The women’s basketball team from the University of Virginia is currently preparing to take part in the 2024 Discover Puerto Rico Shootout, a non-conference tournament scheduled during Thanksgiving week of the 2024-2025 season. The tournament will feature a lineup of teams, including UVA, Washington State, Wyoming, Green Bay, Drake, and Norfolk State, with the Cavaliers set to compete in three consecutive matches against some of these opponents.
The competition will be held at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, with the Virginia team scheduled to play against Green Bay on Thursday, November 28th, Washington State on Friday, November 29th, and Wyoming on Saturday, November 30th. While admission to the games will be free, they will only be accessible online through a paid subscription to FloHoops.
In the previous year, the Cavaliers participated in a non-conference tournament in the Cayman Islands Classic. During this tournament, they secured a victory against Tulane with a score of 81-59 and encountered a close defeat against the then-national champions LSU with a score of 76-73.
Each of the teams that Virginia is preparing to challenge at the Puerto Rico Shootout has a commendable track record from their performances in postseason tournaments last year. Green Bay emerged as the winner of the Horizon League conference tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament with an impressive 27-7 record. However, the team underwent a coaching change in the offseason, with Kayla Karius stepping in to replace the retired Kevin Borseth.
As for Washington State, following the disbanding of the Pac-12, the team will be competing as an affiliate of the West Coast Conference. Throughout the previous season, they achieved a 21-15 overall record and, similar to UVA, participated in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), where they advanced to the semifinals as a No. 1 seed in the field. Wyoming, with an 18-15 overall record and an 11-7 standing in the Mountain West, secured a place in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) and made it to the quarterfinals.
Apart from their participation in the Puerto Rico Shootout, Virginia’s non-conference schedule for the 2024-2025 women’s basketball season will also include a game against Auburn as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge, which is scheduled for Thursday, December 5th at the John Paul Jones Arena.
With the stage set for what promises to be an action-packed tournament in Puerto Rico, the Virginia women’s basketball team is undoubtedly poised to deliver some thrilling performances. Stay tuned as we cheer on the Cavaliers during this exciting event!