Women’s Basketball: Northwestern announces 2020-21 schedule
Daily file photo by Joshua Hoffman
Northwestern celebrates their first Big Ten title in 30 years. This season, the No. 17 Wildcats will play a 23-game regular season and seek their second-straight conference championship.
November 24, 2020
Northwestern released its women’s basketball schedule Monday afternoon. The No. 17 Wildcats will play 23 games during the 2020-21 season in an attempt to win their second-straight Big Ten title.
NU will open the season on Dec. 6 against back-to-back non-conference opponents at Welsh-Ryan Arena. After facing Bradley, the Cats will play Eastern Illinois four days later.
The squad will then begin its 20-game conference schedule on Dec. 14 at home against Minnesota before playing Purdue on the road at Mackey Arena three days later.
On Dec. 22, Eastern Kentucky comes to Evanston for NU’s third and final non-conference game.
One of the Cats’ biggest games of the season will come twelve days later against No. 25 Michigan. Last year, NU beat the Wolverines twice in the regular season, but Michigan upset the Cats in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Big Ten Tournament. NU will play Michigan again in Ann Arbor on either March 5 or March 6 to wrap up regular-season play.
In addition to the Wolverines, NU will face three teams ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25. The Cats will play No. 16 Indiana on Jan. 24 in Evanston, No. 20 Ohio State at home and in Columbus on Feb. 1 and Feb. 14, respectively, and No. 12 Maryland at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Feb. 28.
Last season, NU and the Terrapins shared the Big Ten regular-season title. On New Year’s Day, the Cats upset then-No.12 Maryland 81-58 in Evanston. Three and a half weeks later, the then-No. 20 Terrapins exacted revenge against then-No. 22 NU by winning 70-61 in College Park.
An expected top-four seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, the Cats had to cut their season short on Mar. 12 as the NCAA cancelled its signature postseason competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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