Big East announces conference schedule
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
The Big East released its 2013-14 conference schedule on Thursday afternoon. Each school plays 18 league games, nine at home, facing each opponent in the 10-team league twice. Below is Butler’s slate. The Bulldogs are expected to announce their nonconference schedule in the coming days. Scroll to the bottom of this page for analysis.
Tuesday, December 31
Villanova at Butler 7:30 FOX Sports 1
Saturday, Jan. 4
Butler at Xavier 2:00 FSN National
Thursday, Jan. 9
DePaul at Butler 7:00 FOX Sports 1
Saturday, Jan. 11
Georgetown at Butler 5:00 FOX Sports 1
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Butler at Creighton 9:00 FOX Sports 1
Saturday, Jan. 18
Marquette at Butler 2:00 CBSSN
Tuesday, Jan. 21
Butler at Providence 9:00 FOX Sports 1
Saturday, Jan. 25
St. John’s at Butler 4:00 FSN National
Wednesday, Jan. 29
Butler at Seton Hall 9:00 FOX Sports 1
Tuesday, Feb. 4
Butler at Marquette 9:00 FOX Sports 1
Saturday, Feb. 8
Butler at Georgetown 1:00 CBS
Tuesday, Feb. 11
Xavier at Butler 9:00 FOX Sports 1
Thursday, Feb. 13
Creighton at Butler 7:00 CBSSN
Tuesday, Feb. 18
Butler at St. John’s (MSG) 9:00 FOX Sports 1
Sunday, Feb. 23
Providence at Butler 6:00 FOX Sports 1
Wednesday, Feb. 26
Butler at Villanova 8:00 FOX Sports 1
Thursday, March 6
Butler at DePaul 7:00 FOX Sports 1
Saturday, March 8
Seton Hall at Butler 5:00 FOX Sports 1
QUICK THOUGHTS
— Butler starts the Big East season by hosting Villanova and ends it by hosting Seton Hall, games that could have a huge impact on intermediate seeding for the Big East tournament.
— Butler seemed to always face Xavier on ESPN. For the first time in a while, that’s not the case.
— The Bulldogs will play four of their first six at home. It is still a tough stretch. The two road games are at Creighton and Xavier, and Villanova, Marquette and Georgetown visit Hinkle Fieldhouse to give the Bulldogs a Big East initiation.
— Butler’s trip to Marquette sets up well. The Bulldogs will have had five days off to prepare for coach Buzz Williams’ unique sets. It’s a 9 p.m. start, however, which makes it tough on the students getting back for class the next day.
— The Bulldogs are more in the spotlight than they were in the Atlantic 10. Thirteen games are televised on Fox Sports 1, with two on Fox Sports Net, two on CBS Sports Network and one on network television via CBS. With the exception of CBS Sports Network, those are channels available in most basic cable packages.
— There are six games on Tuesday nights. Butler has two Thursday-Saturday combinations and one Tuesday-Thursday stretch. Otherwise, dates are fairly well spaced, easing the new travel burdens placed on the ‘Dawgs.
— From Jan. 29 to Feb. 13, Butler plays three straight road games, followed by home dates with Xavier and Creighton. That’s a brutal two weeks. You’d imagine that whether the Bulldogs can survive that stretch will go a long way toward determining their postseason potential. Jan. 25 at home against St. John’s, ahead of the games at Seton Hall, at Marquette and at Georgetown, is a potential trap game where the Bulldogs can’t get caught looking ahead.
