Sept. 10, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., Sept. 10, 2007 - The Penn State Nittany Lion basketball team will have 11 of its 12 non-conference games and every home game televised during the 2007-08 season with four non-conference games appearing on the Big Ten Network. The Big Ten announced an unparalleled television lineup and start times for the non-conference portion of the 2007-08 men's basketball schedule today that includes every home game appearing on television for the first time in conference history.
Overall, no fewer than 235 Big Ten men's basketball games, including home, away and neutral contests, will be featured on CBS Sports, an ESPN platform or the Big Ten Network beginning with exhibition play in October. Penn State will have at least 19 games televised on the Big Ten Network and will make nine appearances on one of the ESPN platforms this season.
Four of Penn State's eight non-conference home games will appear on the Big Ten Network starting with the season opener with St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 12 scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip. Penn State will also have home games with Seton Hall (Dec. 8 at 8:00 p.m.), Denver (Dec. 15 at 1:00 p.m.) and Lehigh (Dec. 31 at 1:00 p.m.) televised on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State will have seven non-conference games appearing on an ESPN platform . Penn State will play Princeton on ESPNU in a 7:00 p.m. tip on Dec. 12 in the Bryce Jordan Center. Two games will appear on ESPN360, including a 7:00 p.m. home game vs. Canisius on Nov. 16 and a 2:00 p.m. tip vs. Colgate on Dec. 23 in the Jordan Center.
Penn State has four other previously announced dates in which they will appear on an ESPN network, including three games over the week of Thanksgiving (Nov. 22, 23 and 25) at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla. appearing on ESPN2 or ESPNU and a home date with Virginia Tech in the last game of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Nov. 28 appearing on ESPN2.
Penn State will also play an exhibition game vs. Slippery Rock on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. The time for Nittany Lions' game at St. Joseph's on Dec. 1 has yet to be set.
"We're very excited with the level of television exposure our program will receive this season," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "The Big Ten Network gives us a unique level of exposure that is far greater than anything we've had before and that no other conference can offer. It will also be great for Penn State's alumni and fans around the nation to be able to see us play on the Network as many as 20 times a year, as well as see the rest of the conference teams and keep track of the league race and the rivalries."
The Big Ten Network will carry 135 men's basketball games during the 2007-08 season. The Big Ten Network schedule will begin with exhibition contests and all home non-conference games not appearing on CBS or an ESPN Network. Once Big Ten play rolls around, the Network schedule will feature a double-header every Wednesday night along with games on Tuesday or Thursday nights and a robust package of games on the weekends, including double-, triple- and quadruple-headers.
All intra-conference games will be distributed on a national basis on the Big Ten Network, which means the end of the split-regional or local broadcasts seen in the past. The Big Ten Network will also televise first-round and quarterfinal contests during the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.
The unprecedented television exposure for the 2007-08 season will feature increased coverage from long-time partners CBS Sports and ESPN. Thee Big Ten's latest media agreements will result in 17 games appearing on CBS Sports, including the semifinal and championship games of the 2008 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, March 13-16 in Indianapolis, Ind.
The conference's new 10-year national rights contract with ESPN means that between 53 and 56 Big Ten home games, and as many as 83 overall, will appear on an ESPN platform, with the majority of contests broadcast by ESPN or ESPN2.
Penn State will return four starters, including 2006-07 All-Big Ten honorees Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornley, and its top three scorers, rebounders and field goal percentage leaders from last season.
The Big Ten Network will air more than 600 hours of Penn State programming during its inaugural year. The vast majority of Penn State's 29 varsity sports, if not all, will be featured on the Big Ten Network in 2007-08, in addition to at least 60 hours of institutional, non-athletic programming.
To get the Big Ten Network, fans should call 1-866-WANT-B10 and record a message or be patched through to their cable operator. Fans who want to receive the Big Ten Network also can visit http://www.BigTenNetwork.com and enter their zip code, which will then provide a link to the cable or satellite providers in their areas so that they can request the Big Ten Network directly.
For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.BigTenNetwork.com