PROVIDENCE – While no set of games will make Keno Davis or any other Big East coach smile, Providence College’s basketball fans will be pleased with this season’s conference schedule. Friar fans will get to see many of the most attractive Big East opponents at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center during the 2009-10 campaign.

PC will welcome long-time rivals Connecticut, Georgetown and Syracuse to The Dunk. Rick Pitino’s Louisville squad is also on the list. The remaining five home games will come against Marquette, Rutgers, Seton Hall, South Florida and West Virginia.

PC’s road schedule will keep the team off the East Coast for much of the season. Besides trips to St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova, the Friars will be flying to the Midwest often with games at Cincinnati, DePaul, Marquette, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. The final road game will come at South Florida.

Dates for all games will be determined over the coming months by the league office.

The Big East’s18-game league schedule calls for each team to play every opponent once and three teams two twice. The Friars will play Syracuse, Marquette and South Florida home and away.

The high-profile home schedule is the best for PC fans since the league expanded to 16 teams four years ago. That may not mean good news for the team, however.

The Friars lost the bulk of their veterans from last season’s National Invitation Tournament team and will welcome seven new players this coming season. While neither Davis nor his players are using the ‘rebuilding’ word, that’s exactly what the Friars appear to be facing.

In some early Big East prognostications, Providence is pegged to finish in the lower fourth (13-16) of the conference. Villanova, Louisville, West Virginia and Connecticut appear to be the early favorites for conference supremacy.

That PC’s fans will see the Cardinals, Mountaineers and Huskies all at The Dunk can only help season ticket sales. PC’s athletic administration was thrilled with the Big East opponent breakdown, a decision that is made solely by the league office.

PC has yet to announce its list of nonleague foes but its top early-season home game will be a visit by Boston College on Thanksgiving weekend. The top road tilts will come at Rhode Island, George Washington and, possibly, Alabama. The full schedule should be released in the next few weeks.

Season tickets are now available and PC has announced a new payment plan that acknowledges the economic stress in the area. Fans purchasing season tickets this month can spread the cost over the next six months, beginning in July and ending in December. The lowest-priced season ticket sells for $130. Call 865-4672 or visit friars.com for details.

“We appreciate the role of the economy in our area right now and want to provide our fans as much flexibility we can,” said associate athletic director Steve Napolillo. “We’re thrilled to have such a strong group of opponents coming into the Dunkin’ Donuts Center this season.”

kmcnamar@projo.com