The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Wednesday that the women’s basketball team is scheduled to play 30 games leading up to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament starting on Nov. 7 against Oklahoma State University on the road.

“We really challenged ourselves this year,” UTRGV Head Coach Lane Lord said. “We are going to play three Big 12 schools this year and next year we will have two of those back at home. It has a good mixture of mid-majors but the highlight for us will be playing those Big 12 schools. We have some tough road games, and you must win on the road in this league to have a successful conference season. I think this tough non-conference schedule is going to help us to win on the road early. We are excited about this schedule.”

After the Vaqueros visit Oklahoma State, they will travel to play against McNeese State on Nov. 10 before kicking off their home slate, which will feature 14 home games, against Northern Colorado on Nov. 15.

UTRGV will then hit the road for a trip through Kansas as they face Kansas State on Nov. 18 and Kansas on Nov. 20.

The Vaqueros will then have their first match up with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 29 as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union. After a matchup at Houston Baptist on Dec. 1, the Vaqueros will head to Corpus Christi for the second matchup of the showdown on Dec. 3.

The Vaqueros will then return to South Padre Island to host the UTRGV South Padre Island Classic as they will face Boise State on Dec. 19 and Bowling Green on Dec. 20. Texas A&M-Commerce will also face Bowling Green on Dec. 19 and Boise State on Dec. 20.
 
Fans looking to guarantee their seats for the South Padre Island Classic can purchase season tickets online at UTRGVTickets.com or by contacting the UTRGV Athletics Ticket Office team of Eddie Galvan (956-222-2935) and Ryela Rodriguez (956-329-0884) over the phone or through email at tickets@utrgv.edu. Classic-specific packages will go on sale closer to the event should inventory be available.

The Vaqueros will open WAC play on Dec. 29 when they host New Mexico State. UTRGV will also host Seattle U on Dec. 31, Grand Canyon on Jan. 14, UT Arlington on Jan. 19, Utah Tech on Feb. 2, Southern Utah on Feb. 4, Abilene Christian on Feb. 11, Tarleton on Feb. 22, and Sam Houston on Feb. 25.

The Vaqueros will be on the road to face UT Arlington on Jan. 4, Tarleton on Jan. 11, Abilene Christian on Jan. 21, Southern Utah on Feb. 16, Utah Tech on Feb. 18, Utah Valley on Feb. 28, and California Baptist on Mar. 2.

“I think this is the strongest the WAC has been the five years I have been here,” Lord said. “Adding UT Arlington and Southern Utah are huge adds for us and our conference. Having the six Texas schools makes it nice to play in your home state. The UTRGV brand is really growing and it’s because we get to play in those markets. We also have a good portion of our schedule out West and from a recruiting standpoint you get to visit some great cities. We are excited to go to those places and a great opportunity for our kids.”

The top 12 teams reach the WAC Tournament, which is set to start March 6 with the 5-12 seeds competing at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas before the top eight remaining seeds return to Orleans Arena for the quarterfinals March 8 and the final two rounds March 10-11. The WAC Tournament Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Complete Schedule

Date                Opponent                                           Site                             Time (CT)

NOVEMBER

7                      Oklahoma State                                  Stillwater, OK              TBA

10                    McNeese State                                   Lake Charles, LA        7 p.m.

15                    Northern Colorado                            UTRGV Fieldhouse   6:30 p.m.

18                    Kansas State                                      Manhattan, KS            6:30 p.m.

20                    Kansas                                                Lawrence, KS             TBA

South Texas Showdown, Presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union

29                    Texas A&M-Corpus Christi              UTRGV Fieldhouse   12 p.m.

DECEMBER

1                      Houston Baptist                                  Houston, TX                5 p.m.

South Texas Showdown, Presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union

3                      Texas A&M-Corpus Christi                 Corpus Christi, TX      6 p.m.

15                    St. Mary’s                                           UTRGV Fieldhouse   5 p.m.

UTRGV South Padre Island Classic

19                    Texas A&M Commerce vs. Bowling Green    South Padre Island     3 p.m.

19                    Boise State                                        South Padre Island   6 p.m.

20                    Texas A&M Commerce vs. Boise State        South Padre Island     3 p.m.

20                    Bowling Green                                  South Padre Island   6 p.m.

29                    New Mexico State*                            UTRGV Fieldhouse   6:30 p.m.

31                    Seattle U*                                           UTRGV Fieldhouse   2 p.m.

JANUARY

4                      UT Arlington*                                      Arlington                      TBA

11                    Tarleton*                                             Stephenville                TBA

14                    Grand Canyon*                                 UTRGV Fieldhouse   4 p.m.

19                    UT Arlington*                                     UTRGV Fieldhouse   6:30 p.m.

21                    Abilene Christian*                               Abilene                        TBA

28                    Sam Houston*                                     Huntsville                    TBA

FEBRUARY

2                      Utah Tech*                                         UTRGV Fieldhouse   6:30 p.m.

4                      Southern Utah*                                 UTRGV Fieldhouse   2 p.m.

8                      Stephen F. Austin*                              Nacogdoches              TBA

11                    Abilene Christian*                             UTRGV Fieldhouse4 p.m.

16                    Southern Utah*                                   Cedar City, UT            TBA

18                    Utah Tech*                                          St. George, UT           TBA

22                    Tarleton*                                            UTRGV Fieldhouse   6:30 p.m.

25                    Sam Houston*                                   UTRGV Fieldhouse   TBA

28                    Utah Valley*                                        Orem, UT                    TBA

MARCH

2                      California Baptist*                               Riverside, CA              TBA

6                      WAC Tournament First Round           Las Vegas, Nev.         TBA

8                      WAC Tournament Quarterfinals         Las Vegas, Nev.         TBA

10                    WAC Tournament Semifinals             Las Vegas, Nev.         TBA

11                    WAC Tournament Championship      Las Vegas, Nev.         TBA

15-16               NCAA Tournament First Four             Regional Sites             TBA

17-18               NCAA Tournament First Round         Regional Sites             TBA

19-20               NCAA Tournament Second Round    Regional Sites             TBA

24-25               NCAA Tournament Sweet 16             Regional Sites             TBA

26-27               NCAA Tournament Elite 8                  Regional Sites             TBA

31                    NCAA Tournament Final Four            Dallas                          TBA

APRIL

2                      NCAA Tournament Championship     Dallas                          TBA

All Times CT

*Denotes WAC Match

Home Matches in Bold

Neutral Site Matches in Italics