2025–26 women's hoops schedule

[SFspidur]

First confirmed matchup I've seen, but I haven't been looking that hard...we're playing at Liberty on 12/13. I assume it's the start of a H&H. We didn't play them last year, but we did a H&H with them the previous two seasons...69–48 season-opening win for the Spiders in 2022 and a 99–73 win in the RC in 2023.

The Lady Flames were 26–7 last season (including two D-III wins) and finished with a NET of 76. They were 16–2 in CUSA play to win the regular-season crown and then also won the CUSA tournament for a trip to the NCAA tournament. They were a 13-seed, but only lost to 4-seed Kentucky 79–78.

Liberty WBB to Host Duke, ECU and Richmond in 2025-26 - Liberty University

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Reigning CUSA champion Liberty's 2025-26 non-conference women's basketball schedule features a high-powered home slate, with Duke, East Caro...

libertyflames.com

 

[spiderstudent17]

I think we can add @Texas and vs. Fairfield on the schedule too this year TBD since they seemed to be H&H games. I remember Roussell confirming last year that we are doing a return trip to Texas.

 

[spiderstudent17]

Why is it that power WBB schools are more likely to visit arenas of mid major opponents but not for MBB? Could the skewed NET where it’s much harder to get a Q1 or Q2 game and easier to get Q4 games play a part of it?

 

[SFspidur]

Attendance is generally significantly lower and tickets are cheaper, so the income from a home game is significantly less. So that probably tips the balance a bit toward being more open to road games given the NET benefits.

The lower attendance and the reduced parity in the women’s game probably also means there’s less risk of losing when top teams go on the road against decent but not great competition (related to the shifted NET squads).

 

[SFspidur]

I similarly recall Roussell saying we'd be at Texas this year. Agree Fairfield is probably a H&H deal. Several others could very well be too...Temple, Georgetown, Columbia (was considered neutral at Henrico). W&M probably too...we didn't play them in 2023–24 but otherwise we've gone back-and-forth H&H with them in recent years.

We completed H&Hs with App State and Gardner-Webb last season, so those are done unless the deals were for more than two games. Morgan State was undoubtedly a buy game.

 

[spiderstudent17]

I am also optimistic that we will be in a very good MTE. Our schedule will be solid.

On a side note. Interestingly too for Field Hockey, we are playing a lot of good teams. Defending national champion and likely #1 team in the country, Northwestern, is coming to Crenshaw field and we are playing at UNC who will probably be #1 or 2 in the country. Nice that P5 teams go play mid majors at their home field in basically every other sport except Football and MBB.

 

[SFspidur]

Yeah, saw that field hockey schedule...playing 3 of this year's 4 NCAA semifinalists (St. Joe's was the third). That's hardcore. We did lose UMass as a quality conference game.

Press release claims 6 top 20 opponents, but I only see 4 if you go by poll or 3 by RPI.

RPI/Poll rankings (final poll is pre-NCAA):

#1/2 Northwestern
#2/1 UNC
#3/3 St. Joe's
#23/18 Liberty
#27/NR Old Dominion
#28/NR Temple
#33/NR VCU
#36/NR James Madison
#41/NR American
#54/NR La Salle
#57/NR Davidson
#58/NR William & Mary
#67/NR Lock Haven
#69/NR Longwood
#70/NR Georgetown
#75/NR Ball State
#79/NR Queens
#81/NR Saint Louis

There's only 82 teams, so quite a few bottom-dwellers as well.

Spiders finished #34 in the RPI last year.