What do we know about the 09-10 schedule?

Some rumors have started about the 2009-10 schedule the Wildcats will play. Of the most interest is the chance NU will play in a tournament with Notre Dame and Iowa State at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates. I'm still not sure what purpose the Sears Center really serves with the number of venues already in Chicago, but I like the idea of NU playing in a quality preseason tournament. I think the Wildcats need some work in games which seem to have a lot of meaning and although this tournament isn't Maui or the preseason NIT, it sounds like it will at least be decent. Also, if NU and ND play in the final, I would think the Sears Center will get a nice uptick in attendance and the Wildcats will get the chance to play in a game with a nice crowd before Big Ten play. NU will probably be on the road in the ACC/Big Challenge and will also play at DePaul. Therefore, I hope NU limits other road games if they also play this tournament. If NU wants to make the real tournament at the end of the year, they need a good balance of tough and easy games. They will play Stanford and Butler at home, those are tough but at least they are at home. With the potential challenges facing NU in an ACC arena and in a neutral site tournament it will also for NU to add some directional schools to round out the rest of their schedule. The tournament might help with this as sometimes these events start on campus and matchup the bigger name schools with teams they should beat. Regardless, it seems like NU fans will have the chance to see NU play at least four name opponents in the Chicago area next year before Big Ten play. That’s great, but it also means NU cannot miss the opportunity those games will present.