University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Announces 2010-11 Non-Conference Slate
8/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Head coach Pam Borton's University of Minnesota women's basketball program announced its 2010-11 non-conference schedule today, with the Golden Gophers playing a total of 12 games, including nine at Williams Arena. Game times and television rights for the non-conference schedule will be released at a later date.
The Gophers' non-league slate will present a challenge, with a total of five games against teams that advanced to postseason play in 2010, including Baylor (Final Four), led by 6-foot-8 All-America center Brittney Griner, and San Diego State (Sweet 16). The team will participate in three tournaments, with potential matchups against three other squads that made last year's NCAA Tournament field.
"We are very excited about the challenging non-conference schedule that we have put together for the upcoming season," Borton said. "Our players have been working hard in preparation for an exciting season."
Minnesota opens its 2010-11 regular season by playing host to a four-team field at the inaugural Best Buy Classic on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13-14. The visiting teams taking part include UW Green Bay, which advanced to the Second Round of last year's NCAA Tournament, as well as George Washington and Northern Illinois. The Golden Gophers' season-opener versus NIU will take place prior to the UWGB-GW game.
The Gophers will then take part in the first Super Six Series game when they play host to the University of Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Nov. 17. The Panthers are coming off a trip to the 2010 WNIT.
For the first time in the program's history, Minnesota will play host to two in-season tournaments, as it welcomes South Dakota, Dayton, and UW Milwaukee to Williams Arena for the Subway Classic on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 20-21. Dayton, which won an NCAA Tournament First Round game, will face the Coyotes in the late game, which follows the Gophers and Panthers at 1:00 p.m.
The team will spend its Thanksgiving weekend in Reno, Nev., as it participates in the University of Nevada's Nugget Classic on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 26-27. The host Wolf Pack will match up against North Carolina State's Wolfpack in the opening game, followed by Minnesota and San Diego State, which is where Gophers Associate Head Coach Barb Smith served as head coach during 1997-2002.
The month of December opens with the Golden Gophers playing host to Virginia Tech for the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Dec. 2. Minnesota is 1-3 in ACC/Big Ten Challenge games, and the Hokies defeated Minnesota during the event's first year in 2007-08.
Three days later (Dec. 5), Minnesota travels to Waco, Texas, for the inaugural Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge. There, the Gophers will take the court against Baylor and Griner in what should be the team's most challenging non-league contest.
Minnesota then closes its non-conference slate with three games at Williams Arena, playing host to Southern University (Dec. 9), Cal Poly (Dec. 12), and Northern Arizona (Dec. 22).
The Golden Gophers first games will be a pair of exhibitions at Williams Arena, with Southwest Minnesota State providing the opposition on Wednesday, Nov. 3, and UM Crookston taking the court on Sunday, Nov. 7.
Minnesota's Big Ten schedule will be released at a later date.
Season tickets to see the Golden Gophers are on sale now, and can be purchased by calling the University of Minnesota Ticket Office at 612.624.8080 or 1.800.UGOPHER.
--Michael Molde, Athletic Communications Assistant
University of Minnesota Women's Basketball
2010-11 Non-Conference Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
| Nov. 3 | Southwest Minnesota State (Exh.) | Williams Arena | 7:00 p.m. |
| Nov. 7 | UM Crookston (Exh.) | Williams Arena | 2:00 p.m. |
| Nov. 13-14 | Best Buy Classic | ||
| Nov. 13 | Minnesota vs. Northern Illinois | Williams Arena | 1:00 p.m. |
| UW Green Bay vs. George Washington | Williams Arena | 3:30 p.m. | |
| Nov. 14 | Consolation Game | Williams Arena | 1:00 p.m. |
| Championship Game | Williams Arena | 3:30 p.m. | |
| Nov. 17 | Pittsburgh (Super Six Series) | Williams Arena | 7:00 p.m. |
| Nov. 20-21 | Subway Classic | ||
| Nov. 20 | Minnesota vs. UW | Williams Arena | 1:00 p.m. |
| MilwaukeeSouth Dakota vs. Dayton | Williams Arena | 3:30 p.m. | |
| Nov. 21 | Consolation Game | Williams Arena | 1:00 p.m. |
| Championship Game | Williams Arena | 3:30 p.m. | |
| Nov. 26-27 | at Nugget Classic | | |
| Nov. 26 | Nevada vs. North Carolina State | Reno, Nev. | 3:00 p.m. |
| | Minnesota vs. San Diego State | Reno, Nev. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Nov. 27 | Consolation Game | Reno, Nev. | 7:00 p.m. |
| | Championship Game | Reno, Nev. | 9:00 p.m. |
| Dec. 2 | Virginia Tech (ACC/Big Ten Challenge) | Williams Arena | 7:00 p.m. |
| Dec. 5 | at Baylor (Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge) | Waco, Texas | 1:00 p.m. |
| Dec. 9 | Southern | Williams Arena | 7:00 p.m. |
| Dec. 12 | Cal Poly | Williams Arena | 2:00 p.m. |
| Dec. 22 | Northern Arizona | Williams Arena | 7:00 p.m. |
- UM -
