Aug. 18, 2016 LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - 2016-17 UNLV Lady Rebel Schedule
There's no doubt the 2016-17 season will have one of the most exciting non-conference slates in years for the UNLV Lady Rebels. A trip to Hawaii, a potential four games against Power Five schools, and a three-day, eight-team tournament in the brand new Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena are among the highlights of the 30-game schedule, which was announced by the athletic department on Thursday.
For the third time in program history, and for the second straight year as well, UNLV will play all November dates in Las Vegas thanks to a five-game homestand. A year ago, the Lady Rebels played their first six games in Las Vegas, and posted a 5-1 mark during that stretch. Last year's schedule also featured a six-game swing away from home in the month of December. UNLV will come close to matching that again, as it will play its first seven games of December away from its home courts, though three of the games during the pre-Christmas week will be in the nearby T-Mobile Arena in the Play4Kay Shootout.
"Every year we want to play a challenging schedule," said UNLV head coach Kathy Olivier. "Last year we did that, and this year I believe we have an even more demanding schedule when you look at the number of postseason teams from a year ago that we could face. We are a year older, we are more experienced, and we will be up for the test. This team is a very competitive group and they are excited for the level of competition they are facing this upcoming season."
The non-conference portion of the Lady Rebels schedule has the potential to be one of the toughest the program has faced in at least a decade. Their schedule in the month of December is the biggest reason for that, as UNLV could face a minimum of five postseason teams from a year ago, including guaranteed games against two NCAA first round opponents. The Play4Kay Shootout features four teams that played in the NCAA Tournament, including Final Four participant Oregon State, and three more teams that reached the WNIT.
UNLV will not play an exhibition game this season, and instead will have its first action at home on Friday, Nov. 11, against Concordia (Calif.). That game will be in the Thomas & Mack Center, part of a double-header with the men's squad who will face South Alabama that night. It will also be the first Division II school UNLV has faced in the regular season since playing West Texas State (now West Texas A&M) on Jan. 8, 1985, a 63-50 win in Las Vegas, and it marks the fifth straight season-opener for the Lady Rebs in the TMC.
Next will be a pair of games to conclude the back-end of a pair of home-and-home series. First up will be a Nov. 15 contest against Houston, the first game in the Cox Pavilion for the Lady Rebels. UNLV will then move back to the Thomas & Mack Center for another double-header, this time on Nov. 19 against USC, before the Runnin' Rebels face Cal State Fullerton that night. UNLV defeated Houston on the road in 2015-16, following their earlier loss on the road in Los Angeles to the Trojans. The second game of the week will be the third time in the past four years the Lady Rebels have hosted a Pac-12 opponent, while its USC's first road trip to UNLV since 1989.
UNLV closes out the month of November with the annual Lady Rebel Round-Up. This year's event, which will have first round games on Nov. 26 and the consolation and championship games on Nov. 27, features Tennessee State, Ole Miss and Wisconsin. UNLV will open the tournament with its first-ever meeting against Tennessee State, while Power Five members Ole Miss and Wisconsin will face off in the other contest. The Lady Rebels have not met Ole Miss since 1990, when UNLV was upset by the visiting Lady Rebels 66-62 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Las Vegas. If UNLV and Wisconsin were to both win their opening round game and meet in the championship, it would be a rematch of the 2006 Lady Rebel Shootout title game, won by the Badgers 67-51 in the Thomas & Mack Center. All four games of the Round-Up will be played in the Cox Pavilion, as will the rest of the Lady Rebels' home schedule.
For the third time in seven seasons, the Lady Rebels will be making a trip to the Aloha State. However, this will be the program's first-ever trip to the island of Maui, also known as the Valley Isle, as UNLV will be playing in the Maui Wahine Classic, a four-team event hosted by Oregon State. In the pre-set matchups, both against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, the Lady Rebels will open the event on Dec. 2 against Idaho, and then face BYU on the next day (Dec. 3). UNLV is 3-0 all-time against Idaho but have not faced the Vandals since 1989, while the Lady Rebels last faced the Cougars in Provo, Utah on Dec. 4, 2014.
The following weekend will again see the Lady Rebs on the road, with a two-game road swing through California for a pair of return trips. First will be a Dec. 9 contest at Pepperdine, UNLV's first appearance in Malibu since 1993. That's followed by a Dec. 12 game at UC Irvine. for the last road game of the month.
The Lady Rebels close out the non-conference slate by playing in one of the top tournaments of the season, the inaugural Play4Kay Shootout, hosted by BD Global Sports in the new T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip. While matchups have not been set yet, joining UNLV in the eight-team field will be: Oregon State, who reached the Final Four a year ago, second-round NCAA partcipant South Florida, as well as Oklahoma State (NCAA), New Mexico State (NCAA), and from last year's WNIT, Long Beach State, Quinnipiac and Santa Clara. The tournament will run from Dec. 19-21 with four games each day. First-day matchups, times and ticket information will be announced later this month.
"We play in three top notch tournaments this year," said Olivier. "Starting with our home Thanksgiving tournament, with a pair of Power 5 schools. We are very excited to play in Maui, not only for the chance to face a pair of NCAA teams from 2016 on a neutral court, but also for the other opportunities this tournament will give us. Thanks to Oregon State as the hosts, our players along with the other teams will have the chance to get involved with community outreach on the island and participate in a youth clinic in the area.
"The Play4Kay Shootout is right in our own backyard. They want the UNLV Lady Rebels to be the first ever women's team to play in the T-Mobile Arena, so that is exciting for our program. There is no doubt this is one of the top tournaments in the nation this coming season, with seven teams having reached the postseason last year, including Oregon State off their Final Four year."
This year's Mountain West schedule format will again be 18 games, with the Lady Rebels facing eight teams home and home, and two teams just once. This year's teams that UNLV will play just once are Boise State, who the Lady Rebels will face in Idaho on Jan. 4, and Fresno State, in the regular season finale for both teams on March 3 in Las Vegas.
The conference schedule starts for UNLV at home against defending league champion Colorado State on Dec. 29 in the Cox Pavilion, before quickly hitting the road for a New Year Eve's afternoon contest at Wyoming. UNLV's two games in the Governor's Series, the all-sports competition against Nevada, Reno sponsored by NV Energy and Barrick Gold, will be on Feb. 8 in Las Vegas and Feb. 25 in Reno. Other highlights of the league schedule include National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Jan. 28 against San Jose State, and the Play4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness game with San Diego State on Feb. 18.
This year's MW Tournament will be again held in the Thomas & Mack Center. The first round will begin on March 6 with three games, and then four more games will be played on March 7, and the semifinals at night on March 8. The championship game for this season's tournament will be held on Friday, March 10.
The Lady Rebels will return three starters, junior guards Dakota Gonzalez, Brooke Johnson and Nikki Wheatley, from last year's team that finished with an 18-13 record and reached the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament. Eligible to play for UNLV this upcoming season is Katie Powell, a sophomore transfer from Arkansas, while sophomore Alyssa Anderson returns to the court after suffering an ACL injury in the 2015-16 preseason. Also new to the team in 2016-17 will be junior college transfer Tiara Tucker and freshman Rodjanae Wade.
