Florida Women's Basketball Sets Challenging Schedule for 2010-11
Thursday, August 26, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Florida women's basketball head coach Amanda Butler announced on Thursday the team's 2010-11 schedule, which features 12 teams that competed in the postseason last year, including eight that played in the NCAA Tournament.
Florida will play at least 14 home games in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, where the Gators have compiled an impressive 38-13 record in three years under Butler's guidance.
For the 2010-11 season, the Gators continue their 16-game Southeastern Conference schedule, playing Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Alabama in home-and-home series.
In preparation for the challenges that await in the nation's toughest league, the Gators tip-off their 2010-11 season in the exclusive Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), playing host to UCF on Nov. 6. The Preseason WNIT field includes 14 teams that played in the 2009-10 postseason and seven that won their respective conference tournaments.
The 2010 Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Nov. 12-13 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 14-15; semifinals will be Nov. 17-18; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 21. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 19-20. All games are hosted by participating schools, and sites are announced by the end of the preceding round.
“We've assembled a great non-conference schedule that will get us ready for the rigors of the SEC,” said Butler, who is the first coach to lead the Gators to the postseason in each of her first three years. “We are really proud and excited to be opening our season in the WNIT. It's a great honor to be invited and the 2010 field is an impressive one. It's a great way to get ready for the rest of our November schedule and what's ahead in the month of December.”
Once the WNIT wraps up, the Gators will host North Florida on Nov. 23 before hitting the road for the University of Maine Tournament, Nov. 26-27. On Nov. 30, Florida returns to the O'Connell Center to face Old Dominion.
Florida accepted an invitation to play at the Brown BEAR Basketball Classic, Dec. 4 and 5, in Providence, R.I., before returning home to play Harvard. The Gators then travel to Hampton on Dec. 10 before heading back to Gainesville to prepare for final exams.
Over holiday break, Florida welcomes Alabama State, Robert Morris and Texas A&M-CC to the O'Connell Center for the Gator Holiday Classic on Dec. 20 and 21. The squad then wraps up its non-conference schedule in Tallahassee, Fla., in a contest against rival Florida State.
In all, Florida will suit-up against teams from at least 13 different conferences, not including the entire WNIT field or the SEC.
“We're testing a team in a lot of different ways by suiting up against opponents that play in a number of different conferences and play different styles of basketball,” Butler said. “We're going to do everything we can to get ready to compete for an SEC championship.”
Florida begins its SEC slate hosting Arkansas on Jan. 2 for the first of four home games in January, with the others on Jan. 13 against Tennessee, Jan. 20 against Kentucky and Jan. 27 versus Alabama. The Gators travel to Auburn on Jan. 6, South Carolina on Jan. 9, Georgia on Jan. 16, LSU on Jan. 23 and Mississippi State on Jan. 30.
In February, Florida returns home to the friendly confines of the O'Connell Center with two consecutive home games, playing host to Ole Miss on Feb. 3 and Vanderbilt on Feb. 6. UF then travels to Tennessee on Feb. 10 and Alabama on Feb. 13, returns home to play Mississippi State on Feb. 20 and turns around to face Vanderbilt in Nashville on Feb. 24. The Gators close out the regular season with a home contest against Georgia on Feb. 27.
The 12-team SEC Tournament will be held in The Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn., March 3-6.
Start times for all of UF's games are pending the television schedule, which will be announced at a later date. Fans should check www.GatorZone.com for the most up-to-date information.
The Gators have earned three consecutive postseason berths, last year competing in the WNIT and advancing to the second round.
The 2010-11 squad is a young one featuring just one senior while welcoming six newcomers to the court. Juniors Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) and Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England) will be looked upon for their experience. Jones is Florida's leading returning scorer, having averaged 9.1 points during her inaugural season with the Gators, while Stewart tallied 8.7 points and led the SEC in field goal percentage. Sophomore Jennifer George (Orlando, Fla.) is Florida's leading returning rebounder, collecting 5.2 per game during her rookie campaign when she was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team by the league's coaches.
“Physically, we're in great shape,” Butler shared. “The players worked exceptionally hard during the off-season. The only player who hasn't been on campus is Azania, but she's been working in a different way to get ready for the season, playing all summer in Europe for Great Britain. I've been really pleased with the newcomers and how they've adapted; I've been really pleased with our returners and how they've shown the newcomers the way.”
| UF Women's Basketball 2010-11 Schedule | |
| Nov. 13 | UCF (WNIT First Round) |
| Nov. 14-15 | WNIT Second Round |
| Nov. 17-18 | WNIT Semifinals |
| Nov. 19-20 | WNIT Consolation of 2-Loss Teams |
| Nov. 21 | WNIT Championship |
| Nov. 23 | NORTH FLORIDA (DH) |
| Nov. 26-27 | at Univ. of Maine Tournament (Maine, Navy, South Alabama) |
| Nov. 30 | OLD DOMINION |
| Dec. 4-5 | at Brown BEAR Basketball Classic (Brown, Holy Cross, Providence) |
| Dec. 7 | HARVARD |
| Dec. 10 | at Hampton |
| Dec. 20-21 | GATOR HOLIDAY CLASSIC (Alabama State, Robert Morris, Texas A&M-CC) |
| Dec. 28 | at Florida State |
| Jan. 2 | ARKANSAS* |
| Jan. 6 | at Auburn* |
| Jan. 9 | at South Carolina* |
| Jan. 13 | TENNESSEE* |
| Jan. 16 | at Georgia* |
| Jan. 20 | KENTUCKY* |
| Jan. 23 | at LSU* |
| Jan. 27 | ALABAMA* |
| Jan. 30 | at Mississippi State* |
| Feb. 3 | OLE MISS* |
| Feb. 6 | VANDERBILT* |
| Feb. 10 | at Tennessee* |
| Feb. 13 | at Alabama* |
| Feb. 20 | MISSISSIPPI STATE* |
| Feb. 24 | at Vanderbilt* |
| Feb. 27 | GEORGIA* |
| March 3-6 | at SEC Tournament (in Nashville) |
| March 19-20 | NCAA First Round |
| March 21-22 | NCAA Second Round |
| March 26-27 | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| March 28-29 | NCAA Regional Finals |
| April 3 | NCAA National Semifinal |
| April 5 | NCAA National Championship |
| *Southeastern Conference game | |
