Murray State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Releases 2007-08 Schedule
8/1/2007 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
First-year women's basketball head coach Jody Adams announced the 2007-08 schedule, which features four non-conference home games, a game at Missouri and participation in a tough Tennessee-Chattanooga Thanksgiving tournament.
Adams takes the helm of a team that boasted the nation's seventh-best turnaround last season, going from 11-17 in 2005-06 to 21-10 in 2006-07. Last year's team finished in second place in the Ohio Valley Conference at 15-5 and fell in the championship game of the OVC Championship Tournament, 62-60, to Southeast Missouri. Murray State took part in the Women's NIT, falling 59-52 at Arkansas State.
Murray State begins the season with an exhibition game against Christian Brothers on Nov. 3. The Lady Racers then kick off the regular-season schedule at Women's NIT participant Missouri on Nov. 9. Non-conference home match-ups against Bethel (Tenn.) (Nov. 13), Alabama State (Nov. 17), Miami (Ohio) (Nov. 28) and Alabama A&M (Dec. 22) as well as a spot in Tennessee-Chattanooga's Thanksgiving tournament (Nov. 23-24) and a road game at Lipscomb (Dec. 15) provide strong competition for MSU before entering the conference slate.
"I think our non-conference schedule is a challenging one," Adams said. "We open at Missouri, a Big 12 Conference school. This schedule is going to challenge us throughout the year and will help us prepare for the OVC. Right now, the Tennessee-Chattanooga tournament has Delaware and Louisville."
Delaware went 26-6 last season, Louisville was 27-8 and Chattanooga was 25-8. All three played in last year's NCAA Tournament. With Murray State, the four teams in that tournament went a combined 99-32 (.756).
"I'm excited that we have four non-conference games at home," Adams said, "and I hope all of these non-conference games will prepare us for what we need to work on in the OVC schedule."
Murray State opens the OVC season at home, hosting Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 6. The Racers visit defending champion Southeast Missouri (24-8 in 2006-07) on Jan. 7 before hosting the Redhawks on Jan. 26. Morehead State, which finished in third in the OVC, comes to Murray on Dec. 8 before the Lady Racers visit Morehead on Feb. 9, and Murray travels to last season's fourth-place team, Samford, on Dec. 20 before hosting the Bulldogs in their last regular-season conference meeting on Feb. 23.
Here is a look at the Racers' 2007-08 schedule (for a printable version, click on the link below): Nov. 3 Christian Brothers (exhibition), Nov. 9 at Missouri, Nov. 13 Bethel (Tenn.), Nov. 17 Alabama State, Nov. 23-24 at Tennessee-Chattanooga tournament, Nov. 28 Miami (Ohio), Dec. 6 Eastern Kentucky, Dec. 8 Morehead State, Dec. 15 at Lipscomb, Dec. 18 at Jacksonville State, Dec. 20 at Samford, Dec. 22 Alabama A&M, Jan. 3 at Eastern Illinois, Jan. 5 Tennessee State, Jan. 7 at Southeast Missouri State, Jan. 10 Austin Peay, Jan. 19 at Tennessee-Martin, Jan. 24 Tennessee Tech, Jan. 26 Southeast Missouri State, Jan. 31 at Austin Peay, Feb. 2 Jacksonville State, Feb. 7 at Eastern Kentucky, Feb. 9 at Morehead State, Feb. 14 at Tennessee State, Feb. 16 Eastern Illinois, Feb. 23 Samford, Feb. 28 at Tennessee Tech, March 1 Tennessee-Martin, March 4 OVC Tournament quarterfinals (at campus sites), March 7-8 OVC Tournament semifinals and final (at Nashville, Tenn.).
