The Red and Black

Issue date: 8/20/08 Section: Sports

Andy Landers will return for his 30th season as head coach of the Lady Bulldogs, and he will arguably have the toughest slate of opponents in the upcoming 2008-09 season.

As announced by Landers Monday, the Lady Bulldogs will face 16 teams that participated in postseason tournaments last spring, including 11 teams that played in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Landers acknowledged that the strength of the competition within the Southeastern Conference, coupled with non-conference foes such as Rutgers, Xavier, Virginia and Georgia Tech has Landers will be a difficult test for his players.

"This is a schedule that will challenge us from the first game through the last game," Landers said in a statement. "Hopefully, we will grow as we're challenged in the early portion of the non-conference schedule to the point where we can be successful as we finish non-conference games because those last few certainly get difficult."

Georgia will face difficult road contests when it takes part in the nationally televised Jimmy V Classic at Rutgers on Dec. 8, and then travels to two-time defending national champion Tennessee Feb. 5.

Other highlights include a Thanksgiving trip to Las Vegas where the team will play in the University of Nevada Las-Vegas Lady Rebel Round-Up, and a Dec. 22 tilt against Clemson at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth - where the Lady Dogs will serve as the host school for the first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Landers understands that the potential of making a 26th NCAA Tournament this year would lead to a favorable home crowd at the Gwinnett Center.

"We are fortunate to have a great history of NCAA play here at Georgia," Landers said in a statement. "Hosting should become great motivation for this basketball team in its quest to qualify itself for the NCAA Tournament. Should we be able to get the job done and earn a bid, it's good to know that we and our fans can be in the same place for once."

In his 30 years as head coach of the Lady Bulldogs, Landers has a record of 707-225, becoming just the third Division-I women's basketball coach to compile 700 victories at one school.

The Lady Dogs host their season opener against Alabama State at noon on Nov. 15 at Stegeman Coliseum and senior night is slated against the Florida Gators on March 1.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

- Nov. 15 Alabama State - Athens 12 p.m. home opener
- Nov. 20 at Oakland - Rochester, Mich. 7 p.m.
- Nov. 22 at Detroit Mercy - Detroit, Mich. 2:30 p.m.
- Nov. 26 N.C. Central - Athens 7 p.m.
- Nov. 28 vs. Cal State Fullerton - Las Vegas, Nev. 4 p.m.
- Nov. 29 vs. E. Washington or UNLV - Las Vegas, Nev. 2:30 or 5:00 p.m.
- Dec. 1 East Tennessee State - Athens 7:00 p.m.
- Dec. 3 Tennessee Tech - Athens 7 p.m.
- Dec. 5 at Georgia Tech - Atlanta 7 p.m.
- Dec. 8 at Rutgers - Piscataway, N.J. 7 p.m.
- Dec. 20 at UAB - Birmingham, Ala. 3 p.m.
- Dec. 22 & vs. Clemson - Duluth, Ga. 7:30 p.m.
- Dec. 30 Xavier - Athens 7 p.m.
- Jan. 2 at Virginia - Charlottesville, Va. 7 p.m.
- Jan. 8 at Ole Miss -Oxford, Miss. TBD
- Jan. 11 South Carolina - Athens 2:30 p.m.
- Jan. 15 Savannah State - Athens 7 p.m.
- Jan. 18 at Florida - Gainesville, Fla. 2 p.m.
- Jan. 22 Vanderbilt - Athens 7 p.m.
- Jan. 25 at Alabama - Tuscaloosa, Ala. 3 p.m.
- Jan. 29 Auburn - Athens 7 p.m.
- Feb. 1 Mississippi State - Athens 2:30 p.m.
- Feb. 5 at Tennessee - Knoxville, Tenn. 7 p.m.
- Feb. 8 Arkansas - Athens 2:30 p.m.
- Feb. 15 at Vanderbilt - Nashville, Tenn. 3 p.m.
- Feb. 19 LSU - Athens 7 p.m.
- Feb. 22 at Auburn - Auburn, Ala. 3 p.m.
- Feb. 26 at Kentucky - Lexington, Ky. 7 p.m.
- March 1 Florida - Athens 2:30 p.m.
- March 5-8 SEC Tournament N. Little Rock, Ark.

NCAA Tournament:

- March 21-23 First & Second Rounds Duluth, Ga.
- March 28-31 Regionals Oakland, Calif.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Raleigh, N.C.; Trenton, N.J.
- April 5 & 7 Final Four St. Louis, Mo.

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