Sept. 3, 2010
2010-11 UC Davis Schedule
DAVIS, Calif. Matchups against two NCAA Tournament teams and opponents from the Pac-10, Southeastern and Big 12 Conferences, along with the Ivy League, help highlight the 2010-11 UC Davis women's basketball schedule released on Friday.
The Aggies, who narrowly missed a berth to the 2010 NCAA Tournament after dropping a heartbreaking matchup to UC Riverside in the Big West Tournament championship, finished 21-11 overall last season while capturing their first-ever regular-season league title with a 12-4 mark. UC Davis returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from that squad.
They'll face a challenging schedule that features tough opponents from both sides of the country and points in between. Included are a pair of teams - UCLA and UC Riverside - that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins and Aggies, who will play Nov. 21 in Los Angeles, have met just once on the hardcourt with UCLA winning a close 49-47 matchup during the 1971-72 season. The Bruins went to the second round of the national championship tournament last year, finishing 25-8 overall.
UC Riverside has been a Big West power in recent years, advancing to three NCAA Tournaments and will play the Aggies twice during the conference schedule - Jan. 27 in Riverside and Feb. 24 at The Pavilion. The Highlanders turned back UC Davis 71-67 in last year's Big West title game in Anaheim. The Aggies moved on to the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) for the second time in three seasons, losing in the first round to Cal which went on to win the event.
"We like to see a lot of different styles of play before we get to Big West games and this year's schedule accomplishes that," said 14th-year head coach Sandy Simpson. "There are some challenging matchups that will undoubtedly prepare us for another rugged year in the Big West which will give us tough tests each game."
UC Davis will play three of its first four games on the road, opening at San Francisco (Nov. 12), returning to face Pac-10 member Washington State (Nov. 14) and then traveling for games at Pepperdine (Nov. 19) and UCLA. Yale (Nov. 26), Southeastern Conference foe South Carolina (Nov. 28) and 20-game winner Saint Mary's (Dec. 21) shape a formidable homestand just after Thanksgiving.
UC Davis will then visit the midwest for Kansas State (Dec. 12) and Wichita State (Dec. 14) before battling Causeway Classic rival Sacramento State (Dec. 19) and then San Jose State (Dec. 21), also away from The Pavilion. It's the longest road swing of the season for UC Davis which will returning hom to face Santa Clara (Dec. 27) during the holidays, completing the pre-conference schedule.
The Aggies will be tested early in the Big West slate, opening with home games against Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 31) and Cal State Northridge (Jan. 2) before hitting the road for five of the next six. The schedule then turns around for UC Davis which will host five of its next six league games - along with a nonconference game against Seattle (Feb. 18) - before two road contests at Cal State Northridge (Mar. 3) and Cal State Fullerton (Mar. 5) finish the regular-season.
The Big West Tournament will take on a different look this year with eight teams once again qualifying for the event but first-round games slated for home sites. The semifinals will be at the Honda Center in Anaheim - new home to the Big West Tournament - on Mar. 11. The championship, which UC Davis has played in two of its first three years in the conference, will be on Mar. 12 with the winner moving on to the NCAA Tournament.
The Aggies will play San Francisco State on Nov. 3 in its only exhibition.
