MANHATTAN, Kan. Eighteen games against squads that advanced to the postseason in 2006, including six that went to the NCAA Tournament, highlight the 29-game 2006-07 Kansas State women’s basketball schedule released by athletic department officials on Friday.
The schedule also includes 15 home games, including battles with postseason teams Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wyoming and Santa Clara as well as Big 12 Conference foes Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M. The Wildcats have won nearly 90 percent of their home games since the 2001-02 season under head coach Deb Patterson.
“I am thrilled with the competitive intensity that our young basketball team will be challenged with in the non-conference slate,” said Patterson, who needs eight wins to become the program’s winningest coach. “I believe that it will prepare us well for the great challenges of Big 12 play, including open our conference season with Oklahoma, a team I expect to be ranked in the top 10 nationally.”
Kansas State opens its 39th season of basketball, including the 11th under Patterson, when the Wildcats begin a three-game homestand by hosting eight-time defending Horizon League champion Wisconsin-Green Bay on Friday, Nov. 10. The team follows with home games against regional rival Creighton on Monday, Nov. 13 and fellow Postseason WNIT participant Wyoming on Friday, Nov. 17.
The Wildcats will then play in the first of three tournaments in 2006-07 on Nov. 24-25, beginning with the UNLV Lady Rebel Shootout in Las Vegas, Nev. The tournament field includes the host Lady Rebels as well as possible first time opponents Elon (N.C.) and Wisconsin.
Kansas State will host the 12th annual Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic on Dec. 1-2, as the program welcomes Alcorn State, Idaho and Mississippi Valley State. The Wildcats have posted a 19-3 mark since the inception of the tournament in 1995, including titles in eight of the last 11 seasons.
The team begins a two-game road trip on Tues., Dec. 5 against defending Western Athletic Conference champion Louisiana Tech before playing UMKC in Kansas City at Municipal Auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 9. The Wildcats return home for games against WNIT participant Santa Clara on Friday, Dec. 15 and Weber State on Sunday, Dec. 17.
K-State closes the non-conference slate with two games at the Florida International Sun & Fun Classic in Miami, Fla. The tournament field includes a pair of WNIT participants in the host FIU Golden Panthers and possible first-time opponent Rice as well as George Mason.
A challenging Big 12 schedule begins for Kansas State on Wednesday, Jan. 3, as the Wildcats travel to Norman, Okla., to face defending regular season and tournament champion Oklahoma.
Following the trip to Oklahoma, the Wildcats return home for the first of consecutive home games against NCAA Tournament participants Texas A&M on Saturday, Jan. 6 and Missouri on Saturday, Jan. 13. The team then hits the road for contests at Nebraska on Wednesday, Jan. 17 and NCAA “Sweet 16” participant Baylor on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Kansas State faces archrival Kansas in Manhattan on Wednesday, Jan. 24. The Wildcats have won 11 consecutive games against the Jayhawks, including five straight in Manhattan. Road games follow with Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 27 and Colorado on Wednesday, Jan. 31 before the team begins the month of February with three home games in 12 days.
The Wildcats open the homestand on Saturday, Feb. 3 with a contest against perennial power Texas on Saturday, Feb. 3 followed by a game against Nebraska on Wednesday, Feb. 7. After a road tilt at Texas Tech on Sunday, Feb. 11, the team plays host to Colorado on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
K-State travels to Kansas on Sunday, Feb. 18 and then Missouri on Wednesday, Feb. 21 before concluding the regular season with back-to-back home games against Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 24 and Oklahoma State on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
The 11th annual Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship runs from Tuesday, March 6 to Saturday, March 10 at the COX Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Kansas State returns four starters and eight letterwinners from the 2005-06 Postseason WNIT Championship team, which marked the program’s first postseason championship title in school history. In the process, the Wildcats produced its fifth consecutive 20-win season with its 24-10 overall record, while they advanced to the postseason for a school-record fifth straight season (four NCAA and one WNIT).
K-State will announce its exhibition schedule, times for all remaining games as well as the Fox Sports Midwest television schedule at a later date.
For ticket information, call the K-State Athletic Ticket Office at (800) 221.CATS or go online to www.k-statesports.com.
