The UNI women’s basketball team’s complete schedule has officially been released, and with the first game being just over a month away, here is a preview of their schedule as well as some big games to look forward to.

Last year, the Panthers had an impressive season, with a record of 23-11, 12-2 in home games. They also finished with a conference record of 13-5, and made it to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championship game against Illinois State, which they ultimately lost, 50-48. It was a good season, and they will look to have an even better one this year.

In the non-conference schedule, two of UNI’s biggest games will come from in-state opponents Iowa State and Iowa. Both teams finished the regular season ranked as top 10 teams in the country last season, with Iowa State being ranked 10th and Iowa ranked eighth. Both teams look to be great again this year, as they bring back two of the best players in the nation. Iowa State brings back their all-time leading scorer and second team All-American, Ashley Joens, while Iowa brings back a two time first team All-American, and reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, Caitlin Clark. These are definitely games to mark on your calendar, as UNI goes up against Iowa State at home on Nov. 16, and goes on the road to Iowa on Dec. 18.

There are some other notable non-conference games as well. One of these is a home game against Creighton on Nov. 20. Creighton had a solid team last year, and were a big underdog who made a lot of noise going all the way to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, so look for that to be a good one at home. They will have a matchup on the road against a South Dakota State team that went 29-9 last season on Dec. 3, and UNI will also travel to Cancun, Mexico to play in the Cancun Challenge against Tulane and Vanderbilt on Nov. 24 and 25, respectively. 

Going into the conference schedule, there are plenty of big games to look out for. Early in the conference schedule, on New Year’s Day, UNI will travel to Normal, Ill. for a rematch of last year’s MVC Championship game with Illinois State. The Panthers will certainly have that one circled on their schedule, and will also play them again at home later in the season. 

The Panthers will also have three new additions to the conference schedule, as Murray State, Belmont, and the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) are joining the MVC. While they are coming in, it is worth noting that Loyola-Chicago has left the conference. While UIC did not have a great season last year, Murray State and Belmont join the MVC coming off of great seasons. Murray State went 22-10 and Belmont earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 23-8. UNI will get to play all three of these newcomers twice this season, so those should be games to look out for.

Two other big conference games will be the two times that UNI goes up against Southern Illinois and Missouri State. UNI split with both teams, and both finished just ahead of the Panthers in the regular season conference standings at the end of last season. Southern Illinois finished in first, Missouri State finished second and UNI was behind them for third. These four games will be ones to circle on the schedule, as they could certainly make big implications on the Panthers season.

There will be plenty of great basketball games to watch this year when the season gets underway in November.