The 2005-06 PC men's basketball team will face an arduous 27-game schedule this season, highlighted by home contests against Louisville, Florida, and Connecticut.

Coach Tim Welsh's Friars will play 16 games in the newly expanded BIG EAST Conference and 11 non-conference contests. In conference action, PC will play home-and-away games against DePaul, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh, and will face every other team once.

The regular season begins on November 21 as the Friars host Vermont. Ten more conference games will follow before they begin their BIG EAST schedule at Georgetown on January 5. Highlights of the non-conference schedule include home games against Southeast Conference foe Florida—coached by former PC guard Billy Donovan '87—on December 6 and Conference USA rival Memphis on December 10.

In BIG EAST action, the highlights will be a January 7 home contest against Louisville—coached by former Friar Head Coach Rick Pitino (1985-1987)—and a January 28 home matchup against Connecticut, the 2004 national champion. For the complete 27-game schedule, click here .

Major renovations planned at Dunkin' Donuts Center
Meanwhile, fans who visit the Dunkin' Donuts Center to watch the Friars this winter will begin to notice the first signs of a $62.5 million renovation plan to transform the 33-year-old facility into a rejuvenated, state-of-the-art entertainment venue. Among the improvements that could take place this season are a new video scoreboard and a new sound system.

The overhaul is part of a $92.5 million agreement under which the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, a state entity, will buy the "Dunk" from the City of Providence. Renovations are scheduled to begin next spring and conclude in fall 2008.

The renovations include 20 new luxury suites, new cushioned seats with cupholders, two new food courts, and upgraded team locker rooms. In addition, the agreement calls for a new main entrance with an expanded, reconfigured lobby that will include a box office, a team store, a fan interactive zone, a VIP lobby, and a sports bar.

"Our fans—including our faculty, staff, students, and alumni—will be thrilled with the renovations," said Robert G. Driscoll, Jr., associate vice president for athletics and athletic director.