ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri Valley Conference has set its schedule of games for the upcoming 2026-27 women's basketball season, the league announced today. Start times and viewing options for home and road contests are yet to be determined.
 
The MVC schedule will again be composed of 20 total games with each team facing off against each other twice in one home and one road game.
 
The Bulldogs will begin their conference slate with a pair of MVC matchups before the Christmas holiday. Drake is set to host Evansville, who will be led by first-year head coach Ben Wierzba after reaching the MVC Tournament title game last spring, on Dec. 18. Drake will also welcome Southern Illinois to Des Moines on Dec. 20.
 
The Bulldogs' final game of 2026 will be their first of a 4-game road swing with a Dec. 30 trip to Peoria for a date with Bradley. Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman's squad will then ring in the new year with trips to Indiana State (Jan. 3), Illinois State (Jan. 7), and UIC (Jan. 9).
 
Drake will then return to Des Moines for a pair of challenging home tilts when 2-time defending MVC Tournament champions Murray State visits the Knapp Center on Jan. 14, and perennial conference contender Belmont comes to town on Jan. 16.
 
A quick trip to Valparaiso (Jan. 19) is sandwiched between Drake's games versus the Racers and Bruins and another 3-game homestand. The Bulldogs will be back in Des Moines to conclude their season series with Indiana State (Jan. 22), UIC (Jan. 24), and Illinois State (Jan. 28).
 
Pohlman's bunch, which went an even 10-10 in MVC play last year and reached the MVC Tournament quarterfinals, then hit the road again for a lengthy road stretch. The first of five bouts away from home will be in the state of Iowa with a Jan. 31 trip to rival UNI. The road swing continues as February gets underway for return trips to SIU (Feb. 5), Murray State (Feb. 7), Belmont (Feb. 11), and Evansville (Feb. 13).
 
Drake's 2026-27 schedule will conclude with three home games at the end of February. The Dogs will host Bradley (Feb. 19), Valparaiso (Feb. 21), and the Panthers of UNI (Feb. 27) in the regular season finale.
 
The MVC Women's Basketball Tournament will be held in St. Louis in 2027 alongside the men's championship bracket. Women's tournament play will start on Mar. 3 with the title matchup set for Sunday, Mar. 7.
 
2026-27 Drake Women's Basketball Conference Schedule
Dec. 18 – Evansville (Des Moines)
Dec. 20 – Southern Illinois (Des Moines)
Dec. 30 – at Bradley (Peoria, Ill.)
Jan. 3 – at Indiana State (Terre Haute, Ind.)
Jan. 7 – at Illinois State (Normal, Ill.)
Jan. 9 – at UIC (Chicago, Ill.)
Jan. 14 – Murray State (Des Moines)
Jan. 16 – Belmont (Des Moines)
Jan. 19 – at Valparaiso (Valparaiso, Ind.)
Jan. 22 – Indiana State (Des Moines)
Jan. 24 – UIC (Des Moines)
Jan. 28 – Illinois State (Des Moines)
Jan. 31 – at UNI (Cedar Falls, Iowa)
Feb. 5 – at Southern Illinois (Carbondale, Ill.)
Feb. 7 – at Murray State (Murray, Ky.)
Feb. 11 – at Belmont (Nashville, Tenn.)
Feb. 13 – at Evansville (Evansville, Ind.)
Feb. 19 – Bradley (Des Moines)
Feb. 21 – Valparaiso (Des Moines)
Feb. 27 – UNI (Des Moines)
 
Drake Women's Basketball season tickets are now available! Secure your seats to witness every game at the Knapp Center here.