Marquette released its 2007-'08 men's basketball schedule Wednesday. The slate features the annual rivalry game with Wisconsin, the return of the cross-town showdown with UW-Milwaukee, three nationally-televised games.

But longtime Marquette fans will notice the one glaring omission on the schedule: the Blue & Gold Classic. Marquette was forced to suspend the annual tournament after failing to find a replacement for the University of Maine, which backed out of its commitment.

"In late August, Maine de-committed on a summer-long agreement and informed us they weren't going to participate in the classic," Deputy Athletic Director Mike Broeker said in a release issued by the university's athletic department Thursday. "Despite our best efforts and after exploring all options, we were unable to find a team this late in the summer requiring two games, leaving us with no option but to suspend the tournament for this year."

The Blue & Gold Classic had been played for 45 consecutive years, the third-longest in-season tournament in the nation. It was originally known as the Milwaukee Classic and was co-hosted by Marquette and the University of Wisconsin.

The season will open with Marquette Madness on Oct. 13 at the Al McGuire Center. Fans will meet the team and watch the first scrimmage of the season and take part in giveaways, promotions and other contests.

Non-conference play tips off on Nov. 10 when Indiana University/Purdue University-Indianapolis comes to the Bradley Center in a game that takes the place of the Classic. Aside from the games against the Badgers and Panthers, Marquette also face Utah Valley State, Sacramento State, Coppin State, Savannah State and Florida Gulf Coast outside of league play.

After a pair of home contests, the Golden Eagles head to Hawaii for the EA Sports Maui Classic with an opening game against Chaminade. Also in the field are Arizona State, Duke, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma State, and Princeton.

The Golden Eagles open their third Big East campaign on Jan. 3 against Providence at the Bradley Center. The schedule features a trip to West Virginia to face the Mountaineers and new head coach Bob Huggins.

Marquette also travels to Connecticut, Cincinnati, Seaton Hall, St. John's and Syracuse. DePaul, South Florida, Pittsburgh and Rutgers come to the Bradley Center and the Golden Eagles play home-and-home series with Seaton Hall, Notre Dame and Louisville.

Highlighting the Golden Eagles' schedule is an ESPN Big Monday contest at home against Louisville on Feb. 4. Marquette takes on Pittsburgh 11 days later on ESPN and wraps up the home portion of Big East Conference play against Georgetown on CBS.