by Fitzgerald Cecilio

New York, NY

The new Big East will kick off its 2013-14 season with just 10 members in tow but will move towards future expansion.

According to sources, Butler and Xavier of the Atlantic 10 and Creighton of the Missouri Valley will join the Catholic 7 schools that bolted the Big East, including DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's and Villanova.

As of Friday, sources said that Butler, Xavier and Creighton had not officially withdrawn from the A-10 and MVC, respectively.

An official announcement from the Big East that Butler, Xavier and Creighton will be joining will be made next week.

Multiple coaches from the new league also told ESPN.com that the new Big East would play an 18-game, true round-robin schedule in 2013-14.

The new Big East will play its tournament at Madison Square Garden and has hired a search firm to find a new commissioner. The league is also eyeing New York City as its headquarters.

The Big East will also start playing Olympic sports, such as soccer, in August.

The seven Catholic 7 schools recently department from the Big East, but will retain the Big East name. They will start the new season July 1.

The remaining members of the old Big East, under commissioner Mike Aresco, must come up with a new conference name.

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New Big East to Tip-off 2013-14 Season with 10 Teams