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The Rice Thresher
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by Jose Luis Cubria thresher editorial staff The women's basketball team will begin the upcoming season where it ended the last one - in a prestigious national tournament. Fresh off the greatest season in school history and a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Lady Owls will tip off the 2000-'01 season in the preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament. Rice hosts the University of South Carolina in the first round of the WNIT Nov. 10. A first-round victory in the WNIT could set up a potential second-round match-up with a team Rice fans will soon come to know very well - Louisiana Tech University. The Lady Techsters, a perennial top-10 team and a regional finalist in last year's NCAA tournament, will join the Western Athletic Conference next season. Including Rice, the WNIT features seven teams from the 2000 NCAA tourney. Rice will face at least four teams that competed in the tourney, including the University of Arizona, Texas Tech University, Notre Dame University and conference foe Southern Methodist University. The Lady Owls will also face at least two teams that took part in last year's postseason WNIT. "We have some quality teams on our schedule and once again we have some tough road games," head coach Cristy McKinney said. "We hope to get ourselves in position to get back into the NCAA Tournament." All told, the Lady Owls will play at least 11 games prior to the start of WAC play, including six on the road and five at Autry Court. But with a run to the WNIT Championship game, that total could rise to 14 non-league contests. The Lady Owls' road trips will feature a journey to Arizona to take on the NCAA regional finalist Wildcats and a New Year's Eve battle with the Fighting Irish, who advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals. At home, the Lady Owls host the University of Memphis, Eastern Kentucky University and Iona College in the Gene Hackerman/Rice Invitational. Rice also hosts former Southwest Conference foe Texas Tech, another perennial power and 2000 NCAA regional finalist, at Autry Court in December. Rice, the defending WAC Tournament champion, opens conference play with a road trip to Fresno State University Jan. 5. The Lady Owls' home WAC opener will pit them against the University of Tulsa Jan. 11. The Lady Owls finished the 1999-'00 season 22-10. After winning the WAC Tournament, Rice went on to upset the University of California at Santa Barbara 67-64 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to the University of North Carolina in the second round.
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