MUNCIE, Ind. ? Ball State women's basketball head coach Tracy Roller announced a challenging 29-game schedule for the upcoming 2007-08 season on Wednesday afternoon. The schedule includes a strong 13-game non-conference slate and the 16-game Mid-American Conference slate for the defending MAC West Division champion Cardinals.
“I felt our team is in position to have a challenging schedule with the players we have coming back and the potential our team has,” Roller said. “This schedule gives us an opportunity to make a name for ourselves immediately in the non-conference and will prepare our team for the always challenging MAC schedule.”
The non-conference schedule includes four teams that advanced to the postseason last year, and 11 of a possible 15 opponents had winning records in 2006-07. The non-conference opponents averaged 18 victories last season with Louisville and Temple leading the way with 27 and 25 wins respectively.
The Cardinals will open the 2007-08 season at home at Worthen Arena for the first time since the 2001-02 season when they play host to NCAA Tournament participant Louisville on Nov. 10. The contest will mark the first time in program history that a current member of the Big East Conference will play in Muncie and the first meeting between the Cardinals and a Big East opponent since the 2004-05 season (at Seton Hall).
Ball State will hit the road on Nov. 12 as it heads to Wright State for a midweek contest. The Cardinals will return home to Worthen Arena on Nov. 17 when they host instate rival Indiana. The game will be the 26th meeting all-time between the two schools and the first meeting in Muncie since the 2003-04 season.
The Cardinals will hit the road around Thanksgiving as they travel to Flagstaff, Ariz., to take part in the La Quinta Inn and Suites Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 23-24 on the campus of Northern Arizona. Ball State will face off against Vermont in the first game before facing either Fairleigh Dickinson or host NAU. BSU wraps up a six-game November with a trip to Philadelphia to take on NCAA Tournament participant Temple on Nov. 28.
The Cardinals head into December and start a stretch of four games in eight days within the Hoosier State. Ball State heads to Valparaiso on Dec. 1 for the Hoosier Classic before playing host to WNIT participant Illinois State on Dec. 4. The Cardinals conclude the swing with games at Indiana State and Evansville.
Ball State will take part in its second tournament of the season Dec. 20-21 as it heads to Las Vegas, Nevada for the Lady Rebel Christmas Classic hosted by UNLV. The Cardinals will face Liberty in the first round before battling either Austin Peay or host UNLV in the second game.
The Cardinals conclude their non-conference slate on Dec. 29 as they return to Worthen Arena and play host to instate foe Butler.
“This year will be a wide open season for the MAC,” Roller said. “The league saw the departure of so many seniors from last season that it will be up to the returning players to continue the great tradition of basketball in the MAC. We are excited for the upcoming season and the challenge that lies ahead of us.”
Ball State opens MAC action with three of its first four contests on the road starting with a January 9 contest at West Division rival Western Michigan. After a game at Northern Illinois, the Cardinals will host Eastern Michigan in their MAC home opener on Jan. 15. The Cardinals and Eagles faced off in the final regular season home game last season in front of a record crowd of 4,711 fans.
The Cardinals enter a stretch of four home contests in five games at the end of January, including a rematch of last season's MAC Tournament Championship game as BSU hosts Bowling Green on Jan. 26.
The Cardinals wrap up the 2007-08 regular season with home games in the first week of March against Western Michigan and Northern Illinois.
The 2008 Mid-American Conference Tournament will be held in Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loans Arena. For the second straight season, all games in the MAC Tournament will be held in Cleveland and all teams will qualify for the tournament.
The Cardinals will also hosts an exhibition game at Worthen Arena prior to the regular season as they welcome in the Hoosier Lady Stars on Nov. 2.
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