Aggies also have two other tournaments on the schedule

Schedule
GREENSBORO, September 25, 2008 – It was not so much that the North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team lost to South Carolina in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament that bothered head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. It was the way the Aggies lost.

The Gamecocks ran away with the game after the first 20 minutes. With the talent assembled, Bibbs believed her team could have done a lot better, even if it was against a team that resides in one of the best conferences in the nation. To test her theory, Bibbs gave her team three chances at redemption with the release of the Aggies 2008-2009 schedule.

The Aggies will face three SEC opponents this season, starting with their season opener against Ole Miss in the Winthrop Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C. on Nov. 15. The Aggies travel to Alabama 2 1/2 weeks later to face the Auburn Tigers on Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. The redemption tour concludes on New Year’s Day when the Aggies face the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at 7 p.m.

“We wanted to challenge these ladies as much as possible,’’ said Bibbs, the reigning MEAC Coach of the Year. “Yes, you’re good. But we need to know if they are happy just being one of the best teams in the MEAC, or do they want to be one of the best teams in the nation? We will find out.”

Also included in Winthrop’s tournament are the Davidson Wildcats. The Wildcats went 19-11 overall and 13-5 in the Southern Conference last season, while also earning a berth in the WNIT. Winthrop had a 20-win season and finished third in the Big South.

The Aggies will play in two more tournaments that feature tough competition. On Nov. 28, they begin play in the East Carolina Tournament that also includes Buffalo and N.C. Central. The Aggies close out 2008 with play in the Virginia Tech Tournament Dec. 29-30. The Aggies and the Hokies will be joined by Lafayette and Liberty. N.C. A&T opens the tournament against Liberty, a perennial NCAA tournament team that defeated the Aggies by just four points in Corbett Sports Center last season.

The Aggies first home game will be against local rival Elon on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. The Aggies other non-conference opponents are Campbell and Charlotte. N.C. A&T begins conference play 6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 6 at home against Norfolk State. MEAC Tournament play begins March 10 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The Aggies return five starters from a team that went 25-8 overall and 15-1 in the MEAC on route to the program’s first MEAC regular-season championship in 17 seasons. It was a season that saw the Aggies break school records in wins, conference wins, points scored, points per game, assists, steals, scoring margin, field goals made, free throws made and rebounds. In fact, the Aggies ranked second in the nation last season in steals per game.  “I like our schedule,’’ said Bibbs. “The ladies will learn quickly that nothing is going to come easy. We have a target on our backs. We’re going to get everyone’s best game. Therefore, we need to play like we’re playing against the best every night.”