The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball head coach Katie Burrows announced the Mocs’ non-conference slate to complete the 2018-19 schedule and it will be a tough test for first-year head coach.
“This season is going to be a challenge,” Burrows said.
“All but two of our non-conference opponents competed in the postseason last year. It’s going to be a grind.”
The top two highlights of the Mocs’ out-of-conference adversaries are Louisville and NC State, as previously announced. Louisville advanced to its third NCAA Final Four, all since 2009, and NC State got as far as the Sweet 16. Both teams fell to back-to-back National Runner-Up Mississippi State in the postseason tournament.
The Mocs will open the season with back-to-back home contests. UTC will host Lee University in the season-opener followed by the Cardinals who will make their fourth trip to the Scenic City. Chattanooga holds a 5-3 advantage against Louisville but has dropped each of the last three meetings including an NCAA first round matchup in 2017.
Lee advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division 2 Tournament for the second straight year. This will be the first regular season game for UTC against the Flames.
The Mocs will play host to Liberty, UT Martin, South Dakota State, Belmont and NC State. On the road, Chattanooga will make return trips to Hampton, Virginia Tech and Central Florida and travel to Northern Colorado for the first time.
Virginia Tech battled through the WNIT bracket and fell in the final to Indiana. UCF defeated Alabama in the first round of the WNIT and UT Martin fell to the Hoosiers in the opening game.
Chattanooga will participate in two tournaments on the road. The first will be the Cavalier Classic in Charlottesville, Va., against Saint Louis and Central Michigan. At the Fordham Holiday Classic in the Bronx, N.Y., UTC will face Middle Tennessee in the first round and either Fordham or Maine on the second day of the tournament.
South Dakota State defeated in-state conference rival South Dakota for the Summit League title and earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament facing off against Villanova in the first round. Northern Colorado, a No. 10 seed, fell to Michigan in the opening round. It will be the first time UTC has faced either team.
“We’re branching out a bit and playing a couple of teams from out west,” Burrows said. “We don’t get to do that often but I hope it will give us a good look at some different styles of play from what we are used to.”
Another first time foe, Liberty, made the move from the Big South to the Atlantic Sun over the summer. The Flames won the conference tournament and fell to Tennessee in the NCAA opening game. It will be Liberty’s first time back in Chattanooga since the 2005 NCAA Sweet 16.
Perhaps the largest draw for the Mocs this season will be the return of Chattanooga’s winningest head coach Wes Moore. He will bring the Wolf Pack to the Roundhouse just before the holiday break. The only time the teams two met was in the 1977-78 season at Maclellan Gym. NC State coming away with the victory.
Reserve your seat now for a new era of UTC women's basketball under the direction of former player Katie Burrows. She becomes just the sixth head coach in Chattanooga women's basketball history and the second former player to lead the program.
“We’re looking forward to giving our fans a great season,” Burrows said. “We have incredible crowds at our games and that gives us an advantage on our home court.”
Padded reserved seats are $125 per person for the season and general admission seats are $100 each. With 14 home games last season, the Mocs led the Southern Conference in attendance averaging over 3,000 fans per game. That ranked No. 39 in the NCAA.
UTC faculty/staff season tickets are offered at a reduced rate, including $100 for reserved and $85 for general admission. Faculty/staff members should stop by the UTC Ticket Office in McKenzie Arena for more information or to purchase.
Chattanooga has won 21 Southern Conference regular season titles and 18 SoCon Tournament crowns. Burrows led the Mocs to four straight titles as a player from 2001-04 and five more from 2013-2017 as an assistant with Wes Moore and Jim Foster.
The Mocs return All-Southern Conference performer Lakelyn Bouldin, All-Freshman Team member Bria Dial and All-SoCon Tournament selection Brooke Burns to the lineup. Also returning to the lineup are seniors Shelbie Davenport and Molly Melton, juniors Arianne Whitaker and Nakeia Burks and sophomores Mya Long and Rochelle Lee.
The Mocs added freshmen Abbey Cornelius (Hardin Valley Academy), Eboni Williams (Hoover High School), Morgan Hill (Minneapolis South High School) and Pareunuora Pene (Rotorua High School, New Zealand) to the roster.
Tickets can be purchased online at GoMocs.com, in person at the McKenzie Arena box office or by calling 423-266-6627 (MOCS). The box office is openMonday through Friday 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
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Nov. 6
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Lee University
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Nov. 9
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Louisville
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Nov. 16
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at Hampton
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Nov. 19
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at Virginia Tech
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Nov. 21
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Liberty
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Cavalier Classic – Charlottesville, Va.
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Nov. 24
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vs. St. Louis
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Nov. 25
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vs. Central Michigan
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Nov. 28
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UT Martin
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Nov. 30
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at Central Florida
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Dec. 4
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South Dakota State
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Dec. 13
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at Northern Colorado
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Dec. 17
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Belmont
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Dec. 21
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NC State
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Fordham Holiday Classic – Bronx, N.Y.
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Dec. 29
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vs. Middle Tennessee
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Dec. 30
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at Fordham/vs. Maine
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