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2011-12 BIG EAST CONFERENCE COMPOSITE MEN’S BASKETBALL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

The BIG EAST basketball conference released their 2011-2012 composite Men’s Basketball Schedule this afternoon. All 144 conference games will be televised either nationally or be ESPN regional. With an incredible 91 percent of all conference games in 2011-12 including a team that played in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, more than half of the league games will be televised nationally by ESPN or CBS.

It is the fifth consecutive season that all 144 league games will be televised.

“Last year’s historic success proved once again that the BIG EAST Conference continues to be among the most competitive conferences in the country from top to bottom,” said BIG EAST Commissioner John Marinatto in a statement released by the league today. “With a record 11 teams earning their way into last year’s NCAA Championship, our coaches and players reaffirmed the fact that BIG EAST basketball and excellence are synonymous. Our schools continue to take great advantage of the unparalleled media exposure they are afforded annually from both ESPN and CBS Sports – which is one of the reasons why we are confident that the 2011-12 season will be as exciting as any in our history.”

Some of the highlights of the 2011-12 schedule include noted by the conference press release:

Big Monday – The BIG EAST schedule on ESPN’s Big Monday includes eight games over seven weeks. The series starts with a doubleheader on Jan. 16, the Martin Luther King Day holiday. Louisville plays at Marquette at 3:30 p.m. ET and Pittsburgh plays at Syracuse at 7:30 p.m. Every team that appears on Big Monday this season played in the NCAA Championship last March. Cincinnati will host a Big Monday for the first time. The Bearcats will play Syracuse at Fifth Third Arena on Jan. 23. All games on the Big Monday schedule also will be available on ESPN3.com. Prior to the official Big Monday schedule, West Virginia will play at Connecticut on ESPN2 on Monday, Jan. 9. Four other conference games will be shown on Mondays on ESPNU.

Wednesdays – Like last year, ESPN or ESPN2 will show 10 Wednesday games involving BIG EAST teams during the 10-week conference season. The Wednesday schedule begins Dec. 28 with Georgetown at Louisville on ESPN2. Thirteen different BIG EAST teams will be featured on the Wednesday games.

Saturdays – ESPN or ESPN2 will telecast 13 BIG EAST games on Saturdays during the conference season. The Saturday schedule includes a doubleheader on the final day of the regular season, March 3, when Pittsburgh visits Connecticut and Cincinnati plays at Villanova on ESPN2. The BIG EAST Network Game of the Week package continues on Saturdays and Sundays.

Sundays – ESPN or ESPN2 will carry four league games on Sundays, the most ever. On Feb. 5, Villanova visits Pittsburgh. St. John’s travels to Georgetown on Feb. 12. On Feb. 19, ESPN has a doubleheader with Syracuse at Rutgers on ESPN and USF at Pittsburgh on ESPN2.

CBS Sports — The nine-game schedule on CBS Sports features nine different BIG EAST squads. The first of five conference games will be Marquette at Notre Dame on Feb. 4. On March 3, the final day of the regular season, Louisville plays at Syracuse. Louisville will make the first two BIG EAST appearances on CBS Sports when the Cardinals host Memphis Dec. 17 and play at Kentucky Dec. 31. The other non-league games are Connecticut at Tennessee on Jan. 21 and UCLA at St. John’s on Feb. 18. The BIG EAST and CBS Sports have been formal television partners since 1983-84, the longest relationship of any conference and national broadcast network.

ESPN College GameDay – The BIG EAST will be the only conference scheduled to host ESPN’s signature College GameDay series at two sites. On Jan. 21 in Pittsburgh, the Petersen Events Center will host the GameDay crew and the Panthers’ playing Louisville. On Feb. 25, Connecticut will be the host to ESPN and Syracuse at Gampel Pavilion.

ESPN Rivalry Week – The BIG EAST again will own the most appearances on the network’s Rivalry Week. Nine BIG EAST games will appear on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. The week begins on Feb. 6, with Connecticut at Louisville in a Big Monday battle. Two nights later, Georgetown and Syracuse renew what is arguably the BIG EAST’s most storied rivalry in the Carrier Dome on ESPN2.

Holiday Week – The BIG EAST league schedule opens Dec. 27 with two games. Pittsburgh, the 2010-11 BIG EAST regular-season champion, plays at Notre Dame on ESPN2. Providence, under Ed Cooley, the league’s only new head coach this season, plays at St. John’s. On Dec. 29, ESPN2 has a pair of BIG EAST clubs playing at home against non-conference opponents. Rutgers hosts Florida and Marquette meets Vanderbilt. ESPNU also has a non-conference battle that evening. It will televise Cincinnati’s home contest against Oklahoma. Louisville plays at Kentucky on CBS Sports on Dec. 31. Four conference games will be played on New Year’s Day, including Villanova at Marquette on ESPNU.

Jimmy V Classic – The BIG EAST will participate in both games of this year’s Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 6 at Madison Square Garden. ESPN will televise Villanova versus Missouri followed by Marquette against Washington.

SEC-BIG EAST Challenge – The SEC-BIG EAST Challenge, which was previously announced, will match 12 teams from each conference over three nights, Dec. 1-3. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will provide exclusive coverage.

NBA All-Star Weekend Game – A BIG EAST game has become an ESPN staple on the Friday night of the NBA All-Star Weekend. This season, Marquette will play at West Virginia on Feb. 24.

Here is the FULL 2011-2012 BIG EAST Conference Schedule:

Tuesday, Dec. 27
Pittsburgh at Notre Dame 7 p.m. ESPN2
Providence at St. John’s

Wednesday, Dec. 28
Georgetown at Louisville 7 p.m. ESPN2
Connecticut at USF
Villanova at West Virginia
Seton Hall at Syracuse

Friday, Dec. 30
West Virginia at Seton Hall 9 p.m. ESPN2

Saturday, Dec. 31
Providence at Georgetown 2 p.m. ESPN2
St. John’s at Connecticut

Sunday, Jan. 1
Villanova at Marquette 1 p.m. ESPNU
Rutgers at USF
Syracuse at DePaul
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh

Tuesday, Jan. 3
Louisville at St. John’s 7 p.m. ESPNU
Connecticut at Seton Hall

Wednesday, Jan. 4
Marquette at Georgetown 7 p.m. ESPNU
Notre Dame at Cincinnati
West Virginia at Rutgers
Syracuse at Providence

Thursday, Jan. 5
Pittsburgh at DePaul 7 p.m. ESPN2
USF at Villanova

Saturday, Jan. 7
Notre Dame at Louisville 4 p.m. ESPNU
Georgetown at West Virginia
St. John’s at Cincinnati
Marquette at Syracuse
Seton Hall at Providence
Connecticut at Rutgers

Sunday, Jan. 8
DePaul at Villanova

Monday, Jan. 9
West Virginia at Connecticut 7 p.m. ESPN2
Cincinnati at Georgetown 9 p.m. ESPNU

Tuesday, Jan. 10
Louisville at Providence 7 p.m. ESPN2
USF at Notre Dame
DePaul at Seton Hall

Wednesday, Jan. 11
St. John’s at Marquette 7 p.m. ESPNU
Syracuse at Villanova 7 p.m. ESPN2
Rutgers at Pittsburgh

Friday, Jan. 13
Seton Hall at USF

Saturday, Jan. 14
Connecticut at Notre Dame 11 a.m. ESPN2
Pittsburgh at Marquette 2 p.m. ESPNU
Villanova at Cincinnati
Rutgers at West Virginia
DePaul at Louisville
Providence at Syracuse

Sunday, Jan. 15
Georgetown at St. John’s

Monday, Jan. 16
Louisville at Marquette 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Pittsburgh at Syracuse 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Notre Dame at Rutgers 9 p.m. ESPNU

Tuesday, Jan. 17
Georgetown at DePaul 7 p.m. ESPN2

Wednesday, Jan. 18
Cincinnati at Connecticut 7 p.m. ESPN2
Seton Hall at Villanova 7 p.m. ESPNU
St. John’s at USF

Saturday, Jan. 21
Villanova at St. John’s 1 p.m. ESPNU
Cincinnati at West Virginia 3 p.m. ESPNU
Syracuse at Notre Dame 6 p.m. ESPN
Louisville at Pittsburgh 9 p.m. ESPN
Rutgers at Georgetown
Marquette at Providence

Sunday, Jan. 22
USF at DePaul

Monday, Jan. 23
Syracuse at Cincinnati 7 p.m. ESPN

Tuesday, Jan. 24
USF at Marquette

Wednesday, Jan. 25
Villanova at Louisville 7 p.m. ESPN
West Virginia at St. John’s 7 p.m. ESPNU
Providence at Pittsburgh
DePaul at Rutgers
Notre Dame at Seton Hall

Saturday, Jan. 28
Marquette at Villanova Noon ESPN/ESPN2
West Virginia at Syracuse 1 p.m. ESPNU
Georgetown at Pittsburgh 4 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2
Cincinnati at Rutgers
Louisville at Seton Hall

Sunday, Jan. 29
Notre Dame at Connecticut
Providence at USF

Monday, Jan. 30
Pittsburgh at West Virginia 7 p.m. ESPN

Tuesday, Jan. 31
Seton Hall at Marquette

Wednesday, Feb. 1
Connecticut at Georgetown 7 p.m. ESPN2
Rutgers at Providence 7 p.m. ESPNU
St. John’s at DePaul

Saturday, Feb. 4
USF at Georgetown 11 a.m. ESPNU
Syracuse at St. John’s Noon ESPN/ESPN2
Marquette at Notre Dame 1 p.m. CBS
Seton Hall at Connecticut
Rutgers at Louisville
DePaul at Cincinnati

Sunday, Feb. 5
West Virginia at Providence
Villanova at Pittsburgh 2 p.m. ESPN

Monday, Feb. 6
Connecticut at Louisville 7 p.m. ESPN
Marquette at DePaul 9 p.m. ESPNU

Tuesday, Feb. 7
Providence at Villanova

Wednesday, Feb. 8
Cincinnati at St. John’s 7 p.m. ESPNU
Georgetown at Syracuse 7 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2
Seton Hall at Rutgers 9 p.m. ESPN2
Notre Dame at West Virginia 9 p.m. ESPNU
Pittsburgh at USF

Saturday, Feb. 11
Louisville at West Virginia Noon ESPN
Connecticut at Syracuse 1 p.m. CBS
Cincinnati at Marquette 3 p.m. ESPNU
DePaul at Notre Dame
USF at Providence

Sunday, Feb. 12
St. John’s at Georgetown 1 p.m. ESPN
Pittsburgh at Seton Hall

Monday, Feb. 13
Syracuse at Louisville 7 p.m. ESPN

Tuesday, Feb. 14
St. John’s at Seton Hall

Wednesday, Feb. 15
Rutgers at Notre Dame 7 p.m. ESPNU
Villanova at USF 7 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2
Providence at Cincinnati 9 p.m. ESPNU
DePaul at Connecticut

Thursday, Feb. 16
West Virginia at Pittsburgh 9 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2

Saturday, Feb. 18
Marquette at Connecticut Noon ESPN/ESPN2
Notre Dame at Villanova 7 p.m./9 p.m. ESPNU
Louisville at DePaul
Georgetown at Providence
Seton Hall at Cincinnati

Sunday, Feb. 19
Syracuse at Rutgers 1 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2
USF at Pittsburgh 7 p.m. ESPN2

Monday, Feb. 20
Connecticut at Villanova 7 p.m. ESPN
DePaul at St. John’s 9 p.m. ESPNU

Tuesday, Feb. 21
Georgetown at Seton Hall

Wednesday, Feb. 22
West Virginia at Notre Dame 7 p.m. ESPN2
USF at Syracuse
Rutgers at Marquette

Thursday, Feb. 23
Louisville at Cincinnati 9 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2

Friday, Feb. 24
Marquette at West Virginia 9 p.m. ESPN

Saturday, Feb. 25
Notre Dame at St. John’s Noon ESPN
Villanova at Georgetown 2 p.m. CBS
Rutgers at Seton Hall 5 p.m. ESPNU
Syracuse at Connecticut 9 p.m. ESPN
Providence at DePaul

Sunday, Feb. 26
Pittsburgh at Louisville 2 p.m. CBS
Cincinnati at USF

Monday, Feb. 27
Notre Dame at Georgetown 7 p.m. ESPN

Tuesday, Feb. 28
Connecticut at Providence
DePaul at West Virginia

Wednesday, Feb. 29
Marquette at Cincinnati 7 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2
St. John’s at Pittsburgh 7 p.m. ESPNU
USF at Louisville

Thursday, March 1
Villanova at Rutgers 9 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2

Friday, March 2
Providence at Notre Dame

Saturday, March 3
Pittsburgh at Connecticut Noon ESPN/ESPN2
Cincinnati at Villanova 2 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2
Louisville at Syracuse 4 p.m. CBS
West Virginia at USF
Georgetown at Marquette
Seton Hall at DePaul
St. John’s at Rutgers

Note: All conference games not listed with CBS, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU above will be televised either by ESPN Regional/BIG EAST Network, or ESPN3.com. Games listed as ‘ESPN/ESPN2’ will be selected to either ESPN or ESPN2, but the start time will not change.