Sept. 7, 2005
Columbia, S.C. –
2005-06 Schedule
South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Susan Walvius announced the complete 2005-06 schedule today.
The conference portion of the schedule will challenge the Gamecocks from the beginning, as Carolina opens its Southeastern Conference schedule with 2005 Final Four participant Tennessee at the Colonial Center on Jan. 5. Consecutive road contests against a rapidly-improving Kentucky squad and 2005 Final Four participant LSU follow on Jan. 8 and Jan. 12, respectively.
Perennial SEC contender Vanderbilt visits the Colonial Center on Jan. 15 with a date with Alabama in Tuscaloosa following on Jan. 22.The Gamecocks finish out January with a pair of home contests against SEC power Georgia on Jan. 26 and Arkansas on Jan. 29.
“We certainly have a challenge waiting for us during the beginning part of the SEC schedule,” Walvius said. “Having Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU and Vanderbilt all in a row to open conference play will provide us with an opportunity to face some of the best teams in the country. We’ll need to play well right from the start. I expect two of our first three conference games to be played against teams ranked in the top five.”
Of the Gamecocks’ first four games in February, three will be played on the road, as Carolina heads to Starkville to battle Mississippi State on Feb. 5 before coming home for a rematch with Kentucky on Feb. 9. Consecutive trips to Florida for a Feb. 12 date with the Gators and Auburn for a Feb. 16 contest against the Tigers follow.
Ole Miss visits the Colonial Center on Feb. 19, with Mississippi State rounding out Carolina’s home slate on Feb. 23. A Feb. 26 contest at Vanderbilt puts a cap on the Gamecocks’ regular season, with the SEC Tournament set for March 2-5 in North Little Rock, Ark.
The original release detailing the non-conference portion of the schedule is included below.
A road battle with in-state rival Clemson, a home tilt with Big Ten power Minnesota and a Thanksgiving Tournament in the Bahamas that features perennial national contenders Texas and Purdue as well as a George Washington team coming off a 23-9 season and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament highlight the slate.
“We are excited about the 2005-06 season and the non-conference portion of the schedule is one that will be a challenge for us,” Walvius said. “We play some of the best teams in the country early on and they will help prepare us for and hopefully give us some good momentum heading into the SEC schedule.”
Carolina first takes the court with an exhibition game against Everyone’s Internet on Nov. 14 at the Colonial Center. The two teams faced each other last year, with the Everyone’s Internet roster dotted with current WNBA players. High Point visits the Colonial Center on Nov. 18 in the regular-season opener, with Winthrop visiting two nights later.
The Gamecocks head to Grand Bahama Island to take part in the Junkanoo Jam tournament on Nov. 25 and 26, opening against a Texas squad that boasts one of the richest traditions in all of women’s college basketball and a Hall-of-Fame coach in Jody Conradt, whose 847 career wins rank her fourth all-time behind only Pat Summitt, Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp. Following its tussle with the Longhorns, Carolina faces either Purdue or George Washington the next day.
The Gamecocks return to the Colonial Center to battle Georgia Southern on Nov. 29 before breaking for final exams.
After being tested in the classroom, Carolina will be tested on the hardwood as it faces its next five opponents in a span of nine days, beginning with a very good Minnesota squad at the Colonial Center on Dec. 13. The Golden Gophers advanced to the Final Four in 2004 and advanced to the Sweet 16 a year ago en route to winning the most games in school history during the NCAA era. The two teams played before a CBS national television audience in Minneapolis in 2004, with the Golden Gophers claiming a 63-53 win.
Home games against Ohio University and South Carolina State will be played on Dec. 15 and 17, respectively, with Savannah State and Bethune Cookman visiting the Colonial Center on Dec. 19 and 21, respectively.
Following a short break for the holidays, the Gamecocks host Western Carolina on Dec. 29. The Catamounts come off a 2004-05 season in which they won the Southern Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, bowing to eventual Final Four participant Tennessee in Knoxville.
Carolina doesn’t play its first true road game until it heads to the Upstate for its yearly clash with rival Clemson on Jan. 2, and if the last two meetings between the two schools are any indication, the game should be an exciting one. In each of the last two seasons, the Tigers and Gamecocks needed overtime to determine a winner, with Clemson picking up an 87-79 win in Columbia last year and the Tigers claiming a 103-99 victory in Clemson the year prior.
The SEC schedule begins following the Gamecocks’ game at Clemson, and a Feb. 21 date with Longwood at the Colonial Center rounds out the non-conference portion of the schedule.
