IRVING, Texas — The Big 12 Conference released the 18-game conference slate for BYU women’s basketball’s maiden voyage as a member of the conference on Tuesday morning.
"This Big 12 schedule is going to be a gauntlet," said Amber Whiting, BYU head coach. "We have a great team that has worked extremely hard this summer to build the chemistry needed to be ready to face this challenge head-on. There are going to be challenges that come during the conference season, and I am excited to see how our women respond and improve because of it."
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 30 | at TCU | Schollmaier Arena |
| Jan. 3 | Oklahoma | Marriott Center |
| Jan. 6 | Iowa State | Marriott Center |
| Jan. 10 | at Houston | Fertitta Center |
| Jan. 13 | Cincinnati | Marriott Center |
| Jan. 17 | at Oklahoma State | Gallagher-Iba Arena |
| Jan. 20 | Texas Tech | Marriott Center |
| Jan. 27 | at Kansas State | Bramlage Coliseum |
| Jan. 31 | at Kansas | Allen Fieldhouse |
| Feb. 3 | West Virginia | Marriott Center |
| Feb. 7 | Baylor | Marriott Center |
| Feb. 10 | at Cincinnati | Fifth Third Arena |
| Feb. 13 | at UCF | Addition Financial Arena |
| Feb. 17 | Kansas | Marriott Center |
| Feb. 21 | TCU | Marriott Center |
| Feb. 24 | at Iowa State | Hilton Coliseum |
| Feb. 28 | Houston | Marriott Center |
| Mar. 2 | at Texas | Moody Arena |
| Mar. 7-12 | Big 12 Tournament | T-Mobile Center |
BYU, led by Whiting in her second season, will open the conference slate with a road trip to Fort Worth, Texas to face TCU on Dec. 30 for the Cougars' first Big 12 matchup. The Cougars and Horned Frogs have met just once since their days in the Mountain West Conference, when BYU downed TCU 61-58 on Nov. 11, 2018 in the San Diego State Thanksgiving Classic at Viejas Arena.
The Cougars will return to the Marriott Center on Jan. 3 and 6 to host their first Big 12 contests as Oklahoma and Iowa State travel to Provo. This will mark the second straight season that BYU will host the Sooners in Provo and the third straight year with a meeting between the two squads. Iowa State will make its first trip to Provo since 1992 when the Cyclones fell to the Cougars in a 77-54 bout.
On Jan. 10, BYU will travel to Houston for the battle of the Cougars, which hasn’t taken place on the hardwood since a two-game series in 1985 and 1986 in which Houston took both games. BYU will then host Cincinnati on Jan. 13 in only the second meeting between the two teams, the first resulting in a 93-68 BYU win in 1994.
The Cougars will fly to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State, the first such meeting since 1989 when BYU fell to the Cowgirls 83-69 on the road. BYU then returns home to take on Texas Tech for the first time since a 76-74 win over the Red Raiders in 1988, before a two-game road trip to Sunflower State.
Whiting’s squad will face off with Kansas State on Jan. 27 prior to a midweek meeting with the 2023 WNIT Champion Kansas Jayhawks on Jan. 31. The Wildcats and Cougars will meet for the first time since 2011, while this will mark the first-ever meeting between BYU and Kansas women's basketball on the hardwood.
The Cougars will kick off February with the Mountaineers of West Virginia and the Baylor Bears coming to the Marriott Center for back-to-back home games on Feb. 3 and 7, respectively. BYU won the only meeting with then-No. 22-ranked West Virginia in 2021 by a score of 58-57 at the St. Pete Showcase. The Cougars and Bears will meet for the first time since 2006 when BYU fell to Baylor 84-58 on the road.
BYU will then embark on its longest road trip of the season, as the team heads to Cincinnati on Feb. 10 before going even further east to take on the UCF Knights in Orlando on Feb. 13. This will be the only meeting with UCF this season and the first women’s basketball matchup between the Cougars and the Knights.
Following the cross-country trip, BYU returns home for games against Kansas and TCU on Feb. 17 and 21, respectively, before traveling to Ames, Iowa for a date with the Cyclones on Feb. 21.
BYU will host Houston on Feb. 24 for the final home game of the 2023-24 campaign before heading to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns on March 2.
The Big 12 Conference Tournament will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., March 7-12, 2024.