DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton women's basketball program has announced its 2016-17 non-conference schedule. The Flyers will compete against the reigning National Champions, three 2015-16 NCAA Tournament participants, and two nationally ranked teams.

"I feel like the 2016-17 schedule will be the most challenging we have ever played in my 14 years here," said head coach Jim Jabir. "The number of BCS schools and the level of competition, from UConn to Texas A&M to Georgia Tech, will be very challenging. Our goal is to win Atlantic 10 Championships and to get a great seed in the NCAA Tournament. We feel this is the best way to get that done."

Dayton opens the 2016-17 preseason with a home exhibition game on Nov. 6 against Grand Valley State.

The regular season opener is on Sunday, Nov. 13 at home against Quinnipiac at 2 p.m. Then the Flyers will go on to face Wisconsin (Nov. 16) and Princeton (Nov. 19) on the road.

The road stint continues over the holidays as Dayton squares off against defending National Champions Connecticut on Nov. 22 in Storrs. The Flyers leave from there to compete in the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas, where UD faces Georgia Tech and either Missouri or Creighton, depending on the outcome of game one.

The Flyers return home for a pair of games in the confines of UD Arena. UD hosts Morgan State (Dec. 2) and Toledo (Dec. 9).

Two more away tournaments wrap up the non-conference schedule in December. Dayton will face No. 19 Texas A&M and Old Dominion in Orlando at the Florida Sunshine Classic on Dec. 20-21. The Flyers return to action after the Christmas break with games against Liberty and Virginia in the Cavalier Classic on Dec. 28-29 in Charlottesville, Va.

Dayton is coming off a 2015-16 season in which it made its ninth-consecutive postseason berth. The Flyers are entering this year with a veteran squad consisting of three seniors, five total upperclassmen, and all but the freshmen having NCAA postseason experience. Junior Jenna Burdette and senior Saicha Grant-Allen started all 29 games last year for the Flyers while sophomore Lauren Cannatelli was third on the team with 21 starts in 29 appearances. Burdette earned Third Team All-Conference honors last season with Cannatelli taking home A-10 Rookie of the Year accolades.

The Atlantic 10 portion of the schedule will be announced at a later date. The pairings have been announced with Dayton playing La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, Saint Joseph's, Duquesne, George Washington, and Saint Louis at home. The Flyers will go on the road to face Davidson, Fordham, George Mason, St. Bonaventure, VCU, Duquesne, George Washington, and Saint Louis.

For more information and the full schedule, check back at DaytonFlyers.