By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With a thrilling win over Little Rock in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship and its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2000 and victory since 1990, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team is looking to soar to new heights in 2023-24.
It'll be a challenging schedule to say the least, but the Tech program has never strayed away from a challenge.
The Tech women finished 23-10 last season with a 13-5 mark in the OVC, and the Golden Eagles bring back a lot of the 2022-23 squad, as well as some new faces as they take on the challenge of repeating the success of last year.
In the non-conference portion of the slate, Tech will host Christian Brothers in the annual Purple Palooza exhibition doubleheader on October 26, then open the schedule with a trip up to Muncie, Ind., to take on Ball State on Nov. 6.
The Cardinals have reached the NCAA Tournament seven times in their program history, the last time in 2000. However, BSU is still a strong program, going 26-9 last season – including 14-4 in the Mid-American Conference. After falling to Bowling Green in the MAC semifinals, the Cardinals beat Belmont 101-86 in the WNIT, before their season came to a close at Memphis.
Tech hosts Chattanooga in the Golden Eagles' home opener on Nov. 15. Like Tech this past season, the Mocs swept through the Southern Conference tournament to win the crown and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Chattanooga fell in the opening round to Virginia Tech.
On Nov. 18, the Golden Eagles head down to Huntsville to take on Alabama A&M. The Bulldogs went 14-15 last season facing strong competition – and it paid off as the team went 12-6 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. AAMU fell to Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the SWAC tournament.
Tech will then spend its Thanksgiving holiday down in Daytona, Fla., as the Golden Eagles will play in the Daytona Beach Classic on Nov. 24 and 25. Tech will face Missouri on Nov. 24 and Stetson on Nov. 25.
Missouri went 18-14 last season with a 6-10 finish in the Southeastern Conference. After a first-round SEC tournament exit, the Tigers beat Illinois State, then fell at Kansas in the WNIT. Stetson went 13-20 last season with a 6-12 record in the Atlantic Sun, before the Hatters fell to Florida Gulf Coast in the A-Sun quarters.
The Golden Eagles will return home on Nov. 29 as Lincoln Memorial comes to the Eblen Center. The Lady Railsplitters went 16-12 last season, 9-9 in the Division II South Atlantic Conference, falling to Wingate in the SAC quarterfinals.
Tech heads up to Lexington to play Kentucky on Dec. 3 in a game that will not be at UK's Memorial Coliseum as the venue is under renovation. Instead, the game will be held at the Clive M. Beck Center on the campus of nearby Transylvania University – the former home court of Tech transfer point guard Maddie Kellione.
Kentucky went 12-19 last season, going 2-14 in the SEC.
The Golden Eagles face traditional rival Middle Tennessee on Dec. 10 in Cookeville. The Blue Raiders went 28-5 last season and 18-2 in Conference USA, defeating Western Kentucky in the CUSA title game. Middle Tennessee fell to No. 21 Colorado in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
On Dec. 24, Tech will host Tennessee Wesleyan for its annual Education Day contest. The Bulldogs finished 19-9 last season and 16-8 in the NAIA's Appalachian Athletic Conference.
Northern Kentucky makes the return trip to Cookeville on Dec. 18. The Norse finished 17-14 overall and 10-10 in the Horizon League.
Tech will close out the non-conference portion of the schedule on Dec. 21 as the Golden Eagles travel down to Florence, Ala., to take on North Alabama. The Lions went 15-15 last season, with a 10-8 mark in the A-Sun.
Following the Christmas break, Tech opens Ohio Valley Conference play at home as the Golden Eagles take on conference regular-season champion Little Rock on Dec. 28, followed by a visit from UT Martin on Dec. 30.
The new year opens on the road as Tech heads to Morehead State on Jan. 4 and Southern Indiana on Jan. 6. The Golden Eagles host Southeast Missouri on Jan. 13, then head to Nashville to take on Tennessee State on Jan. 18.
The road trip continues as Tech goes to Illinois to take on Eastern Illinois on Jan. 25 and SIUE on Jan. 27, before coming home to take on Southern Indiana and Morehead State at the Hoop. Following a swing to Missouri to take on Southeast Missouri on Feb. 8 and Lindenwood on Feb. 10, Tech will host four straight home games with TSU (Feb. 13), OVC newcomer Western Illinois (Feb. 15), SIUE (Feb. 22) and Eastern Illinois (Feb. 24) closing out the home slate.
The regular season will close out on the road as the Golden Eagles head to UT Martin on Feb. 29 and Little Rock on March 2.
The OVC Basketball Championships will be held once again at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
Start times for doubleheader matchups at the Eblen Center will be 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays and 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Start times are available here.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball will be on sale soon – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
