JOHNSON CITY — Once again, East Tennessee State women's basketball coach Brittney Ezell is testing her team early on. The Bucs open the season Friday at 7 p.m. at Cincinnati and then head to Michigan State for a 1 p.m. game on Sunday. ETSU defeated Cincinnati 87-77 in last season’s opener in Johnson City and later pushed Michigan State to overtime. With both those games on the road and then another at Radford the following Thursday, it will be the third week of the season before the Bucs play their first home game against Troy at Brooks Gym. After the Bucs finished 21-13 with a Women's NIT appearance, ETSU was picked as the co-favorites with Mercer in the Southern Conference coaches poll.