Big East releases new men’s basketball format

After three years of a two-division basketball format, the Big East has decided to revert to… After three years of a two-division basketball format, the Big East has decided to revert to a one-division format for the 2003-04 season.

Each team will play a 16-game conference schedule under the new format, with every team playing each other once and three teams competing twice. Each team will play eight games at home and eight on the road.

While dates and times have not been released, Pitt’s conference opponents for next season were announced. Among the teams coming to the Petersen Events Center will be two teams that the Panthers defeated in last season’s Big East tournament, Boston College and Connecticut. Also making a trip to the Pete will be defending national champion Syracuse.

Notre Dame, Rutgers, St. John’s, Villanova and Virginia Tech round out Pitt’s home conference schedule.

The Panthers will face UConn, Syracuse and Notre Dame twice next season, along with trips to Georgetown, Miami, Providence, Seton Hall and West Virginia.

Pitt No. 2 nationally in attendance increase

In their first season in the Pete, the men’s basketball team saw average home attendance increase by an average of 4,129 per game in 2003.

Pitt improved its home attendance average from 6,803 in 2002 to 10,932 last season, a school record. The average surpasses the 1989-90 average attendance of 9,464 and marked the second year in a row that Pitt has ranked among the top five in the nation in attendance increase. The Panthers were ranked fifth in 2002, with an increase of 1,971.

Brigham Young was first, with an increase of 5,838.

Among the 325 NCAA Division I schools, Pitt ranked 19th in total attendance, with 426,653 having watched the Panthers play in 2003. The figure is a combination of home, road and neutral games.

Pitt’s average attendance of 10,932 was 35th nationally in terms of home attendance.

The Panthers also rank third in the nation in attendance increase over the past three seasons (1999 to 2003), according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Pitt’s increase of 106.1 percent is behind that of San Diego State and Baylor.