In a 16-team conference where you play 18 league games, the combination of opponents you get twice can make or break your tournament hopes. Just ask Providence, who went 10-8 last year, and West Virginia, who had the same mark.
If you're a Big East fan, you may want to check out this year's league schedule, just released by the conference office. The page also includes a link to the non-conference TV schedule. (It's the 2009-10 Composite Schedule link.)
I'll talk a little more about the Big East schedule in my 2009-10 travel plans post tomorrow evening. (I have a lot of schedules to look at between now and then.) In the meantime, I'm interested in hearing what you Big East fans out there have to say about your team's chances, now that the road map is out there.