July 2, 2008

2008-09 Big East Men's Basketball Opponents Matrix

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The 2008-09 University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team will play an 18-game BIG EAST Conference schedule the league announced on Wednesday afternoon. Pitt will face each of the 15 potential league opponents at least one time during the season and play three of those schools two times apiece.

 

Pitt will play nine home games and nine away contests during league regular season competition. Home opponents at the Petersen Events Center will include Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Marquette, Notre Dame, St. John's, South Florida, Syracuse and West Virginia.

 

The Panthers' 2008-09 road opponents include Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Villanova and West Virginia.

 

Pitt's three repeat opponents are Connecticut, DePaul and West Virginia.

 

For the second consecutive season, the Big East will play an 18-game conference schedule. The league expanded to an 18-game regular season prior to the 2007-08 year after eight years with a 16-game format.

 

The Big East Championship is scheduled for March 10-14 at Madison Square Garden. In its new format, all 16 league teams will earn a berth to New York City. To accommodate the additional squads, the tournament will begin with four games on Tuesday, March 10 featuring seeds 9 through 16. Wednesday, March 11's games will feature the winners of the lower seeds vs. seeds 5 through 8. Seeds 1 through 4 will earn a two-day bye and will not play until the Quarterfinals on Thursday, March 12. Semifinals will be played on Friday, March 13 and the Final is scheduled for Saturday, March 14.

 

NCAA Tournament First and Second Round games are scheduled for March 19-22, 2009. First and Second Round sites include: Greensboro, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Portland, Ore.; Boise, Idaho; Dayton, Ohio; Miami, Fla.; and Minneapolis, Minn. NCAA Regionals will be played March 26-29 with the four Regional sites including Boston, Mass.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Indianapolis, Ind.; and Memphis, Tenn. The 2009 Final Four will be played April 4-6 at Detroit's Ford Field.

 

Dates and times will be released on Pitt's schedule when finalized in early September. Pitt's non-conference opponents will be released at a later date.

 

Pitt returns three of its five starters, each of its top three scorers and seven of its top 10 letterwinners from a team that captured the 2008 Big East Tournament championship, finished 27-10 overall and made its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

 

PITT'S 2008-09 BIG EAST OPPONENTS

HOME GAMES (9)

Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Marquette, Notre Dame, St. John's, South Florida, Syracuse, West Virginia.

 

AWAY GAMES (9)

Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Villanova, West Virginia.

 

REPEAT OPPONENTS (3)

Connecticut, DePaul, West Virginia.

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