NORFOLK, Va. – Five non-conference home games and a pair of road contests against Big Ten opponents are among the highlights in the 2021-22 Norfolk State women's basketball schedule, which was released on Monday.
"With such a young team, we knew it was important to challenge ourselves early against teams with a history of postseason success and teams with goals and styles like ours," NSU head coach
Larry Vickers said. "I'm excited about the Big Ten Challenges as well as continuing the local and in-state rivalries with Old Dominion, William & Mary, Hampton and George Mason. This is by far the toughest non-conference schedule we have faced in my tenure but a great mental test as well as a physical one."
Vickers and his squad will make their season debut on Tuesday, Nov. 9 with a home matchup against Chowan. The 6 p.m. game at Echols Hall is the first end of a doubleheader with the Spartan men's team, which faces Bridgewater later that night.
NSU takes to the road for its next three contests, beginning with a road contest at Campbell on Nov. 11. Following the quick trip to North Carolina, the Spartans head to the Midwest for their first-ever games against Big Ten opposition. The two-city trip begins with a date at Ohio State on Nov. 14 and is followed by a contest at Indiana University on Nov. 16. The Hoosiers advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament last season.
The Spartans are then back in Hampton Roads for three straight games: home against the College of Charleston on Nov. 19 and Air Force on Nov. 27 and at Hampton on Dec. 4. The contest against the Pirates begins a stretch where the Spartans face four in-state opponents in a five-game span. NSU has road dates at George Mason on Dec. 6 and crosstown foe Old Dominion on Dec. 12. UNC Wilmington comes to Echols Hall for the final home game of the calendar year on Dec. 16 before NSU finishes its pre-holiday slate at William & Mary on Dec. 19.
Following the holiday break, the Spartans will participate in the St. Joseph's Hawk Classic on Dec. 28-29 in Philadelphia. The tournament includes North Alabama, Harvard and host St. Joseph's.
NSU brings in the New Year with one final non-conference game when it hosts Claflin University on Monday, Jan. 3. MEAC play begins at Maryland Eastern Shore on Jan. 8. This year, with eight teams in the conference, league play consists of 14 games, with each team playing the other seven two times apiece, once on the road and once at home.
The Spartans play seven of their first 11 MEAC contests on the road, but finish the year with three straight home games: against South Carolina State (Feb. 26), North Carolina Central (Feb. 28) and Howard (March 3).
The 2022 MEAC Tournament runs March 9-12 at the Norfolk Scope Arena.
Season tickets are on sale now at NSUSpartansTickets.com.
