Sept. 11, 2009

Click here for complete 2009-2010 schedule in .pdf form

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Six 20-win teams and six post-season squads highlight the 2009-2010 University of Memphis women's basketball schedule that was released by Conference USA Friday. The Tigers will have seven non-conference home match-ups, one pre-season home exhibition game and the normal eight-game C-USA home game slate.

"I'm really excited about our schedule," Head Coach Melissa McFerrin said. "We open at home against back-to-back WNIT teams from last season in Indiana and Murray State, then play our road opener at Missouri. Those are three big games to open our season and to mentally prepare our team to play. We also have regional opponents that our fans will have some knowledge of with UT-Martin, South Alabama, Ole Miss, Louisiana Tech, Jackson State and Saint Louis. We added a West Coast swing for the Thanksgiving break that will show us a different style of play. In all, we will get exposure to teams from four of the six major conferences in the country. It is a challenging schedule but will help us in our quest to become the `Class of Conference USA' when we start the league schedule".

The Tigers will open the 2009-2010 season with a tough two-game homestand against two 20+ win teams who advanced to the WNIT last year. Memphis will open the home schedule on November 13th against Big 10 foe Indiana, a team that went 21-11 last season, advancing to the WNIT quarterfinals. The Tigers will follow that game against a Murray State team that, like the Tigers, will have a large number of newcomers. Murray State has signed eight new players for the upcoming season following a 23-9 record and a WNIT second round appearance. The Tigers and the Racers will square off just two days after the season-opener, on Nov. 15th.

Memphis will then take Head Coach Melissa McFerrin back to her alma mater for the road opener, as the Tigers of Memphis will face off against the Tigers of Missouri on Nov. 18th in Columbia. The appearance at the Big 12 opponent will be Memphis' first game against Missouri since 1994-95 and will be McFerrin's first-ever trip back to her alma mater for a visit from the opposing sidelines.

Memphis will follow McFerrin's homecoming with a non-conference match-up at home against UT Martin on Nov. 22nd. The Skyhawks have a new head coach as former Middle Tennessee assistant coach Kevin McMillian took over the program over the summer, looking to rebuild the Ohio Valley Conference members.

For the first time in 25 seasons, the Tigers will play a Thanksgiving tournament away from home, winging to the West Coast to participate in the University of Washington tournament in Seattle, Nov. 27th and Nov. 29th. The Tigers will face Sacramento State for the first-ever time in school history on Nov. 27th, in a game that tips at noon (Pacific Time). Following an off-day, the Tigers will then faces Eastern Washington at noon on Nov. 29th. Both Sacramento State and Eastern Washington are members of the Big Sky Conference.

The Tigers will remain on the road to open December, playing at a pair of Sun Belt foes. Memphis will venture to Miami to face Florida International, Dec. 4th, then will stick with the coastal opponent theme by playing a non-conference game at South Alabama, a 21-11 squad from last season, on Dec. 9th.

The team will return home for a regional match-up against Ole Miss, an 18-15 team last year who advanced to the WNIT second round, on Dec. 18th, then will host Northwestern State (Louisiana) Dec. 20th. Northwestern State was 18-13 last season, finishing with a 9-7 mark in the Southland Conference. This will be the first-ever game between the Tigers and the Demons.

The team will sneak in one more non-conference game before the semester break, playing at Louisiana Tech, a WNIT team now guided by former WNBA star Teresa Weatherspoon, Dec. 22nd. The Lady Techsters went 9-2 down the stretch after Weatherspoon took over as the interim head coach last year , winning the 2009 WAC regular season title and advancing to the WNIT draw where they defeated C-USA regular season champion SMU in the WNIT opening round before finishing the season with a 21-13 record.

Following the break, Memphis will return for two home games to round out the non-conference slate. The Tigers will host Jackson State, Dec. 28th, then will host a former familiar foe when Saint Louis comes to town for a Jan. 2nd match-up. The Billikens were members of Conference USA until 2006 and were actually the Tigers' travel partner for a majority of their C-USA membership.

The Tigers will open C-USA play with back-to-back home games, starting against Tulsa on Jan. 7th. Memphis then hosts defending regular season champion SMU, Jan. 9th, before a tough road swing at defending tournament champions UCF, Jan. 15th, and WNIT participants Southern Miss, Jan. 17th.

Memphis has an open date, then hosts Rice, Jan. 24th, then wings east to play at Marshall (Jan. 28th) and East Carolina (Jan. 30th) before returning home to host travel partner UAB, Feb. 4th. The Tigers go back on the road for a one-game swing at Houston Feb. 7th, then return home to host Southern Miss (Feb. 12) and UCF (Feb. 14).

Memphis' final two-game road swing will be a trip south to New Orleans to face Tulane, Feb. 18th, then west to play at UTEP Feb. 20th before a final home weekend against Marshall (Feb. 25) and East Carolina (Feb. 27).

The Tigers close the regular season Mar. 4th at UAB, then will travel to Tulsa for the combined men's and women's league championships.

The women's tournament will be played Mar. 8-10th at the Reynolds Center on the Tulsa campus. The first round will be played March 8th, the quarterfinals Mar. 9th, the semifinals, Mar. 10th, then the championship game will be played following an off-day on Mar. 12th.

Season tickets for all home games will remain the same price as last season for Tiger fans, with reserved, chair back seating available for $75 and general admission bleacher seats costing $50. A senior citizen season ticket is just $40 and a Family Pass, good for admission for two adults and three children, is available for $100.

In McFerrin's first season, the Tigers had an over 80 percent increase in attendance and are looking to improve on that number with the seven-game, non-conference home stand in addition to the C-USA regular season slate. Season tickets are good for admission to home games in both the Elma Roane Fieldhouse and FedExForum. Home game location dates will be released shortly.