William & Mary head women’s basketball coach Ed Swanson on Tuesday announced the Tribe’s 2020-21 nonconference schedule on Tuesday. The Green and Gold will play all six games inside the Commonwealth of Virginia, including a trio of home games.
W&M opens the 2020 season on the road at Old Dominion on Dec. 3. The Tribe and Monarchs meet for the 96th time, and while ODU leads the all-time series, the Green and Gold has won three of the last five meetings. Last season, the Monarchs finished with an overall record of 24-6 and were second in Conference USA at 14-4.
The Tribe hosts its first of three home games on Dec. 6 when it welcomes Richmond to Kaplan Arena. The oldest rivalry in school history, the teams meet for the 114th time and the sixth-straight season.
The Green and Gold will also host Navy (Dec. 13) and Liberty (Dec. 22) this season. The Tribe and Mids meet for the first time since 2012, while W&M squares off with the Flames for the first time in 15 years. Last season, Liberty won 20 games and finished second in the Atlantic Sun.
The Tribe also has in-state road games at Radford (Dec. 9) and Norfolk State (Dec. 20) on the slate. Both opponents finished second in their respectively leagues last season with the Highlanders going 15-5 in the Big South and the Spartans racking up a 12-4 mark in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
On Oct. 14, the Colonial Athletic Association announced its league slate for the 2020‐21 season. The 18-game schedule was adjusted to limit travel and help ensure the health and safety of student‐athletes, coaches and staff. In lieu of a traditional, home‐and‐home round robin schedule, teams will play against the same opponent at the same site on consecutive days, primarily Saturdays and Sundays. W&M opens the CAA schedule at home against Hofstra on Jan. 2-3.
W&M has not made a determination regarding attendance at home basketball games. A decision is coming soon and will be based on state and local guidelines. With concerns over COVID-19 and the need for fluidity in the schedule throughout the 2020-21 season, stay tuned to TribeAtheltics.com and follow the Tribe on social media at @WMTribeWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date.
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Last season, W&M had arguably its best season in school history as the Tribe set the school record for overall wins (21), CAA wins (12), and road wins (11). W&M finished third in the CAA standings, which was its highest-ever seed in the CAA Tournament, as well as holding an RPI of 104 when the postseason was canceled over COVID-19 concerns.
