The BIG EAST Conference announced this afternoon the final decisions on which opponents each school will play home and away in men's basketball for the 2012-13 season. Thanks to the sudden departure of West Virginia from the conference, each member of the (temporarily) 15-team league will play four opponents twice this season.
The 135 game regular-season conference schedule has each team will set to play either nine or 10 out of 18 league games against teams that appeared in last Spring's NCAA tournament (Villanova will play 10). All 135 regular-season conference games will be televised, either by the ESPN family of networks or CBS Sports.
The decisions regarding repeat opponents are driven by a poll of coaches taken at the end of the season, which divides the league into tiers to produce competitive match-ups and scheduling, and it is influenced, "within the parameters of television selections and geographic rivalries."
For Villanova, the four repeat-opponents will be Pittsburgh, Providence, South Florida and Syracuse. This is the second consecutive year in which Villanova will face USF at home and on the road.
The full 2012-13 conference schedule with dates, times and television selections was not announced. The Big East expects to announce those in September, around the same time as the Wildcats’ release a completed 2012-13 men’s basketball schedule.
2012-13 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Schedule Breakdown
| CINCINNATI | |
| Home | Connecticut, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, St. John’s, USF, Villanova |
| Away | Connecticut, DePaul, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Syracuse |
| CONNECTICUT | |
| Home | Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Providence, Rutgers, USF, Syracuse, Villanova |
| Away | Cincinnati, DePaul, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, USF |
| DE PAUL | |
| Home | Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova |
| Away | Connecticut, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, USF, Syracuse |
| GEORGETOWN | |
| Home | DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall,Syracuse |
| Away | Cincinnati, Connecticut, Marquette, Notre Dame, Rutgers, St. John’s, USF, Syracuse, Villanova |
| LOUISVILLE | |
| Home | Cincinnati, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, USF,Syracuse |
| Away | Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Seton Hall, USF, Syracuse, Villanova |
| MARQUETTE | |
| Home | Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall,USF, Syracuse |
| Away | Cincinnati, Georgetown, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, USF, Villanova |
| NOTRE DAME | |
| Home | Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova |
| Away | Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, USF, Syracuse |
| PITTSBURGH | |
| Home | Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Marquette, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, USF, Syracuse,Villanova |
| Away | Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s,Villanova |
| PROVIDENCE | |
| Home | Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Seton Hall,Syracuse, Villanova |
| Away | Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Rutgers, Seton Hall, USF, Syracuse,Villanova |
| RUTGERS | |
| Home | Cincinnati, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, USF |
| Away | Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Notre Dame, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Villanova |
| ST. JOHN’S | |
| Home | Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, USF |
| Away | Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, Syracuse, Villanova |
| SETON HALL | |
| Home | Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Marquette, Providence, Rutgers, USF, Syracuse, Villanova |
| Away | DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence,Rutgers, St. John’s |
| USF | |
| Home | Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, Syracuse, Villanova |
| Away | Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova |
| SYRACUSE | |
| Home | Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s,Villanova |
| Away | Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall, USF, Villanova |
| VILLANOVA | |
| Home | Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, USF,Syracuse |
| Away | Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall, USF,Syracuse |
Each school’s four repeat opponents are in italics