According to a release from K-State Athletics, Kansas State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie announced the non-conference schedule for the 50th season on Tuesday. The Wildcats’ non-conference slate features nine home games and a pair of games in the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas, Nevada.
K-State’s 2017-18 non-conference schedule includes seven games against teams that reached the postseason in 2016-17, including three teams that played in the NCAA Tournament (UCLA, Missouri and Northern Iowa). The Wildcats, who enter the season with 914 wins in program history, will matchup against two teams among the top-20 in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history for wins, facing Stephen F. Austin (1,030 wins) and Penn State (920).
“This is a good, solid schedule for us highlighted by the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas with two quality opponents as well as the Big 12/SEC Challenge game on the road at Missouri,” said Mittie about his fourth non-conference slate at Kansas State. “The home schedule features many top mid-major schools that reached the postseason in 2016-17.”
K-State will open the 2017-18 season with a pair of exhibition games on Friday, Nov. 3 and Monday, Nov. 6. The Wildcats will face Emporia State on Nov. 3 and conclude with a final tune-up against Fort Hays State on Nov. 6.
The Wildcats will open the season with a three-game home stand for the second straight season. The home stretch starts on Friday, Nov. 10, against Stephen F. Austin. K-State leads the series between the programs, 3-2. This will be the first meeting in the series since December 11, 1987, a Stephen F. Austin win in Dallas, Texas. The Ladyjacks registered a 25-8 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the Southland Conference. Stephen F. Austin fell in the first round of the 2017 WBI to UTRGV.
The home stand continues on Monday, November 13, against Omaha. K-State defeated the Mavericks, 70-57, in Omaha on Dec. 4, 2016, which was the 500th career coaching win for Mittie. This will be the fourth meeting between K-State and Omaha. Omaha ended the season with a 16-15 overall record and an 8-8 mark in the Summit League last season.
The Wildcats’ season-opening home stand will conclude on Friday, November 17, against Florida A&M. The Rattlers and Wildcats will meet for the first time. Florida A&M finished the 2016-17 season with a 13-19 overall record.
Kansas State will start at four-game road trip on Sunday, November 19, as the Wildcats travel to Denton, Texas, to face North Texas. This will be the second meeting between the Wildcats and Mean Green and first since a 99-44 win by K-State in Manhattan on November 25, 1983. North Texas finished the 2016-17 season with a 12-19 overall record and an 8-10 mark in Conference USA.
Following the trip to North Texas, Kansas State will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada to take part in the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout on November 24-25. All games will be played at South Point Arena. K-State will face Penn State on Friday, November 24, and will lock horns with UCLA on Saturday, November 25. Tickets for the two games start at $15 per game.
Penn State was 21-11 overall and 9-7 in the Big Ten during the 2016-17 season. The Nittany Lions won a pair of games in the WNIT before falling to Virginia Tech in the Round of 16. The series between the programs is tied at one, and will meet for the first time since November 29, 2003, in the Junkanoo Jam in Freeport, Bahamas.
UCLA and Kansas State will meet for their fourth time and the first since December 19, 1980. The Bruins lead the series, 3-0. UCLA registered a 25-9 overall record and ended the 2016-17 season ranked 15th in the Associated Press (AP) Top-25 poll. The Bruins concluded their season with an 86-71 loss against Connecticut in the regional semifinals.
K-State will close out the four-game trip away from Bramlage Coliseum with the second edition of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Wildcats will travel to Columbia, Missouri, to face Missouri on Thursday, November 30. The Tigers wrapped up the 2016-17 season with a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, a 22-11 overall record and ranked 25th in the AP top 25 poll. K-State leads the series with Missouri, 45-38. The two teams last played each other on March 22, 2015, in Manhattan during the WNIT.
Kansas State will open play in the month of December and start a four-game home stand on Wednesday, December 6, against UT Arlington in Bramlage Coliseum. This will be the fourth straight season and the fifth meeting between the schools, as the Wildcats defeated the Lady Mavericks, 62-49, on Dec. 7, 2016. Last season’s win was the 900th in K-State’s history. UT Arlington recorded a 22-9 overall record and a first round appearance in the WNIT in the 2016-17 season.
Following a break for finals, K-State will continue the home stand on Saturday, December 16, against Little Rock and Monday, December 18, against Chicago State. This will be the third meeting in the series with both Little Rock and Chicago State.
Kansas State will conclude its non-conference schedule and its four-game home stand, on Thursday, December 21, against Northern Iowa. This will be the third meeting between K-State and UNI and the second straight season the two schools will matchup. The Panthers ended the 2016-17 season with a 24-9 overall record and a first round loss to DePaul in the NCAA Tournament. Northern Iowa won the last meeting between the teams, a 67-59 decision in Cedar Falls, Iowa on December 22, 2016.