BIG EAST Announces Television Schedule for the 2008-09 Women's
Basketball Season
- 98 Appearances Featuring All 16 BIG EAST Schools -
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The BIG EAST continues to have one of the top
television schedules in women's college basketball on the national,
regional and local levels. For the third straight year, every conference
team is included in the regular-season broadcasts. The 2008-09
television schedule showcases Connecticut, Louisville, Marquette, Notre
Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Syracuse, which are all receiving national
attention in preseason Top 25 polls.
The league's overall exposure continues to grow and this season's
national television package includes: two games on CBS Sports, and 14
appearances on ESPN/ESPN2, 31 on ESPNU and 25 on CBS C: CBS College
Sports Networks.
For the 14th straight year, the league will have a presence on CBS
Sports, and for the fourth time in conference history and second
straight year, the BIG EAST will be a part of two non-conference games
on the network. Connecticut will host LSU on Jan. 3 at noon ET, followed
by Rutgers hosting Tennessee at 2 p.m.
The BIG EAST has 14 overall appearances on ESPN/ESPN2. This year's
schedule will feature two games on ESPN, including the BIG EAST
Championship Final on March 10. The championship game will be the only
women's basketball conference final in the nation aired on ESPN. Five of
the BIG EAST's eight teams that participated in the 2008 NCAA
Championship will be featured in key non-conference matchups and
conference games. The league will take part in three Big Monday contests
and three teams will appear in ESPN's February Frenzy/Pink Zone to
support breast cancer and in preparation for ESPN's NCAA Championship
regionalized telecasts.
The season opens with Notre Dame and Pittsburgh participating in the
State Farm Classic on Nov. 16 in Baton Rouge, La. The Fighting Irish
face host LSU followed by Pittsburgh versus Texas A&M, both games airing
on ESPN2. Connecticut has five appearances, including its home game
against Oklahoma on Nov. 30. UConn will take part in three Big Monday
games against North Carolina (Jan. 19) and face conference foes
Louisville (Jan. 26) and Rutgers (March 2). Rutgers will host Georgia as
part of the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 8. The Connecticut/Pittsburgh
matchup and Rutgers playing at Maryland, both on Feb. 15, are part of
the ESPN's February Frenzy.
The BIG EAST will have "Game of the Week" packages on ESPNU, CBS College
Sports Network and on the BIG EAST Regional Television Network.
The BIG EAST has a league-record 31 overall appearances on ESPNU, one
more than last season. ESPNU, which can be seen in 24 million homes,
will air eight regular-season conference games, three non-conference
matchups, along with the BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinals and
Semifinals on March 8 and 9, respectively.
At the second annual Maggie Dixon Classic held at Madison Square Garden
in New York, Rutgers will face Army in the day's first game, followed by
a Connecticut/Penn State matchup. Notre Dame will play Charlotte on Dec.
28 to close out the league's non-conference schedule on ESPNU.
Conference action begins on ESPNU on Jan. 4, the first Sunday of the BIG
EAST regular-season conference schedule. The ESPNU games will run every
Sunday through Feb. 22, with the exception of one, and a doubleheader on
Feb. 8. The package will showcase 12 BIG EAST schools through the
non-conference and conference schedules, including four schools with
multiple appearances.
CBS College Sports Network (CBS C) will once again broadcast a
"Conference Game of the Week." The package will contain 11 conference
games, including two Tuesday doubleheaders, during the league schedule
and three non-conference contests, for a record 25 appearances. The BIG
EAST continues to be the only women's basketball conference to have a
"Game of the Week" package on CBS C, which can now be seen in 25 million
homes.
The CBS C "Game of the Week" begins on Jan. 6 with a doubleheader
featuring Rutgers at Syracuse and Notre Dame at DePaul. On Jan. 13,
Georgetown travels to St. John's, while Marquette hosts Notre Dame in
the second doubleheader of the season. The games will run through the
end of the regular season, ending with Louisville at Marquette on March
2. The CBS C package will feature 13 BIG EAST schools with seven having
multiple appearances.
The BIG EAST Game of the Week Regional Television Package is in its
third year and features a total of 26 appearances by league schools,
including the BIG EAST Championship Second Round on March 7. ESPN
Regional Television (ERT) will once again produce every game and
SportsNet New York (SNY) will carry the entire package live in the
nation's number one media market.
Fifteen BIG EAST schools are featured in the Game of the Week package in
its 2 p.m. time slot on Saturdays. The package will be begin on Jan. 3
and run every Saturday until the end of the regular season schedule on
Feb. 28. The time slot remains the same as last year which will again
allow many of the Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) to carry the BIG EAST
Men's/Women's Basketball Game of the Week doubleheader. The St. John's
at Marquette game on Feb. 21 has been moved to 4 p.m. to significantly
enhance station clearances. RSNs in various markets are still in the
process of committing to the package, which will also be available via
RSN-Sport Packages on DirectTV and DISH Networks.
The BIG EAST will continue to expand its women's basketball Web site
coverage in 2008-09. For the first time, fans can watch both the first
and second rounds of the conference championship live on BIGEAST.tv, the
league's online home for live and on-demand streaming audio and video.
In addition, live streaming audio from the BIG EAST/ISP Radio Network
will be available for each game of the tournament. Users should visit
www.bigeast.tv for more information.
2008-09 BIG EAST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TELEVISION COMPOSITE SCHEDULE
BIG EAST-CBS Sports Schedule
January 3 LSU at Connecticut (XL)
Noon
Tennessee at Rutgers
2:00 p.m.
BIG EAST-ESPN Schedule (All games on ESPN2 unless noted)
November 16 State Farm Classic (Baton Rouge, La.)
Notre Dame at LSU
2:30 p.m.
State Farm Classic (Baton Rouge, La.)
Pittsburgh vs. Texas A&M
5:00 p.m.
November 30 Oklahoma at Connecticut
8:15 p.m. ESPN
December 8 Jimmy V Classic (Piscataway, N.J.)
Georgia at Rutgers
7:00 p.m.
January 19 Connecticut at North Carolina
7:00 p.m.
January 26 LOUISVILLE at CONNECTICUT (GP)
7:30 p.m.
February 15 ESPN's February Frenzy/Pink Zone
Rutgers at Maryland
1:00 p.m.
ESPN's February Frenzy/Pink Zone
PITTSBURGH at CONNECTICUT (GP)
3:30 p.m.
March 2 CONNECTICUT at RUTGERS
7:30 p.m.
March 10 BIG EAST Championship Finals (Hartford, Conn.)
7:00 p.m. ESPN
BIG EAST-ESPNU Schedule
December 14 Maggie Dixon Classic (New York, N.Y.)
Rutgers vs. Army
Noon
Maggie Dixon Classic (New York, N.Y.)
Connecticut vs. Penn State
2:30 p.m.
December 28 Notre Dame at Charlotte
2:00 p.m.
January 4 WEST VIRGINIA at PITTSBURGH
2:00 p.m.
January 11 RUTGERS at LOUISVILLE
2:00 p.m.
January 18 MARQUETTE at RUTGERS
Noon
February 1 ST. JOHN'S at SETON HALL
Noon
February 8 DE PAUL at NOTRE DAME
2:00 p.m.
USF at SYRACUSE
4:00 p.m.
February 15 WEST VIRGINIA at MARQUETTE
2:00 p.m.
February 22 NOTRE DAME at CONNECTICUT (XL)
2:00 p.m.
March 8 BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinals (Hartford,
Conn.) Noon/2:00/6:00/8:00 p.m.
March 9 BIG EAST Championship Semifinals (Hartford,
Conn.) 6:00/8:00 p.m.
BIG EAST-CBS College Sports Network Game of the Week Schedule
November 22 Louisville at Xavier
Noon
December 1 Rutgers at Temple
8:00 p.m.
January 6 RUTGERS at SYRACUSE
7:00 p.m.
NOTRE DAME at DE PAUL
9:00 p.m.
January 13 GEORGETOWN at ST. JOHN'S
7:00 p.m.
NOTRE DAME at MARQUETTE
9:00 p.m.
January 20 CINCINNATI at LOUISVILLE
8:00 p.m.
January 21 Villanova at George Washington
8:00 p.m.
January 27 RUTGERS at NOTRE DAME
8:00 p.m.
February 3 RUTGERS at CONNECTICUT (XL)
8:00 p.m.
February 10 PITTSBURGH at RUTGERS
8:00 p.m.
February 17 DE PAUL at SYRACUSE
8:00 p.m.
February 24 PITTSBURGH at WEST VIRGINIA
8:00 p.m.
March 2 LOUISVILLE at MARQUETTE
9:00 p.m.
BIG EAST Regional Sports Network Game of the Week Schedule
January 3 VILLANOVA at CINCINNATI
2:00 p.m.
January 10 DE PAUL at PITTSBURGH
2:00 p.m.
January 17 SYRACUSE at CONNECTICUT (XL)
2:00 p.m.
January 24 ST. JOHN'S at WEST VIRGINIA
2:00 p.m.
January 31 USF at RUTGERS
2:00 p.m.
February 7 VILLANOVA at SETON HALL
2:00 p.m.
February 14 GEORGETOWN at PROVIDENCE
2:00 p.m.
February 21 ST. JOHN'S at MARQUETTE
4:00 p.m.
February 28 PITTSBURGH at LOUISVILLE
2:00 p.m.
March 7 BIG EAST Championship Second Round (Hartford,
Conn.) Noon/2:00/6:00/8:00 p.m.
All dates and times (Eastern) are subject to change; BIG EAST games in
all CAPS
BETV - BIG EAST Television, televised on local Regional Sports Networks
(check your local listings)
CBS C - CBS College Sports Network
XL - XL Center (Hartford, Conn.); GP - Gampel Pavilion (Storrs, Conn.)
