The UIC women's basketball team and head coach Regina Miller have announced the 2017-18 schedule.

The schedule for the upcoming season features 18 Horizon League contests, 11 non-conference games, 17 home games at the UIC Pavilion, and renewals of local rivalries with Loyola and Bradley.

Following an exhibition game against Governor's State on November 2, the Flames will open the regular season with a home contest against Bethel on Friday, November 10.  The Pilots are one of five first time opponents on the 2017-18 docket.  UIC's next two home opponents, Jackson State (November 16) and Santa Clara (November 25), will also line up against UIC for the first time.

The Flames will slide a quick trip to Fort Wayne in between playing the Tigers and Broncos, and then will host Indiana State on November 30.

December starts with the game at Bradley on the 2nd, and then features a season-long four game home stand bookended by two additional brand new opponents.  Indiana Northwest and Eastern Michigan will visit, then after a break for final exams, the Flames will host Evansville and North Texas.  The Evansville contest will be at the Flames Athletic Center, conveniently located on UIC's East Campus as the anchor of the Flames' athletic complex.  A Friday, December 22 tilt across town at Loyola ends non-conference play.  UIC will open Horizon League play against the conference's newest member, IUPUI, on December 30, bringing to an end nearly a solid month in which the Flames will not leave the city of Chicago.

"Our non-conference schedule will be exciting and challenging," Miller said.  "We look forward to playing some old acquaintances including Bradley, Loyola, Fort Wayne, Indiana State, and Evansville.  Eastern Michigan will give us a quality test against a MAC opponent to see where our team stands before conference play starts.  Playing such a diverse set of opponents in November and December will help our young team prepare for Horizon League competition."

The Flames will open the new year with their first Horizon League road trip, to Ohio to take on Youngstown State and Cleveland State.  A three game homestand follows with clashes against Oakland, Detroit Mercy, and Milwaukee, who played in the WBI following last season.  The remainder of January presents the Flames with their longest stretch of games away from UIC Pavilion.  A jaunt to Wright State and Northern Kentucky will be followed by a Wisconsin trip to take on defending conference champion Green Bay and Milwaukee, before the return game at IUPUI, a 2017 WNIT participant, makes it five in a row on the road.

The Flames will close with five of seven games at home.  Cleveland State and Youngstown State will invade UIC Pavilion on February 8 and 10 respectively.  Games at Detroit Mercy and Oakland will conclude the road portion of the schedule.  Green Bay, Northern Kentucky, and Wright State will be the stretch run opponents as teams jockey for seeding position for Motor City Madness.  The Raiders, who participated in the WNIT last season, will be the Flames' opponent for Senior Day.

The conference tournament, held concurrently with the men's tournament at the brand new Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit, will be March 2-6.

"Our work will definitely be cut out for us in Horizon League play," Miller continued.  "We are excited to take on four Horizon League opponents who made it to the postseason last year.  It will be a challenge week in and week out for our young group, but it's a challenge we're ready for.  Our goal each and every year is to position ourselves well during the Horizon League schedule so that we can finish strong in the Horizon League Tournament and the postseason."