PROVIDENCE – Keno Davis is going to have it about as easy as he can in his first season as the basketball coach at Providence College.

PC released its complete schedule for the 2008-09 season Thursday and while there is never an ‘easy’ trip through the rugged Big East, the Friars’ first-year coach won’t have to deal with any of the minefields the team frequently encountered the previous few seasons. For example, the Friars will open conference play with two home games, not on the road twice like they did last year due to access issues with the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. PC will also face only one of the dreaded quick turnarounds that Big East teams often face when they host Marquette on Saturday, Jan. 17 and then welcome Cincinnati to town on Monday the 19^th.

Perhaps most of all, Davis is taking it easy with his nonleague slate. While the Friars face the iron of their pre-conference schedule at the Anaheim Classic (vs. Baylor and potentially Arizona State and Wake Forest) over Thanksgiving, and also will travel to Boston College on Dec. 20, the home fans won’t see anyone hailing from another BCS conference. The Friars’ home highlight is clearly a visit from in-state rival Rhode Island on Dec. 6.

PC’s other home non-league contests include visits from Northeastern, Dartmouth, Sacred Heart, Maine, Brown, Jackson (Miss.) State and Bryant University. Of that group, only Northeastern is seen as a preseason favorite to make a run at its conference title.

The Friars play 18 Big East games this season, where they’ll face every opponent once and three teams twice. PC’s repeat foes are Cincinnati, Rutgers and Villanova.

College basketball experts again see the Big East as the deepest, if not the strongest, conference in the country this season. Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame are all candidates to be ranked in the top 10. PC’s toughest stretch of games likely comes in the final weeks, with a season-ending stretch that begins with a trip to Freedom Hall to face Rick Pitino’s Cardinals, continues with home games against the Fighting Irish and Panthers, and concludes with road games at Rutgers and Villanova.

A year ago the Friars were a trendy preseason pick in the Big East and pegged to play on either ESPN or ESPN2 seven times. This year that number is down to a minimum of three, including a first-round game against Baylor at the Anaheim Classic and conference games against Marquette on January 17 on ESPN2 and at Villanova on March 5 on either ESPN or ESPN2. The 16 remaining Big East games will be seen on ESPNU, ESPN Classic or ESPN’s FullCourt package, which is available locally on Cox Cable. Cox will broadcast the URI-PC game, but will announce which other Friar games it will carry at a later date.

The other major change for Friar fans comes in game times. After polling some season ticket holders, PC decided to change tip-off times for selected home games from 7:30 to 7 p.m. Beginning with two exhibition games, the team’s first five home games will begin at the new time.