U-M Announces 1999-2000 Women's Basketball Schedule
8/18/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 1999-2000 University of Michigan women's basketball schedule has been finalized and features nine NCAA Tournament teams and two NCAA Women's Final Four teams from 1998-99. The Wolverines face what head coach Sue Guevara calls their hardest schedule since she and her staff came to Michigan in 1996-97.
After hosting exhibition games on Nov. 5 and 12 at Crisler Arena, the Wolverines travel westward for the season opener at Colorado State University on Nov. 19 and a rematch with the University of Colorado on Nov. 21. The 12-game home schedule begins for Michigan with the University of Cincinnati on Nov. 24.
Three Michigan women's basketball games are already scheduled for television, with the Dec. 11 Big Ten-SEC Challenge to air on ESPN2. Louisiana State University will host Michigan for a 2 p.m. tipoff, while Penn State University hosts Auburn University at noon in the other matchup. The Wolverines will also host defending national champion Purdue University Jan. 9 on CBS (2 p.m.) and the University of Illinois on Jan. 17 in a 7 p.m. Fox Sports matchup.
The non-conference schedule includes three Sweet Sixteen teams and one Final Four team from last year. On Dec. 13, Michigan makes the return trip to Louisiana Tech, which finished 1998-99 ranked third nationally after making its 13th NCAA Final Four appearance in 25 years. The Lady Techsters finished the year at 30-3, including an 84-66 win over Michigan. Joining La. Tech in the Sweet Sixteen were Colorado State and LSU, both of whom face Michigan in the early-going of the upcoming season. Colorado State was also the 1998 Preseason WNIT champion, while LSU finished with a No. 16 ranking at 22-8 and was the Southeastern Conference runner-up.
Other 1999 NCAA Tournament teams scheduled to face the Wolverines in the non-conference season include: Cincinnati, the 1999 Conference USA Tournament runner-up which lost in the NCAA Tournament's first round; and Holy Cross College (Nov. 27), another first-round casualty, which features former Wolverine forward Catherine DiGiacinto as an assistant coach.
The schedule only gets harder when Michigan begins conference play in one of the country's most competitive leagues. The Wolverines' Big Ten Conference season opens with Michigan State University on Dec. 30 in Crisler Arena. The last time the state rivals met was in the second round of the 1999 WNIT when the Spartans sank a last-second bucket to advance to the quarterfinals.
Among the other league opponents are the University of Wisconsin, the 1999 WNIT runner-up, and Penn State, which finished last season ranked 18th nationally after falling to Louisiana Tech in the NCAA Tournament's second round. Ohio State University and Illinois were also NCAA Tournament teams, bowing out in the first and second rounds, respectively.
For the first time, the Big Ten Tournament will be held in Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse on March 2-5. The RCA Dome had been host to the event from 1997-99, and before that Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse hosted it in 1995 and 1996.
Practice starts for Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 16. Throughout the fall semester, the women's team will practice from 12:30-3:30 p.m. at Crisler Arena. During the winter term, practice will move to 3:30-6 p.m.
The Wolverines return nine letterwinners from last year's squad that went 18-12 and made it to the second round of the women's NIT. All five starters are back as well: All-Big Ten Second-Team senior Stacey Thomas (Flint, Mich./Southwestern Academy), junior point guard Anne Thorius (Horsholm, Denmark), sophomore guard Alayne Ingram (Lansing, Mich./Waverly HS), sophomore forward Ruth Kipping (Quincy, Ill./Quincy HS), and senior center Alison Miller (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS).
Contact: Barb Cossman (734) 763-4423
