September 24, 2025

Lady Eagles unveil 2025-26 schedule

With just 52 days until Carson-Newman’s season opener, it is time to unveil the 2025-26 women’s basketball schedule.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With just 52 days until Carson-Newman's season opener, it is time to unveil the 2025-26 women's basketball schedule.

Head coach Mike Mincey's team will play 28 games, 13 on the road, 12 inside Holt Fieldhouse and three neutral site contests.

C-N begins the year with three consecutive neutral site contests. For the 10th time in the past 11 seasons, the Eagles will compete in the SAC/Peach Belt Conference Crossover facing Lander and USC Aiken in Hickory, North Carolina. That is followed by a weekend in Dahlonega, Georgia for North Georgia's tournament. The Eagles will face Clayton State and the Nighthawks on Nov. 21-22.

"It's been important to us over the last 10 years," Mincey said. "We've been down to play in the North Georgia tournament several times. We know that North Georgia has been the most successful team in our region in terms of wins and championships. Of course, we've been contracted in with Lander and USC Aiken for awhile. Lander had a winning record and Aiken has a brand new coach with a new roster."

After C-N and UNG meet on Nov. 22, the Nighthawks will venture north and serve as the Lady Eagles' home opener on Nov. 25. That game is also C-N's only home non-conference game during the year.

Those matchups set the table for what is a challenging first semester of games for Carson-Newman. SAC play begins on Nov. 29, and Mincey's club will play six league games before the calendar year ends, four of which are with teams that finished in the top five of the SAC standings. Furthermore, the Lady Eagles will play five games against NCAA Tournament teams from 24-25 in the first month and a half of the year.

"We've got the least amount of experience coming back this year than we've had in quite some time," Mincey said. "So, it will be interesting in all the games and even the scrimmages to find out a lot about our team. We feel like we have a squad that is capable of trying to challenge for our league and capable of making another NCAA Tournament. In order to do that, you have to set yourself up with strong regional opponents."

A matchup with Francis Marion ends the 2025 calendar year for C-N, making the trip to Florence, South Carolina on New Year's Eve. The game will be the first for C-N in Mincey's tenure against the Patriots, and just the sixth all-time meeting.

"I know Francis Marion won a ton of games last year," Mincey said. "I think they were the four seed in the regional tournament, won like 23 games. It'll be at their place, so looking forward to the challenge and I know Coach Porter has done a great job down there."

The start of the new year brings two more road games, as SAC play goes into full swing on Jan. 7 at Emory & Henry with a trip to LR following that. Those two trips cap a four-game road swing over a three-week stretch. It'll be the most consecutive road games since the 2018-19 season.

Lincoln Memorial, Newberry, Tusculum and Coker are January home SAC games for C-N, closing the month with the Pioneers and Cobras. The Lady Eagles will play three straight road games to begin February, going to UVA Wise, Anderson and LMU in that order. The benefit to another lengthy road swing is that C-N will close the regular season by playing four of its final five games at home, highlighted by a Senior Day matchup with Lenoir-Rhyne on Feb. 28 to close the regular season.

"If you're in the right position in the standings, when you look at it its kind of nice," Mincey said. "Having those backend home games that you can kind of count on because we have played well at home, particularly the last couple of years. Being able to finish out the year, when we hopefully playing our best basketball, at home can hopefully propel us into a strong seed into the SAC and potentially NCAA Tournament."

The SAC slate is unkind to C-N, never playing more than two consecutive home games in during league play, while going on multiple three-game road swings. It's the first time since the 2019-20 season that the Lady Eagles will be without a three-game homestand.

The South Atlantic Conference Basketball tournament is back in Rock Hill, South Carolina for the third year in a row. Quarterfinal action is on March 4th-5th, with semifinal and championship play to follow the next two days.

All games can be heard on 105.5 THE MIX (WSEV-FM Sevierville) with coverage starting 15 minutes prior to tip-off on the Eagle Sports Network with "The Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tip-Off". Each conference and home content during the year can also be seen through FloSports with a subscription.

DATE	OPPONENT	NOTES	STATUS
Nov. 15, 2025	vs. Lander (Hickory, N.C.)	SAC/Peach Belt Challenge	6:00 PM
Nov. 16, 2025	vs. USC Aiken (Hickory, N.C.)	SAC/Peach Belt Challenge	2:00 PM
Nov. 21, 2025	vs Clayton State (Dahlonega, Ga.)	North Georgia Tournament	4:00 PM
Nov. 22, 2025	at North Georgia	North Georgia Tournament	4:00 PM
Nov. 25, 2025	North Georgia	Home Opener	2:00 PM
Nov. 29, 2025	Catawba*	SAC Opener	2:00 PM
Dec. 6, 2025	at Coker*		2:00 PM
Dec. 10, 2025	at Tusculum*		5:30 PM
Dec. 13, 2025	Anderson*		2:00 PM
Dec. 17, 2025	UVA Wise*		5:30 PM
Dec. 20, 2025	at Wingate*		12:00 PM
Dec. 31, 2025	at Francis Marion		12:00 PM
Jan. 07, 2026	at Emory & Henry*		5:30 PM
Jan. 10, 2026	at Lenoir-Rhyne*		2:00 PM
Jan. 14, 2026	Lincoln Memorial *		5:30 PM
Jan. 17, 2026	Newberry*		2:00 PM
Jan. 21, 2026	at Mars Hill*		5:30 PM
Jan. 24, 2026	at Catawba*		2:00 PM
Jan. 28, 2026	Tusculum*		5:30 PM
Jan. 31, 2026	Coker*		2:00 PM
Feb. 04, 2026	at UVA Wise*		5:30 PM
Feb. 07, 2026	at Anderson*		2:00 PM
Feb. 11, 2026	at Lincoln Memorial*		5:30 PM
Feb. 14, 2026	Wingate*		2:00 PM
Feb. 18, 2026	Emory & Henry*		5:30 PM
Feb. 21, 2026	at Newberry*		2:00 PM
Feb. 25, 2026	Mars Hill*		5:30 PM
Feb. 28, 2026	Lenoir-Rhyne*	Senior Day	2:00 PM