For the second consecutive season, the Troy women’s basketball team will host an SEC opponent.

In a press release, Troy released its 2013-14 basketball schedule which is highlighted by a visit from the University of Florida on December 4.

The Trojans will face another SEC team in Tennessee on the road on December 14.

Head coach Chanda Rigby says the tough schedule is a product of the new Sun Belt Conference Tournament format.

“Once we learned that not every team in the Sun Belt will qualify for the tournament, using our non-conference schedule to prepare for conference competitions became critical,” Rigby said in a release.  “With that being said, we start off in November with six good teams that we feel we can be immediately competitive with. We need to win those games to gain confidence and poise.”

Troy will play Alabama State on the road to open the season on Nov. 8 before opening its home slate with Tennessee State on Nov. 11.

Troy plays Alabama, its third SEC opponent of the season, in December.

In the new 18-game, double round-robin regular season schedule, every Sun Belt team will visit Trojan Arena including new league members Georgia State, Texas State and UT Arlington.

In total, the Trojans will play 15 home games this season.