ABILENE - Abilene Christian women's basketball looks to build upon the success of its winningest season since 2020 as it released its 2025-26 schedule on Wednesday. The Wildcats will play 13 nonconference matchups ahead of an 18-game Western Athletic Conference schedule.
ACU's WAC slate takes on a new look this season, with the Wildcats meeting each of their six league opponents three times. It's a shift from last season's WAC schedule that saw ACU play 16 games and face the conference's eight other teams at home and on the road. Grand Canyon and Seattle U have since departed from the WAC.
The Wildcats will tune up for the 2025-26 campaign with a pair of exhibition matchups at Moody Coliseum, hosting Lubbock Christian on Oct. 19 and Houston Christian on Oct. 25.
The season tips off on Nov. 3 as ACU meets Howard Payne at Moody Coliseum. The Wildcats host Incarnate Word on Nov. 7, aiming for their fifth consecutive victory over the Cardinals. ACU closes out the homestand on Nov. 11 against UT Rio Grande Valley, who it has won three straight against.
The Wildcats then hit the road for a pair of matchups, traveling to Nacogdoches on Nov. 14 to play Stephen F. Austin before taking on North Texas in Denton on Nov. 19.
The Ladyjacks are the reigning Southland Conference champions and went 29-6 in 2024-25 with a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, North Texas built a 25-9 record with a 15-3 mark in American Athletic Conference play. Like ACU, Incarnate Word and North Texas both competed in last season's Women's National Invitation Tournament.
The Purple and White head to the Sunshine State over Thanksgiving Break to take part in the
Elevance Health Women's Fort Myers Tip-Off at Florida SouthWestern State College. ACU meets Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern on Nov. 28 before playing Bradley on Nov. 29. It marks the Wildcats' first-ever matchup with both opponents.
Northwestern is led by legendary head coach Joe McKeown, who enters his 18th season in Evanston, Ill. and 40th season as a head coach before retiring at the end of the year. The Big Ten's winningest active women's basketball coach boasts 777 career victories and ranks in the top 20 for most all-time wins at the Division I level.
Together, ACU head coach
Julie Goodenough and McKeown have combined for over 1,300 career victories with nearly 70 years of experience between the two.
The Wildcats return to Moody Coliseum on Dec. 2 to face local neighbor McMurry ahead of a Dec. 6 road game versus East Texas A&M in Commerce. On Dec. 14, ACU heads west to meet Texas Tech, its second power conference opponent of the nonconference slate, at Odessa College.
The Wildcats welcome Montana and Buffalo to Abilene for the ACU Christmas Classic, their first home tournament as a Division I program. They battle the Lady Griz on Dec. 19 and the Bulls on Dec. 20. Buffalo is coming off a program-record 30-win season in which it won the WNIT.
ACU caps its nonconference schedule with a Dec. 29 date versus Nelson University at Moody Coliseum.
The Wildcats ring in the new year in the mountains, where they visit Utah Tech and Utah Valley on Jan. 1 and Jan. 3, respectively, to open the WAC slate. ACU returns to Moody Coliseum to face a pair of in-state foes, meeting Tarleton State on Jan. 8 and UT Arlington on Jan. 10.
ACU makes its way back to the West Coast on Jan. 15 to take on California Baptist before returning to Abilene on Jan. 17 versus Southern Utah. The Wildcats continue their I-20 rivalry with Tarleton State at Moody Coliseum on Jan. 24 ahead of a trip back to Utah, where it meets Utah Tech on Jan. 29 and Southern Utah on Jan. 31.
The Wildcats host Utah Valley and California Baptist on Feb. 5 and Feb. 7, respectively, before their final extended road trip of the regular season. They meet UT Arlington in the Metroplex on Feb. 12, then play their first game at Tarleton State's EECU Center on Feb. 14. ACU finishes up the road swing on Feb. 22 at Southern Utah.
ACU hosts a trio of out-of-state opponents at Moody Coliseum in its final homestand of the season, beginning with Utah Tech on Feb. 26 and Utah Valley on Feb. 28. The Wildcats will battle California Baptist in their final regular season home game on March 5.
The Wildcats wrap up the regular season at UT Arlington on March 7, then make their way to Las Vegas to compete in the WAC Tournament at Orleans Arena on March 11-14.
ACU is on the heels of its deepest postseason run in the program's 12-year Division I era after reaching the WNIT's Super 16 last season. The Wildcats built a 22-13 record with a 9-7 mark in WAC play, good for their most victories, highest overall winning percentage and highest conference winning percentage since 2020.
Single game tickets for ACU men's and women's basketball go on sale Aug. 4, while season tickets become available on Sept. 1.
