Women’s basketball kicks off its new season Monday, entering a 13-game stretch of nonconference games before turning to two months’ worth of play against their Atlantic 10 competition, where they look to take on powerhouses like Massachusetts and Dayton.
The Colonials will play a total of 16 conference games that will decide the team’s seeding for the A-10 tournament, and the majority of each game will be televised by CBS Sports Network, ESPN+ and NBC Sports Washington. GW looks to avoid the same conference slide they experienced last season, finishing in 12th place in the 14-team A-10 with a 4-11 record and .343 field goal percentage, which ranked last in the conference.
The Colonials began their conference play last season with an eight-game losing streak, which included huge losses to Massachusetts and Rhode Island, both of whom they will face in February.
Here are some games to look out for as the season gets underway:
November – Virginia matchup marks first test on the road
GW will play its first game in Charlottesville against Virginia, followed by four straight games in D.C. where they will clash against cross-town rivals American and Howard in two away games. The Colonials will play their home opener in the Smith Center Thursday against Maryland Eastern Shore.
The team will then turn its attention to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Thanksgiving Tournament with a pair of face-offs against East Tennessee State University and Albany before entering the winter stretch.
The Colonials will look to build up to a stronger start to the season with their nonconference stretch.
December – GW takes on Coppin State before kicking off conference competition
The Colonials begin their conference slate in late December, aiming for a stronger start than last season when an eight-game losing streak to open A-10 play forced them into an uphill climb for the rest of the season.
GW will return home to take on Ohio Dec. 2 before traveling south for a matchup against TCU. The Colonials return to the Smith Center for a three-game home stretch against Manhattan, Wilmington and Coppin State to round out their nonconference stretch.
The Colonials will begin conference play Dec. 31 with an away game at Richmond, to whom they narrowly lost 63-66 in last season’s conference opener.
January – The Colonials square off against reigning A-10 champs
GW will play its first nationally televised game of the season Jan. 16 at noon against George Mason in the first game of the Revolutionary Rivalry with the Patriots. Fans can attend the game at George Mason’s EagleBank Arena in Fairfax or watch the game live through the CBS Sports Network.
Last season, GW tied its season series 1-1 against George Mason, who finished last in the A-10 with a 10-19 record. The Colonials look to improve their 3-point shooting against the Patriots after managing a meager .271 percent from beyond the arc last season.
The Colonials will be out for revenge Jan. 22 against VCU, who eliminated them from the A-10 Championship last season.
The GW team will play its second nationally televised game of the season Jan. 25 against A-10 newcomer Loyola Chicago at home. Fans can follow along live on NBC Sports.
GW’s toughest game of the month will come with a Jan. 28 matchup against Dayton, who went 14-1 in conference play last season, narrowly missing out on the A-10 crown. The lone matchup between the Colonials and the Flyers last season was canceled due to COVID-19.
February – Regular season enters final stretch with stiff conference competition
GW will play its last two Smith Center games before heading to Massachusetts, including its Homecoming Weekend from Friday, Feb. 1 to Sunday, Feb. 3, where the program will induct its Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The Colonials will face off against George Mason for the second time Feb. 5 to wrap up the weekend games.
The team will look for a win against Rhode Island, who finished 12-2 in conference play and beat the Colonials 72-42 last season.
GW will face one of its toughest tests of the conference slate Feb. 25 when they take on Massachusetts, the reigning A-10 champions who went 11-4 in conference play last season. Massachusetts claimed a decisive 68-41 win over GW in their last meeting.
The GW team will look to achieve a higher seeding in the A-10 tournament than last season, where GW placed as the 12th seed.
The Colonials are set to showcase a newly rebuilt program with six newcomers ready to solidify the GW shooting game under Head Coach Caroline McCombs, who enters her second year at the helm.
