Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – A tough non-conference schedule, including a date at Iowa in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, plus 16 contests against an always tough ACC, highlight the 2011-12 Virginia Tech women’s basketball schedule.
The 2011-12 schedule will feature games against nine teams that made it to the 2011 NCAA Tournament including Maryland, Penn State, Duke, Georgia Tech, UCF, Miami, North Carolina, Iowa and Florida State. Tech will also face six teams that appeared in the WNIT (Boston College, Charlotte, Florida Gulf Coast, Old Dominion, St. Mary’s and Virginia).
“Being a first year staff, we are welcoming the challenge of a very difficult schedule overall, including a very challenging non-conference schedule,” said head coach Dennis Wolff. “With Iowa in the Big Ten challenge, an early December game against Penn State plus facing Cincinnati in our holiday tournament and traveling to the St. Mary’s tournament where we could face Minnesota, this schedule should get our team well tested for ACC play.”
Tech will have two regular-season home games televised with the first on Jan. 29 against N.C. State. The second is set for five days later on Feb. 3 against Clemson. Both games are part of the ACC television package on regional sports networks (RSN). RSN affiliates include Fox Sports Net South, Comcast Sports Net, SunSports and New England Sports Network.
Virginia Tech will start the season Nov. 11 at Old Dominion. The Hokies will open the home schedule with back-to-back games at Cassell Coliseum beginning with N.C. A&T (Nov. 13) followed by Charlotte on Nov. 16. Tech will also host non-conference opponents William & Mary (Nov. 21) and North Carolina Central (Dec. 11).
On November 25 and 26, the Hokies will travel to Moraga, Calif. for the SMC Concord Hilton Tournament, hosted by St. Mary’s. In addition to Tech and SMC, Minnesota and Quinnipiac are also competing in the tournament. The Hokies will stay on the road for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Nov. 30 at Iowa.
Women’s basketball will host the Hilton Garden Inn Hokie Classic, Dec. 28-29, featuring Cincinnati, High Point and UMBC.
The women will play a 16-game regular-season conference schedule with the Hokies facing each league team at least once. This season ACC women’s basketball programs will play a 16-game conference format after playing a 14-game slate in the past.
Tech will tip-off the ACC schedule on Jan. 2 at Clemson and will remain on the road for a Jan. 5 game at Boston College before returning home to host Florida State on Jan. 8 in the conference home opener. The Hokies will go on the road to face league opponents, Virginia, Miami, Maryland, Florida State, Duke and Wake Forest. Virginia Tech will host conference foes, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State, Clemson, Virginia and Georgia Tech.
The ACC tournament is slated for March 1-4 in Greensboro, N.C. at the Greensboro Coliseum.