SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall women's basketball team will host reigning national champion Connecticut in its BIG EAST opener on Jan. 2 as part of the 2009-10 schedule, released this afternoon.  The Pirates will play 13 homes games at Walsh Gymnasium and one at Prudential Center this season.

Seton Hall opens on the road with games at Rider on Nov. 13 and Marshall on Nov. 16.  The Pirates home opener is set against Morgan State on Nov. 20 in the opening round of the SHU Classic, which also features Arkansas State and Virginia Commonwealth.

The Pirates will take on their first of two Atlantic Coast Conference foes when they face Georgia Tech in the first round of the Long Island University Turkey Classic on Nov. 27.  Brown and LIU battle on the other side of the bracket.

The Hall will travel to Big 12 member Colorado on Dec. 6, and non-conference play closes out on Dec. 28 at North Carolina State.

An immediate test arrives when the Huskies, who are coming off an undefeated 2008-09 campaign, visit Walsh Gymnasium on Jan. 2 to kick off conference play.  Syracuse will visit three days later on Jan. 5 before the Pirates take a three-game road trip to Marquette, St. John's and Providence.

Seton Hall will host DePaul on Jan. 19 and Cincinnati on Jan. 23, followed by away contest at West Virginia on Jan. 27 and Villanova on Jan. 30.   After a week off, the Pirates will welcome St. John's to South Orange for the second meeting of the season between the two.

On Feb. 10, the Hall will resume its rivalry with Rutgers on the home floor of the Scarlet Knights.  The Pirates will then host USF three days later before heading to Pittsburgh on Feb. 20.  Louisville and Notre Dame will pay visits to Walsh Gymnasium before the regular season finale at Georgetown on Mar. 1.

The BIG EAST Championship is scheduled for Mar. 5-9 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.