BIG EAST Releases WBB Home and Away Schedule
Apr 29 | Women's Basketball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The BIG EAST Conference has announced the home and away opponents for the 2008-09 women's basketball season. The league chose to maintain the same repeat opponents from the 2007-08 season for the upcoming year, balancing the home and away cycle.
Each team will play a 16-game schedule, playing one opponent in a home-and-home series, while facing each of the 14 other league members once. The schedule results in eight home games and eight road contests for each BIG EAST school.
Rutgers posted a 27-7 overall record and a 14-2 mark in BIG EAST Conference play last season, advancing to its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance and tenth tourney showing in 13 seasons under head coach C. Vivian Stringer. One of 12 BIG EAST teams to advance to postseason play, RU reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.
The Scarlet Knights, ranked seventh in the final Associated Press Top-25 poll and sixth in the closing ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, will play Connecticut twice, facing off in Piscataway and on the Huskies' home court. UConn finished No. 1 in the AP poll and No. 3 in the coaches' rankings, defeating Rutgers in the Greensboro Regional Final to earn a berth in the Final Four.
The Scarlet Knights' seven other home opponents will be Cincinnati, Georgetown, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, USF and West Virginia. Marquette won the 2008 WNIT title while Pittsburgh and West Virginia were ranked No. 16 and No. 20 in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
Rutgers will play road games against DePaul, Louisville, Notre Dame, St. John's, Seton Hall, Syracuse and Villanova. Louisville and Notre Dame each made appearances in the Sweet Sixteen.
The Scarlet Knights return seven players from last year's squad and welcome a transfer and five incoming freshmen to the fold. The RU five-member recruiting class was ranked third-best in the nation by both hoopgurlz.com and All-Star Girls Report. Rutgers is ranked in a pair of early pre-season polls, fourth by ESPN.com and fifth by Sports Illustrated.
