ATLANTA (August 30) — With the goal of qualifying for the NCAA tournament, Georgia Tech’s women’s basketball team will test its mettle against seven teams that were among the NCAA field of 64 last year in the Yellow Jackets’ 1999-2000 schedule released Monday.
In addition to ACC rivals Duke, Clemson, North Carolina, NC State and Virginia, Tech will also square off against 1999 NCAA participants Georgia and Mississippi State in its non-conference slate. Duke and Georgia both advanced to last season’s Final Four in San Jose, Calif.
“I believe our schedule is much stronger this coming year than it was this past year,” said Tech head coach Agnus Berenato. “Nobody in the ACC is going to be down and our non-conference schedule has been upgraded. We are playing always-tough Georgia for the second straight year, and Mississippi State was an NCAA team last year.”
The Jackets’ game with Georgia will be played at the Cobb County Civic Center in Marietta for the second consecutive year.
Other highlights on the Yellow Jackets’ schedule are at least four television appearances plus Tech’s annual Thanksgiving and Christmas tournaments.
Tech’s games at Florida State on Jan. 16, at Maryland on Jan. 23, at Clemson on Jan. 31 and home against Wake Forest on Feb. 6 will all be televised as part of the ACC’s regional sports network package.
This year’s Georgia Tech/Atlanta Marriott Northwest Basketball Classic Nov. 26-27 features Tech, Elon, Yale and Hofstra. The Georgia Tech/Atlanta Marriott Northwest Holiday Invitational Dec. 29-30 features Tech, Western Michigan, Campbell and Pittsburgh.
The Jackets return three starters and eight letterwinners from last year’s 13-14 squad that finished sixth in the ACC. Among Tech’s returnees are sophomore Niesha Butler (New York, N.Y.), a freshman all-America and the 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year. Senior Danielle Donehew (Canton, Ga.), a 1999 honorable mention all-ACC choice, and junior Regina Tate (Columbus, Ga.) also return to the Jackets’ starting lineup.
