New Jersey games top ISU women's basketball's non-MVC schedule

A pair of first-ever games in New Jersey await the 2026-27 Indiana State women’s basketball team.

Third-year coach Marc Mitchell’s rebuilt Sycamore squad will travel to his home state of New Jersey for games at Seton Hall in South Orange on Nov. 6 and at Rutgers in Piscataway on Nov. 8. Those will be the first games against a New Jersey opponent in program history, according to ISU sports information.

Mitchell is a native of Elizabeth, N.J., and began his coaching career at Elizabeth High School.

ISU announced the Sycamores’ non-Missouri Valley Conference schedule on Wednesday afternoon.

It includes 12 game non-conference contests, with five home games inside Hulman Center and seven road contests. Five of the Sycamores’ seven road contests are within a four-hour radius of Terre Haute, with the other two road games being part of a northeastern swing for the Sycamores. ISU is coming off a 2025-26 in which the Sycamores finished with records of 10-22 overall and 5-15 in the MVC.

ISU opens its 2026-27 season with a three-game road trip, beginning at Northern Illinois on Nov. 2. The Sycamores defeated the Huskies last season in Terre Haute behind a strong opening quarter.

ISU follows with the New Jersey trip, and then starts is home schedule Nov. 10 against IU Indy, opening a three-game homestand which includes visits from Wright State on Nov. 13 and Bellarmine on Nov. 17. Indiana State nearly overcame a double-digit deficit last season against IU Indy, while Mitchell’s first win at the helm of the Sycamores came against Wright State in the 2024-25 season.

ISU plays at Southeast Missouri State on Nov. 19, then returns to Hulman Center to face Chicago State on Nov. 29 and SIU Edwardsville on Dec. 2. The Sycamores last played Southeast Missouri State in the 2024-25 season, an ISU win. Indiana State last played Chicago State in the 2022-23 season, defeating the Cougars by 25, while the Trees fell on the road at SIU Edwardsville last season.

The Trees’ non-conference slate closes with three straight road games. On Dec. 6, the Sycamores play at Miami (Ohio), the defending Mid-American Conference champion and an NCAA Tournament team last season. Indiana State and Miami (Ohio) last played in the 2017-18 season in Terre Haute. The Sycamores continue their long rivalry with Eastern Illinois on Dec. 9 at Charleston. ISU beat EIU 90-69 last season in Terre Haute. ISU concludes its non-conference slate by paying a visit to Butler for the third straight season Dec. 13.

The Sycamores’ 20-game Missouri Valley Conference schedule, along with tipoff times and broadcast information for the full 2026-27 schedule, will be announced at a later date.

Mitchell’s 2026-27 roster includes 13 newcomers, including one freshman, seven junior-college transfers and five four-year college transfers from 10 different states (Alabama, Arizona, California, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Texas and Wisconsin). The roster includes seven guards, three forwards and three centers.

ISU has returnees in Jayci Allen and Amerie Flowers.

Flowers averaged 7.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season, ranking in the top 15 in the MVC in rebounds despite playing just 15 minutes per contest. Allen was among the top 3-point shooters in the conference in 2025-26, averaging 9.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while leading the Sycamores with 50 3-pointers.