Jan. 30, 2010. Circle your calendars, Georgetown fans. That’s when the Duke Blue Devils return to the Verizon Center.

Georgetown released its basketball schedule yesterday, and a non-conference game against Duke highlights the 16-game home slate. Nineteen of the Hoyas’ 29 games will be against opponents that made the NCAA tournament last season.

The Hoyas upset then-No. 1 and undefeated Duke at the Verizon Center in 2006, a victory that propelled Georgetown basketball back onto the national scene. The Blue Devils appear poised to be near the top of the rankings again this season.

Georgetown will open the regular season in New Orleans at Tulane on Nov. 13. The Hoyas’ home opener is Nov. 17 against Temple, and they begin Big East play on New Year’s Eve at home against St. John’s.

The beginning of Big East play promises to be much kinder to the Hoyas in 2010 than last year. After St. John’s, they head to the Midwest to play DePaul, which went 0-18 in conference play last year, and Marquette, which graduated its three top players. Last season, Georgetown started the Big East against No. 2 Connecticut, No. 3 Pittsburgh and No. 7 Notre Dame.

Other notable non-conference games include Butler in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 8 and Washington at the John Wooden Classic on Dec. 12. Butler has made the NCAA tournament the past three seasons, and the John Wooden Classic will mark Georgetown’s first trip to California in eight years.

The Hoyas have another grudge match in their non-conference schedule against Old Dominion at McDonough Gymnasium. Three years ago, the Monarchs upset the Hoyas in the on-campus arena – the team’s first loss at McDonough in 24 years. Though Georgetown has no players still on the roster from the loss, the fans and coaches will remember when Old Dominion comes to campus on Dec. 19.

Georgetown’s first big conference test will come on Jan. 9, when UConn – fresh off of a Final Four appearance – visits the Verizon Center. In the middle of January, the Hoyas must play at Villanova and Pittsburgh over the span of four days. The third-seeded Wildcats beat the top-seeded Panthers in the NCAA tournament’s East Regional last year to earn a trip to the Final Four. Georgetown’s final five Big East games are also a tough stretch: vs. Syracuse, at Louisville, vs. Notre Dame, at West Virginia and vs. Cincinnati.

Georgetown is coming off of a disappointing 16-15 season (7-11 Big East) in which it did not make the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years and bowed out of the NIT in the first round. The Hoyas return three of their regular starters from last season: sophomore center Greg Monroe and junior guards Austin Freeman and Chris Wright.

onroe, the 2009 Big East rookie of the year, was named to the Preseason Wooden Award watch list as one of the top 50 players in the nation. The center averaged 12.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last year. He was a key part of the team’s offense with a knack for passing, and he emerged as a strong defender as well.

The full schedule is available online at [www.guhoyas.cstv.com](https://guhoyas.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/gu-m-baskbl-sched.html).”