Aug. 20, 2007
LAS VEGAS - 2007-08 Lady Rebel Schedule
The UNLV women's basketball team will face up to a possible 10 teams that played in the postseason last year, highlighted by two games against 2007 WNIT Postseason Champion Wyoming and a matchup with top-25 program George Washington, as the athletics department announced the 2007-08 Lady Rebels' schedule on Monday.
The Lady Rebels will play a total of 16 games at home during its 29-game regular season schedule, including five straight to open the season, beginning with the season opener against Long Beach State in a doubleheader with the UNLV men's team on Nov. 9 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
"We've put together a very solid schedule for this year, one that's as competitive as any we've had since I've been here," said UNLV head coach Regina Miller. "We will be competing against several schools from the power conferences, with the chance to play teams from the Big XII, the Pac-10, as well as two teams that were ranked all last season in George Washington and Montana. This schedule can only enhance our early exposure for a "potential" postseason opportunity, and will also prepare us for conference play. The MWC will again be very competitive as it annually ranks among the top six leagues in the nation."
Following the LBSU contest, UNLV will take on Loyola Marymount Nov. 11 and then perennial power Texas Tech of the Big XII Conference on Nov. 17, which will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 1991 season. UNLV caps off the homestand by hosting the Lady Rebel Shootout on Nov. 23-24. This year's Shootout features Montana, who finished last year ranked No. 25 with a 26-3 record and returns all five starters for the 2007-08 season, Richmond, and Oregon State.
The Lady Rebels will then hit the road for the next two weeks, beginning with a trip to New Orleans for the Lady Privateer Invitational on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Making its first trip to the state of Louisiana and the Southeast since the 1997-98 season, UNLV will meet George Washington, who finished last year ranked in the top 15 in both polls and advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to Final Four participant North Carolina, in the first game of the tournament before taking on host New Orleans on Dec. 1.
The following weekend, UNLV will play a pair of games in California, beginning with UC Riverside, defending Big West champions, on Dec. 7 and UC Irvine on Dec. 9. The Lady Rebels will then return home to host the inaugural Lady Rebel Christmas Classic from Dec, 20-21. This event will feature Ball State, West Divisional Champions in the MAC last year, as well as Austin Peay and Liberty.
Following the Christmas break, UNLV meets in-state rival Nevada, Reno, in Reno on Dec. 28, and will close out its non-conference schedule against Long Island on Dec. 30. Both games are against opponents that played in last year's Postseason WNIT.
The Lady Rebels will then begin Mountain West Conference play with two straight home contests, beginning with Colorado State on Jan. 9 and Air Force on Jan. 12. The first league road contest comes the following game, when UNLV makes the trip up to Provo, Utah, to meet BYU on Jan. 16.
UNLV will have a total of four regular-season games broadcast on TV this season, two national broadcasts and two games on regional TV. The Lady Rebels will appear on CSTV twice, with both games being played in Las Vegas. The first against TCU on Jan. 29 at 7 pm, and then for the second straight year, UNLV's Senior Night matchup with New Mexico will be shown as well, on March 4 in an 8 pm contest. UNLV has recorded upset victories over the Lobos on its Senior Day the past two seasons.
The Mtn. will show UNLV twice, airing both matchups between the Lady Rebels and San Diego State, Jan. 26 at 7 pm in Las Vegas, and Feb. 27 at 8 pm in San Diego.
For the second straight year and sixth time in the nine-year history of the conference, the MWC Tournament will be held in Las Vegas at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center. This season's tournament will be run from March 11-15.
UNLV returns four starters from last year's team that finished with a 14-15 record and recorded three wins over teams that played in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
