We Interrupt the Marshall Bashing

For a quick look at the basketball schedule that was just announced. Giddy up. Brian Messerly has a nice recap (and the full slate) of the schedule here.

Some quick tidbits if you're too lazy to click on the story:

This year, the BIG EAST returns to an 18-game league schedule after playing a 16-game slate for the last eight seasons. The 18-game format will allow teams to play each opponent once and three teams twice. West Virginia will play home and home games with Pitt, Providence and St. John’s.

West Virginia will open the season at home with a pair of games in the Legends Classic, beginning on Friday, Nov. 16. WVU’s two opponents at home in the Legends Classic have not yet been determined. In the final two games of the Legends Classic in Newark, N.J., the Mountaineers will face Texas, Tennessee or New Mexico State.

West Virginia will have at least 10 games on ESPN or ESPN2 this season. The nationally-televised games will be Notre Dame, Marquette, Louisville, Georgetown, Pitt (twice), Rutgers, DePaul, Auburn and Oklahoma. The BIG EAST championship will be televised by ESPN.