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ASU Women’s Basketball: Non-Conference Schedule Released

By Sam Ficarro

Jan 3, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne is presented with an award marking her 400th career win during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Wells-Fargo Arena. The Wildcats won 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne is presented with an award marking her 400th career win during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Wells-Fargo Arena. The Wildcats won 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Headlined with games versus Mississippi State, Florida State and Arkansas, ASU women’s basketball released their 2016-17 non-conference schedule.

ASU women’s basketball announced Thursday their non-conference schedule for the upcoming season.

After sporting one of the hardest non-conference schedules the last two season, this schedule poses some challenges for what will be one of the youngest teams Arizona State has had in a while.

Having played games versus Kentucky, Maryland, South Carolina, and Florida State the last two seasons, head coach Charli Turner Thorne has challenged her team once again.

The season will get underway on November 12 versus Texas-San Antonio at Wells Fargo Arena before playing their first road contest November 15 at Fresno State.

The Sun Devils then will embark on a stretch of five games in eight days with home games versus Sacramento State and Colgate before heading to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge Thanksgiving weekend.

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This will be the Sun Devils’ toughest part of the non-conference schedule facing Mississippi State, Green Bay and Columbia from November 23-25.

The Bulldogs are the national runner-ups from last season completing their best season in program history, including a magical run to the National Championship Game defeating Connecticut in the Final Four before falling to South Carolina in the title game.

Mississippi State are a projected top 10 team and will be the toughest opponent of the non-conference slate.

Green Bay will be next for the Sun Devils in Cancun as the Phoenix have been the one of the most successful mid-major programs in the country having reached the NCAA Tournament eight of the last nine years.

Columbia will be the final opponent in Cancun as the two teams met in the ASU Classic two years ago when the Sun Devils defeated the Tigers 70-49.

ASU Classic will be the next set of games December 2-3 as they’ll face Buffalo in the first round and then face either UC Riverside or UNLV in the second round.

Arizona State will enter the final stretch of the non-conference schedule with two of their last three games against teams from Power 5 conferences.

First up will be a trip to Tallahassee, Florida for a game with the Florida State Seminoles on December 10.

Florida State is coming off a trip to the Elite 8 and both teams know each other very well as this will be the third meeting in four years.

Arizona State defeated Florida State two years ago in Tempe 68-56 after FSU defeated ASU by one point in the Sweet 16 of 2015 NCAA Tournament.

ASU will then come home to host Idaho on December 18 and Arkansas on December 21.

Idaho and Arizona State will meet for the first ever as the Vandals are coming off a semifinal appearance in the WBI last season.

Arkansas will then come into town under former Washington head coach Mike Neighbors after Jimmy Dykes resigned from the head coach position at the end of last season.

Next: ASU Basketball: A Look at Next Season’s Women’s Backcourt

This non-conference schedule is ought to test the Sun Devils before entering Pac-12 play and will measure how this young team will play versus high-level competition.