Women's Basketball Release 2005-06 Schedule
8/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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>> 2005-06 Schedule
The Alabama women’s basketball team, under the direction of first-year head coach Stephany Smith, has released its 2005-06 schedule. The slate includes a number of challenging contests, including dates with several of the nation’s top-ranked teams.
Two exhibition games will be played before the official opening of the season. The dates and locations of these exhibitions have not been determined due to the ongoing renovations at Coleman Coliseum. Henderson State and West Alabama have been locked in as the Crimson Tide opponents in the two contests.
Smith will make her official debut at the Capstone on Nov. 18, when the Tide will face Washington in Tuscaloosa. The Huskies will be looking for revenge after dropping a 76-56 decision to UA in Seattle last season.
Santa Clara will make a trip to Coleman Coliseum on Nov. 21 before the Tide departs for a Thanksgiving tournament the following weekend. Alabama will fly to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to participate in the Paradise Jam Tournament. Minnesota will be Alabama’s first-round opponent and the Tide will face either Nevada or Virginia in the final game overseas.
Several regional rivalries make up the majority of the non-conference slate, including match-ups with Alabama A&M, UAB, Georgia Southern and East Carolina. Alabama will also compete in the South Alabama Classic in Mobile on Dec. 29 and 30, where the Tide will face South Alabama and Southern University.
In addition to those games, the Tide will embark on a journey north before the holiday break. Alabama will travel to Brookings, S.D., to face South Dakota State on Dec. 18. After that game, the Crimson Tide will journey to Fargo, N.D., to face the Bison of North Dakota State on Dec. 21.
The SEC schedule begins on Jan. 5 when Alabama travels to Gainesville to face head coach Carolyn Peck and her Gators in the league opener. The Tide will face three SEC opponents (Auburn, Tennessee and LSU) twice this season. Both Tennessee and LSU were in last year’s Final Four and were ranked in the nation’s top five for most of the 2004-05 campaign.
The Tide will welcome Arkansas, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Mississippi to Tuscaloosa during regular season conference play. Alabama will travel to Georgia, Mississippi State and Kentucky to round out the league slate.
The SEC tournament will be played at Little Rock, Ark., on Mar. 2-5 in the ALLTELL Arena. Selections for the 2006 NCAA Tournament will be held on Tuesday, March 14.
