TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball team's 2022-23 non-conference schedule has been finalized, head coach Tricia Cullop announced Monday.
The most ambitious non-conference slate in Cullop's tenure includes home contests against NCAA Tournament regulars Duke, Dayton and Missouri State, and road games against Cincinnati and Michigan. The Rockets will also play two neutral site games at the Daytona Beach Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla. during Thanksgiving weekend.
"[Associate Head Coach] Jessie Ivey did a great job of assembling our schedule," Cullop said. "Scheduling is one of the toughest jobs on our staff since we have been ranked Top 30 in the country in attendance nine of the last 10 years and won 29 games last season. You can only imagine the number of 'no's' she received before this schedule was finalized. We wanted to do everything in our power to provide another avenue for our team to earn a berth the NCAA Tournament. Bolstering our non-conference slate was priority number one. Our team will be tested with the matchups we have ahead of us, but we are very excited for each opportunity. To be the best, you have to play the best. We return a veteran roster that deserves a strong schedule and we are thrilled to bring great games to Savage Arena for our incredible Rocket fans."
Toledo, which finished the 2021-22 season ranked No. 63 in the final NET Rankings on April 3, will face four other teams that ended the year in the Top 65: Michigan (17), Dayton (43), Missouri State (44), and Duke (52). Michigan, Dayton, and Missouri State all won games in last season's NCAA Tournament, and Michigan advanced to the Elite Eight.
The Rockets will open the season at home against Wright State on Monday, Nov. 7, followed by a home game vs. Canisius on Friday, Nov. 11. The season opener against Wright State will also be Toledo's annual Education Day game and will tip off at 11:00 a.m.
A pair of marquee matchups will follow, with the Rockets playing at Cincinnati on Wednesday, Nov. 16 before hosting Duke on Sunday, Nov. 20. Toledo will then head to Florida for two games at the Daytona Beach Invitational scheduled for Friday, Nov. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 26, against Penn State and UT Arlington, respectively.
The back half of Toledo's non-conference schedule opens with a road contest at Loyola Maryland on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The Rockets return home to host Missouri State on Sunday, Dec. 4 before visiting 2022 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight participant Michigan on Thursday, Dec. 8. A pair of home games against 2022 Atlantic 10 Regular Season Champion Dayton on Sunday, Dec. 11 and Oakland on Wednesday, Dec. 21Â will wrap up UT's non-conference slate.
Toledo returns its entire starting five and nearly all of its reserve contributors from last year's team that turned in one of their best seasons in program history. The Rockets won their 10th MAC regular season title in 2021-22, posting a 29-6 overall record which tied a school record for most wins in a season. Toledo was an astounding 19-1 in MAC play, a league record for most conference wins in a season.
Toledo women's basketball season tickets are on sale now. For more information or to purchase season tickets, visit the Rocket Athletic Ticket Office at the Sullivan Athletic Complex in Savage Arena, contact the Rocket Athletic Ticket Office at 419-530-GOLD (4653) or go online to UTRockets.com/tix. Toledo's Mid-American Conference schedule will be announced at a later date.
