Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Announces Its 2004-05 Schedule
9/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sept. 3, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. -
2004-05 Schedule in PDF Format
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Northwestern has announced its 2004-05 women's basketball schedule with the Wildcats opening the 2004-05 campaign with two opponents from last season -- Creighton and West Virginia -- on the road.
Northwestern opened 2003 with a win over the Bluejays in Evanston, while the win over the Mountaineers was one of two victories for the Wildcats over eventual NCAA teams. NU will face nine teams this season that earned a trip to the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
Northwestern opens play at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Nov. 24 vs. Western Michigan. It is the first meeting between the two schools in 25 years. The 'Cats close out the month of November with a trip to city rival DePaul. The Blue Demons, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2004, and the Wildcats have faced off annually for 10 years.
NU spends much more time at home in the month of December, with Kentucky coming to campus Dec. 1. The SEC Wildcats edged NU in Lexington last season 67-60. The annual Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational takes place Dec. 3-5, with Houston and Virginia participating this season. The invite will take a slightly different format this year, using a round-robin format to accommodate the three teams.
UW-Milwaukee will be the first away game of the month, taking place Dec. 12 before the 'Cats return home to face local rival Illinois-Chicago Dec. 14.
Things warm up for Northwestern Dec. 16 in Miami, Fla., when the Wildcats meet Florida International for a second all-time meeting. Instead of returning to the Midwest, NU heads farther south to the San Juan Shootout, taking place Dec. 18-23. UNC Charlotte, Northern Iowa, Toledo, Fordam, Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Florida State and Towson are the other tournament participants.
NU continues play after the holiday break, beginning another challenging Big Ten Conference season. There will be no easy transition as the Wildcats travel to Minnesota, an NCAA Final Four team in 2004, to open league play. Northwestern hosts five Big Ten games in January, including three in a row starting Jan. 2 with Wisconsin. Michigan and Illinois follow respectively on Jan. 6 and 9. Penn State and Purdue, which both reached postseason play, visit Evanston on the 27th and 30th.
The 'Cats split time at home and on the road in February, going to Michigan State, Illinois, Penn State and Wisconsin, while hosting Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota. The Gophers will close the regular season for Northwestern.
The Big Ten Tournament will again take place at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The tournament is scheduled for March 3-7, 2005.
