SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A Dec. 19 showdown with UCLA and a Big Monday matchup with Syracuse on Jan. 18 highlight the 2009-10 Notre Dame men's basketball schedule, released Thursday.
Both those games will be at the new Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center in South Bend. The Irish will play a total of 20 home games, including the regular-season opener Nov. 14 against North Florida.
The Irish will have nine of their 31 regular-season contests aired on national television, including the ESPN Big Monday game and six other games on either ESPN or ESPN2.
The Irish will once again play an 18-game Big East Conference schedule. They will face league rivals Cincinnati, Connecticut and South Florida twice during the season, and all other league teams once.
Notre Dame will welcome Liberty (Nov. 22) and Kennesaw State (Nov. 24) to the Joyce Center as part of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. The Irish will conclude that event at UIC Pavilion in Chicago against Northwestern on Nov. 27 and then either Iowa State or Saint Louis on Nov. 28.
This will be Notre Dame's first appearance in the Chicago Invitational Challenge, which began in 2006. The Irish finished last season 21-15 overall and 8-10 in Big East play.
Notre Dame plays home exhibition games Nov. 1 against Lewis and Nov. 6 against Quincy.