: Dec. 18
Time: 2 p.m.
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville)
Series History: Tennessee Tech leads 10-7
Most Recent Meeting: Dec. 1, 2012 (Vanderbilt won 77-50 in Nashville)
Opponent: Louisville
Date: Dec. 21
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Memorial Gym (Nashville)
Series History: VU leads 8-4
Most Recent Meeting: March 20, 2011 (Louisville won 81-62 in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio)
Opponent: Memphis
Date: Dec. 28
Time: TBA
Site: Memphis, Tenn.
Series History: VU leads 11-3
Most Recent Meeting: Dec. 1, 2004 (Vanderbilt won 96-54 in Nashville)