June 13, 2012
Complete BIG EAST Home, Away and Repeat Opponent Grid
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The BIG EAST Conference has announced repeat opponents for the league's 15 women's basketball teams, while also determining the home/away league schedule for the 2012-13 season.
The format for regular-season league play is a 16-game schedule. Each team plays 16 conference games - hosting six opponents at home and playing at six opponents, while having two repeat opponents where both a home and away game will be played. Each member has a total of eight home and eight away games. The rationale in determining the repeat opponents is to provide additional quality television inventory, for competitive issues/RPI implications as well as geographic rivalries/minimizing travel costs.
DePaul has been selected to play Louisville and Pittsburgh twice during the upcoming season. In 2011-12, the Blue Demons and Cardinals squared-off twice with each team winning on its home court. Next season marks the first time that DePaul is scheduled to play Pittsburgh twice during the regular season.
The Blue Demons are scheduled to host Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall and USF while they will travel to Cincinnati, Connecticut, Marquette, St. John's, Syracuse and Villanova.
Notre Dame won the regular-season title last year in the BIG EAST. The Fighting Irish's repeat opponents this season are Connecticut and Providence. UConn, which won the BIG EAST Championship title, will play Marquette twice in addition to the Irish. St. John's finished second in the league last year and will have local rivals Seton Hall and Rutgers as repeat opponents.
"We are coming off a great season that showcased the continued growth and depth of our conference," said Danielle Donehew, BIG EAST Associate Commissioner for Women's Basketball. "The continued use of the 16-game schedule model allows us to display the impressive play throughout the conference. The second repeat opponent will help balance the competitive fairness within the league, while creating exciting matchups for television."
The BIG EAST had 12 of its women's basketball teams continue to the postseason with eight teams selected to the NCAA Championship and four to the WNIT. In the first 14 games of the postseason, the Conference had a strong showing, posting a 13-1 record. The BIG EAST was again well-represented in the Final Four as Connecticut and Notre Dame advanced to play each other in the semifinals. It was the sixth-straight year a BIG EAST school has advanced to the Final Four and the third time in the last four years that the BIG EAST had two representatives. Nine BIG EAST teams, including DePaul, reached the 20-win plateau while two teams collected 30 or more victories.
The BIG EAST was a combined 159-55 (.743) vs. nonconference opponents during the regular season - the seventh-straight year the league remained above .700.
DePaul 2012-13 BIG EAST Home, Away and Repeat Opponents
Home: Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, USF
Away: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Marquette, St. John's, Syracuse, Villanova
Repeat Opponents: Louisville, Pittsburgh
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