Late last week, the Big East released the outline for its conference basketball schedule. We know who will be traveling where and which schools are playing each other twice (only three times for each team).
Katz has weighed in on who he thinks is toughest. And with many people thinking Villanova and West Virginia are clear runaway favorites (I am not sold on this), the two will have a home-and-home to showcase the hype (if it still exists) next season. The exact dates of these games have not yet been set.
But UConn, who has to play Cincinnati (underrated), Louisville (it will dip) and Notre Dame (watch them play beyond expectations) seems to have the “toughest” schedule. With only three double dip games on every team’s schedule, arguing this is perhaps a bit frivolous.
Providence will get the benefit of having the biggest draws in the conference come to its house, which will give Keno Davis a chance to get a few more big wins under his belt in his sophomore season at PC.
Here’s the slate for some the 16 squads, lifted from the Big East’s official Web site. Teams in italics are repeats.
Connecticut
Home: Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Seton Hall, West Virginia
Away: Cincinnati, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, USF, Syracuse, Villanova
Georgetown
Home: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, USF, Syracuse, Villanova
Away: DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia
Louisville
Home: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Rutgers, St. John’s, USF, Syracuse, Villanova
Away: Connecticut, DePaul, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Syracuse, West Virginia
Notre Dame
Home: Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, USF, Syracuse, West Virginia
Away: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Rutgers, Seton Hall, USF, Villanova
Syracuse
Home: Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, USF, Villanova
Away: Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, West Virginia
Villanova
Home: Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, Seton Hall, USF, West Virginia
Away: Cincinnati, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse, West Virginia
West Virginia
Home: Cincinnati, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Villanova
Away: Connecticut, DePaul, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, USF, Villanova
