FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Drake women's basketball team will open the 2017-18 regular season against Milwaukee at the Knapp Center on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. in the first round of the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament, tournament officials announced on Wednesday, June 7.
 
Drake, coming off a historic 2016-17 season that included winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the 11^th time in program history, is making its second all-time appearance in the preseason tournament.
 
The 2017 tournament features a three-game guarantee. If a team loses in the championship bracket before it has played three games, it will play in the consolation bracket. Drake and Milwaukee have played each other six times with the Bulldogs winning all six games, the last a 79-57 victory in Des Moines on Dec. 29, 2013.
 
The challenging tournament field also includes three teams in ESPN's early 2017-18 Top 25 rankings as Louisville comes in as the highest-ranked team at No. 10, Oregon is next at No. 13 and the 2016 Postseason WNIT champion, Michigan, arrives at No. 21. Also in the field is Cal State Northridge, George Mason, Houston, Liberty, Louisiana, New Orleans, Old Dominion, Southeast Missouri, Saint Francis (Pa.), Toledo and Texas A&M.
 
The remainder of the 2017-18 Drake women's basketball schedule will be announced at a later date. For ticket information visit www.draketix.com and to buy season tickets call 515-271-DOGS (3647).