Austin Peay Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – An incredibly busy November will kick off Austin Peay State University women’s basketball head coach David Midlick‘s rookie campaign.
The newest head coach will jump headlong into the 2015-16 season with nine games in the season’s first 18 days. The slate begins with an opening-night contest, November 14th, against California at the Dunn Center – a team that reached the NCAA tournament’s second round last season.
Two nights later, Austin Peay hosts Division II Trevecca to conclude the homestand.
After a three-day break Austin Peay begins a five-game road trip with three games in five days. Midlick will take his team first to Miami (Ohio), November 19th, followed by games at Wright State (November 21st) and at Ball State (November 23rd).
Right Into the Deep End:
Austin Peay women’s basketball season opens Friday, Nov. 14 and by month’s end it will play nine games in an 18-day span, including two stretches where it will play three games in four days and a series of three games in five days.
Tournament-Caliber Competition:
Austin Peay potentially will face 10 teams (out of 24 opponents) that played in either the NCAA tournament or Women’s NIT last season: California (NCAA 2nd Round), Wright State (WNIT 1st Round), Ball State (WNIT 1st Round), Ohio (NCAA 1st Round), Middle Tennessee (WNIT Quarterfinals), Western Kentucky (NCAA 1st Round), Arkansas State (WNIT 2nd Round), East Tennessee (WNIT 1st Round), Tennessee State (NCAA 1st Round) and UT Martin (WNIT 1st Round).
OVC Weekends at Home:
Austin Peay will play just two OVC home midweek games this season. Six of Austin Peay’s nine OVC Saturday’s will be at the Dunn Center’s friendly confines.
Another three-day break follows before Austin Peay heads to Nashville to play in the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Invitational, November 27th-28th, which includes host Vanderbilt, Ohio and Indiana.
“Our nonconference schedule is as challenging as any team’s and is probably a Top 30 schedule in the country,” said Midlick. “We will be challenged each night and we will find out real quickly how successful our preseason preparation has been.”
A busy November concludes with a visit from Middle Tennessee, November 30th, the final home game during the schedule’s nonconference portion.
Austin Peay will have a quieter schedule awaiting it when the calendar turns to December with just four games – all on the road – in the month. APSU will travel to Western Kentucky, December 5th, and one week later trek to Kennesaw State, December 12th. Austin Peay then heads west to meet Arkansas State, December 16th.
The nonconference schedule comes to an end with a December 21st contest at East Tennessee. It will be the first meeting between the two in-state foes since the 1997-98 season.
“Our December schedule will allow some better preparation time for each of the four quality teams we will play,” Midlick said. “We will be able to scout and game plan more like the OVC schedule. It also will allow time for our players to prepare for exams.”
A 16-game Ohio Valley Conference schedule awaits the start of the New Year. Austin Peay opens league play with a three-game homestand – that opening with a January 2nd contest against Eastern Kentucky. Jacksonville State visits January 7th followed two days later by Tennessee Tech.
The following week Austin Peay travels to Belmont, Tennessee State and Morehead State. Eastern Illinois visits the Dunn Center, January 23rd, followed by a January 27th contest against SIU Edwardsville.
Austin Peay heads back to the road for a contest at SIU Edwardsville before returning home to end the regular-season slate with a two-game home stand. Consecutive Saturday contests wrap up the schedule with Murray State, February 20th, followed by Southeast Missouri, February 27th.
“There is no night off in our conference,” Midlick said. “There are 11 other good teams with quality players and coaches. We must take each game separately and not look too far down the line. Our job as a coaching staff is to have our players confident and aggressive, and for us as coaches to know as much about each team as possible.”
Dates and times for Austin Peay’s road contests are subject to change. Fans should visit www.LetsGoPeay.com – the official website of Austin Peay Athletics – for the most up-to-date schedule and team information.
