Sept. 6, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Sept. 6, 2011 - Penn State will make at least eight appearances on one of the ESPN family of networks and could potentially appear on CBS Sports twice in the 2011-12 basketball regular season the Big Ten revealed as the conference announced tip times and television arrangements for games appearing on those networks Tuesday.
Forty-four Big Ten men's basketball conference games will be televised on CBS Sports or an ESPN network. CBS Sports will carry eight weekend games this season, while 36 contests will appear on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. During conference play, the Big Ten will have one game on an ESPN network every Tuesday at 7 or 9 p.m. ET as part of the network's Super Tuesday lineup. ESPN2 or ESPNU will broadcast one conference game every Thursday night beginning on Jan. 5. ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU will also show games during seven of the nine weekends of the conference regular season.
Penn State will have five conference games broadcast on ESPNU and at least six games overall on the season on ESPNU. The Lions will also make one appearance on ESPN2 and will have at least one of its games, and potentially two, being played in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament carried by an ESPN network.
The Nittany Lions' first appearance on the ESPN networks will come when Penn State takes on Kentucky in the Tip-off Tournament at the Mohegan Sun in Uncansville, Conn, on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 12:00 p.m. ET. That game will appear on one of the ESPN Networks. Penn State will also play either South Florida or Old Dominion at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 20 in the Tip-off Tournament at the Mohegan Sun, a game which could also be carried by an ESPN network.
Penn State will play a Big Ten/ACC Challenge contest at Boston College on Wed., Nov. 30 in a 7:15 p.m. ET tip on ESPNU.
The Lions' first Big Ten appearance on ESPNU will be a Sunday, Jan. 1 tip at Northwestern at 7:00 p.m. ET. Penn State will also have contests at Iowa (Sat., Feb. 4 @ 3 p.m.) and home dates vs. Nebraska (Sat., Feb. 11 @ 1 p.m.), vs. Iowa (Thur., Feb. 16 @ 9 p.m.) and vs. Northwestern (Sat., Feb. 25 @ 9 p.m.) televised on ESPNU. Penn State will appear on ESPN2 when it takes on Illinois in the Jordan Center on Thursday, Jan. 19 in a 9:00 p.m. tip. The Lions also have a wild card games at Wisconsin on Sunday, Feb. 19 and at home vs. Michigan on Sunday, March 4 that will appear on CBS, ESPN or the Big Ten Network. Tip times for those games will be determined by the future television arrangements.
The Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament will be held Thursday, March 8, through Sunday, March 11, at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. With the expansion of the Big Ten to 12 teams, the tournament will feature 11 games for the first time in history. ESPN2 will carry the third and fourth games of the tournament, while ESPN will air Games 5 and 6. CBS Sports will once again broadcast the tournament's semifinals and championship game.
Penn State has made 32 appearances on the ESPN networks over the last four seasons and made two appearances on CBS last year as the Nittany Lions reached the Big Ten Tournament final for the first time in program history.
Penn State opens the 2011-12 season with a double-header with the Nittany Lion football team on Saturday, Nov. 12. The Nittany Lion basketball team will face Hartford in the Bryce Jordan Center in its season opener while the football team will take on Nebraska at Beaver Stadium. Start times for both contests have yet to be announced pending television arrangements, but will allow fans to enjoy both contests on the day.
Nittany Lion Basketball season tickets are available by calling 814-865-5555. Season tickets are $200 for adults, $170 for faculty/staff and seniors, $80 for youth and $59 for students. PNC Flex Books are also available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions' Coaches Vs. Cancer game and the Lady Lions' Think Pink game.
For all the latest information, notes, pictures and related links on Penn State basketball follow Assistant Athletic Communications Director Brian Siegrist on Twitter (@PSUSTRETCH) and check GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatebasketball.
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