Projo College Hoops

By KEVIN McNAMARA

If the Big East's coach's poll holds true to form, the schedule maker was pretty kind to the Providence Friars.

Using the coach's poll as a guide, the Friars have the second-easiest conference schedule. The major determining factor is the three teams assigned as double opponents in league play. The Friars will play Syracuse (picked sixth), Marquette (12th) and South Florida (14th) twice each and every other Big East school once, for a total of 18 games. The combined number of the repeat foes (32) is the second highest in the league.

The Big East attempts to divide its 16 teams into three rough tiers when it sets out to determine the repeat opponents. Within reason - and after listening to the wishes of their TV partners at CBS and ESPN - the league assigns every team a repeat opponent from each tier. PC, for example, plays an upper tier team in Syracuse; a middle team in Marquette; and a lower tier team in South Florida.

Speaking of the Bulls, they seem to be the team that did not make out too well in the process. While USF does not play an upper tier team (Notre Dame, Cincinnati, PC) its combined strength number ranks 11th overall. That's a bit of a swing from the 14th position the Bulls were pegged by the Big East's coaches.

Here is the complete ranking of schedule strength, according to the above formula:

T 1. Villanova
T 1. UConn
T 3. West Virginia
T 3. Louisville
T 5. Georgetown
T 5. Syracuse
7. Pittsburgh
8. Notre Dame
9. Cincinnati
10. Seton Hall
11. South Florida
12. St. John's
13. Marquette
14. Rutgers
15. PROVIDENCE
16. DePaul

 Tags  Providence College

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