West Virginia University's 2008-09 men's basketball schedule, including dates for the Mountaineers' 18-game Big East schedule, was announced Thursday.

For the second year in a row, the Big East will play an 18-game format that allows teams to play each opponent once and three teams twice. West Virginia will play home-and-home games with Pitt, Louisville and South Florida.

Big East schools visiting Morgantown will be Connecticut (Jan. 6), South Florida (Jan. 17), Pitt (Jan. 25), St. John's (Jan. 28), Providence (Feb. 7), Villanova (Feb. 13), Notre Dame (Feb. 18), DePaul (March 4) and Louisville (March 7).

The Mountaineers will open Big East play at Seton Hall on Jan. 3.

The Mountaineers will play 13 nonconference games, including four in the Las Vegas Invitational. West Virginia will play Longwood at home (Nov. 20) and Delaware State in Charleston (Nov. 25) before traveling to Las Vegas to play games against Iowa (Nov. 28) and either Kansas State or Kentucky (Nov. 29).

WVU also has nonconference road games at Mississippi (Dec. 3), Duquesne (Dec. 13) and Ohio State (Dec. 27), along with a game against Davidson on Dec. 9 in the Jimmy V Classic at New York's Madison Square Garden.

In 2009-10, Mississippi and Ohio State will return the games to Morgantown.

WVU opens the regular season Nov. 15 at home against Elon. Other nonconference home games are against Longwood (Nov. 20), Cleveland State (Dec. 6), Miami (Ohio, Dec. 20) and Radford (Dec. 23).

The Mountaineers have scheduled two nonconference games at the Charleston Civic Center: vs. Delaware State (Nov. 25) and Marshall (Jan. 14).

West Virginia will play at least nine times on national television, including games vs. Davidson (ESPN), at Ohio State (CBS), at Georgetown (ESPN or ESPN2), at Syracuse (ESPN), vs. Villanova (ESPN), vs. Notre Dame (ESPN2), vs. Louisville (ESPN), at Cincinnati (ESPN or ESPN2) and at Pittsburgh (ESPN).

The title game of the Las Vegas Invitational will be televised by ESPN2, and all remaining Big East games will air on either ESPNU, ESPN Regional/Big East Network or ESPN 360.

"Top to bottom, I think the Big East will be loaded this season," WVU coach Bob Huggins said. "We believe our schedule has enough balance to prepare us for a tough Big East schedule."

The Mountaineers will play an exhibition game Nov. 8 against Mountain State at the WVU Coliseum. Game times and the rest of the television games will be announced in October.

Basketball practice begins Oct. 17.

WVU basketball schedule

Date Opponent

Nov. 8 MOUNTAIN STATE (exhibition)

Nov. 15 ELON

Nov. 20 LONGWOOD

Nov. 25 vs. Delaware State (at Charleston)

Nov. 28 vs. Iowa (at Las Vegas)

Nov. 29 vs. Kansas State or Kentucky (at Las Vegas)

Dec. 3 at Mississippi                            

Dec. 6 CLEVELAND STATE                         

Dec. 9 vs. Davidson (at New York)

Dec. 13 at Duquesne                             

Dec. 20 MIAMI, OHIO

Dec. 23 RADFORD                                   

Dec. 27 at Ohio State                            

Jan. 3 at Seton Hall                             

Jan. 6 CONNECTICUT                              

Jan. 10 at Marquette                             

Jan. 14 vs. Marshall (at Charleston)

Jan. 17 SOUTH FLORIDA                                       

Jan. 22 at Georgetown                           

Jan. 25 PITT                                      

Jan. 28 ST. JOHN'S                                 

Jan. 31 at Louisville                             

Feb. 4 at Syracuse                              

Feb. 7 PROVIDENCE                                

Feb. 9 at Pitt                                   

Feb. 13 VILLANOVA                                

Feb. 18 NOTRE DAME

Feb. 22 at Rutgers                                 

Feb. 26 at Cincinnati                              

Mar. 1 at South Florida                                    

Mar. 4 DEPAUL                                     

Mar. 7 LOUISVILLE                                

Mar. 10-14 Big East tournament (New York)