Peoria, Ill – Return matchups, old rivals and new foes highlight Bradley Women's Basketball's non-conference schedule as second-year Head Coach
Kate Popovec-Goss revealed this year's non-conference opponents Monday.
Before the regular season begins, Bradley will host an exhibition on November 2nd against local Division III school Eureka College at Renaissance Coliseum.
The non-conference portion of the schedule begins with a road game on Monday, November 6th at Kansas City. In last year's matchup on Bradley's Field Trip Day, the two teams fought in a nail-biter as Bradley rallied after being down 12 at the beginning of the fourth quarter to force overtime.
The Braves' regular season home opener follows on November 12th, with the Central Michigan Chippewas. The Braves and Chippewas are squaring off for only the fifth time since 1986-87 and Bradley has not faced CMU since November 2012.
A brief two-game home stint concludes on November 16th, as the team hosts former Missouri Valley Conference rival Loyola-Chicago. This is the second meeting between the two schools since Loyola-Chicago left the MVC after the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. The Ramblers finished 6-24 last season and 1-15 in the Atlantic 10.
Over Thanksgiving, the team will travel to Atlanta to participate in a Multi-Team Event hosted by Georgia State. The Braves opponents are yet to be determined.
After Thanksgiving, Bradley will travel to Butler for an away game against the Bulldogs for the first time since 2016. The two teams have routinely played close games as the largest margin of victory is 14 points. Bradley has taken two of the last three games against Butler.
The Braves have a three-game homestand in the first half of December, beginning with a matchup against Lindenwood on the 2nd. Lindenwood is entering its second season of Division I sports after joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022. The Lions and Braves have never faced off against each other prior to this season.
Game two of the homestand features a return game against Eastern Illinois. The Braves traveled to Charleston, IL, and defeated the Panthers 72-61. The win marked the Braves' third consecutive victory against Eastern Illinois. Bradley is 7-2 in the last nine games against EIU and holds a 21-19 advantage in the all-time series.
Bradley closes the three-game home stretch with the annual Field Trip Day as Bradley faces Division II foe Quincy University on Thursday, December 14th. This game is also the final non-conference home game of the season.
Bradley closes the non-conference slate just before Christmas with a pair of matchups against Big Ten and Summit League schools. On December 17th, the team travels to Evanston, IL to face Northwestern. This is the fifth women's basketball game ever between the two and the first since November 29, 1994, when Bradley defeated the Wildcats 74-55 at Robertson Field House. Each school has two wins in the series.
The final non-conference game of the season sees the Braves travel to the University of South Dakota on December 20th. The two squared off in Bradley's regular season opener last season as the Coyotes defeated the Braves. South Dakota is two years removed from a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament.
All Bradley home games will be streamed on The Valley on ESPN.