By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball program will face eight teams which competed in the postseason last year season in its loaded 12-game non-conference schedule, which was announced today by head coach Kevin McMillan.
Having never shied away from an early season test during the non-conference slate, the Skyhawks will be put to the test early and often this season in a schedule which boasts two NCAA Tournament competitors and six programs which competed in the Postseason WNIT a year ago.
The seven-time Ohio Valley Conference regular season champions will face off against two programs which won contests in the NCAA Tournament with the Summit League’s season and tournament champion South Dakota advancing to the Sweet 16 while perennial Missouri Valley Conference contender Missouri State won its First Four matchup. Additionally, South Dakota State rattled off win after win on its way to the 2022 Postseason WNIT championship. That trio each finished in the top-10 of the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25 poll with South Dakota ranking No. 1 while South Dakota State came in at No. 4 and Missouri State at No. 10.
The slate also features contests against five other participants from the Postseason WNIT field where Southeastern Conference member Vanderbilt advanced to the Sweet 16 of the field while Missouri, Murray State, Norfolk State and Troy each made the tournament field.
Overall, UT Martin will matchup against teams from six different conferences, including three from both the Missouri Valley Conference and Sun Belt while also playing a pair from the SEC and Summit League. The Skyhawks will round out their schedule with meetings against teams from the Horizon and MEAC in a neutral site tournament before opening its 18-game OVC schedule on Dec. 29.
“I feel like from top-to-bottom, this might be the most challenging non-conference schedule we have put together in a long line of tough schedules over the years,” McMillan said. “We will have to be prepared to play against some of the nation’s best at both the Power 5 and mid major level. When you consider that the schedule features eight teams which earned postseason berths – including four programs which won games – our schedule is one of the most difficult that we have put together. We won’t shy away from it because we hope that it prepares us for the grind of the league schedule and a tournament run.”
The 2022-23 season officially begins on Nov. 10 when UT Martin hosts Sun Belt foe Troy at the Elam Center which is coming off a 24-9 season and a regular season championship. A few days later, the Skyhawks will play host to another Sun Belt program when playing regional opponent Arkansas State on Nov. 14.
The Skyhawks will hit the road for their lone true road test of the month when traveling to take on SEC member Missouri on Nov. 17. The Tigers posted an 18-13 record last season and made their second straight trip to the Postseason WNIT.
UT Martin continues its road trip when playing three games in the inaugural Hostilo Community Classic in Savannah, Ga. the week of Thanksgiving. The Skyhawks will battle Marshall on Nov. 21 before playing defending MEAC champion and WNIT participant Norfolk State on Nov. 22 in the first matchup in program history. The team will wrap up their tournament stay with a head-to-head contest against Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 23.
An old OVC conference foe visits the Elam Center when the Skyhawks return home to host new Missouri Valley Conference member Murray State on Nov. 30. The Racers won 22 games last season and earned its first postseason berth since 2009. The team then heads back on the road for its final five non-conference contests beginning with a matchup at SEC foe Vanderbilt on Dec. 4. The Commodores advanced to the Sweet 16 of the WNIT in their first postseason appearance since 2014.
Following an eight-day layoff to focus on finals, the Skyhawks will head west for a pair of first-time matchups against mid-major powers South Dakota State (Dec. 12) and South Dakota (Dec. 14). The two programs were co-champions in the Summit League and received votes in the national Top 25 poll before deep postseason runs. The first stop will see the Skyhawks take on South Dakota State (Dec. 12) which won the Postseason WNIT crown last season and finished a championship campaign with 29 wins. Meanwhile, South Dakota advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with wins over Ole Miss and Baylor before finishing the season ranked 24th in the nation with a 29-6 mark.
UT Martin wraps up their non-conference schedule against a pair of MVC opponents, facing Missouri State who received votes in the national Top 25 polls last season while punching a ticket to its seventh consecutive postseason tournament on Dec. 17. The team’s final pre-league matchup will feature a trip to Evansville on Dec. 22 to complete the non-conference slate.
The OVC released its basketball schedules on July 14. UT Martin will play an 18-game double round-robin slate featuring home-and-home series against Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, Little Rock, Morehead State, SIUE, Southeast Missouri, Southern Indiana, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech. The league’s schedule runs through Feb. 25 before the OVC Championship will take place at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. on March 1-4.
To view the complete 2022-23 Skyhawk men’s basketball schedule, click on the link above.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information