July 14 – The rivalries are intact.

For the second straight year, the Syracuse men’s basketball team will play home-and-home series against Connecticut and Villanova – two of the four teams that earned No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament last season.

The Big East released opponents today. The dates are expected to be released in September.

The Orange will also face St. John’s twice. SU will play every other team once except Seton Hall and West Virginia, the two teams it does not face all year.

The breakdown:

HOME: Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Villanova

AWAY: Connecticut, Louisville, Marquette, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, South Florida, Villanova

In 2007-08, the third year of the expanded league, the Big East will switch to an 18-game conference slate, with each team playing 12 opponents once and three opponents twice.

Published on August 7, 2006 at 12:00 pm