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Somerset, NJ -- The Northeast Conference (NEC) announced its 2009-10 basketball television package this afternoon, a lineup that will feature 19 regionally produced games and two national postseason broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks. Regional broadcast partners for the upcoming year include flagship station Madison Square Garden Network (MSG), along with FSN-Pittsburgh, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), Fox College Sports (FCS), Cox Sports, New England Sports Network (NESN) and Connecticut Sports Network (CTSN).
The 2009-10 package includes seven prime time contests and three NEC Tournament games. In total, the league will air 16 men's games and five women's contests, including four as part of men/women doubleheaders.
"Thanks to the support of our growing list of regional partners, the 2009-10 basketball package includes over 60 exposures for our 21-game schedule," said NEC Interim Commissioner Ron Ratner. "From start to finish, this year's slate will showcase the best the NEC has to offer. Rematches of our men's and women's title games from last season, along with an assortment of local rivalries and three postseason contests should make for compelling television."
The slate begins on December 3rd with a rematch of the 2009 NEC men's championship game as defending champion Robert Morris hosts 2008 title winner Mount St. Mary's in a game airing on live on MSG, MASN, FCS and WPXI-NBC 11 (Pittsburgh). The contest will also air on a one-day delay on FSN-Pittsburgh on December 4th at 10:00 pm.
Madison Square Garden Network will televise a total of 14 games on the season beginning with Bryant-St. Francis (NY) on December 5th. Highlights of the MSG package include a rivalry day doubleheader featuring Fairleigh Dickinson-Monmouth and Long Island-St. Francis (NY), a rematch of the 2009 NEC women's title game as reigning champion Sacred Heart visits Saint Francis (PA) on February 20th, as well as three games at Monmouth's state-of-the-art Multipurpose Activity Center (MAC), which opens this November.
FSN-Pittsburgh is slated to broadcast seven games involving Robert Morris and Saint Francis (PA), Cox Cable in Connecticut and Rhode Island will air five games featuring CCSU and Bryant, MASN will pick up three Mount St. Mary's games and NESN is set to air the CCSU-Quinnipiac men's tilt on January 24th. CTSN plans to broadcast the February 4th doubleheader between Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart live on its statewide network, and will also air seven more games on delay involving Connecticut programs. The NEC will also take part in ESPN's Full Court package with four games on tap, including both ends of the aforementioned Quinnipiac-Sacred Heart doubleheader.
Additionally, the NEC will once again partner with Fox College Sports to air 18 games on its regional channels, available to approximately 54 million digital cable homes nationwide.
On Sunday, March 7, MSG Network and FCS will broadcast an NEC Tournament men's semifinal game at 2:00 pm. The men's tournament championship game will run live on Wednesday, March 10 at 7:00 pm on ESPN2 as part of Championship Week. For the third year in a row, ESPNU will air the NEC Women's Championship game on Sunday, March 14th at 3:00 pm.
Now in his tenth season, Dave Popkin will serve as the primary play-by-play announcer on men's broadcasts, with Paul Dottino (11th year) and Jared Greenberg (second year) filling in. Tim Capstraw (11th year), Terry O'Connor (eighth year) and Joe DeSantis (third year) will split color analyst duties. Dottino is set to handle sideline duties during men's games and once again serve as the play-by-play voice of women's telecasts. Pam Roecker, now in her eighth season, along with Terry O'Connor will serve as analysts for women's broadcasts. Making their announcing debuts this year will be Matt Harmon (play-by-play, sideline) and Jaclyn Vocell (sideline). Eric Singer is the Producer of NEC basketball telecasts.
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 29th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 12 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#26), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic or play-in access to 13 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (NY), Saint Francis (PA) and Wagner. Bryant will become the NEC's 12th member upon completion of the NCAA Division I reclassification process in 2012. For more information on the NEC, visit www.northeastconference.org.
Northeast Conference 2009-10 Basketball Television Schedule*
Day Date Opponents Time Carrier
Thursday Dec. 3 Mount St. Mary's at Robert Morris 7:00 pm MSG, MASN, WPXI-NBC11 (Pittsburgh), FCS,
FSN-Pittsburgh (TD-12/4 at 10 pm)
Saturday Dec. 5 Bryant at St. Francis (NY) 12:00 pm MSG, Cox (TD-12/6 at 7:00 pm), FCS (TD-4 pm)
Saturday Jan. 23 Robert Morris at Monmouth (women) 12:00 pm FCS, FSN-Pittsburgh (TD at 8 pm)
Robert Morris at Monmouth (men) 4:00 pm MSG, FCS, FSN-Pittsburgh (TD at 6 pm)
Sunday Jan. 24 CCSU at Quinnipiac 12:00 pm NESN, ESPN FC, ESPN 360, CTSN (TD)
Saturday Jan. 30 Sacred Heart at Wagner 12:00 pm MSG, FCS, CTSN (TD)
NEC Rivalry Week
Thursday Feb. 4 Quinnipiac at Sacred Heart (women) 5:00 pm FCS, CTSN, ESPN FC, DirectTV (Ch. 617)
Quinnipiac at Sacred Heart (men) 7:30 pm FCS, CTSN, ESPN FC, DirectTV (Ch. 617)
Saturday Feb. 6 Fairleigh Dickinson at Monmouth 12:00 pm MSG, FCS
St. Francis (NY) at Long Island 2:00 pm MSG, FCS
Thursday Feb. 11 Wagner at Fairleigh Dickinson 7:00 pm MSG, FCS
Saint Francis (PA) at Bryant 7:00 pm FSN-Pittsburgh, Cox, FCS (TD), ESPN FC
Thursday Feb. 18 CCSU at Mount St. Mary's 7:00 pm MSG, MASN, Cox, FCS, CTSN (TD)
Saturday Feb. 20 Sacred Heart at Saint Francis (PA) (women) 12:00 pm MSG, WWCP-Fox8, FCS, FSN-Pittsburgh, CTSN (TD)
Sacred Heart at Saint Francis (PA) (men) 4:00 pm MSG, WWCP-Fox8, FCS, FSN-Pittsburgh (TD at 8 pm), CTSN (TD)
Thursday Feb. 25 Long Island at CCSU (women) 5:00 pm MSG, Cox, FCS, CTSN (TD)
Long Island at CCSU (men) 7:30 pm MSG, Cox, FCS, CTSN (TD)
Saturday Feb. 27 Robert Morris at Mount St. Mary's 4:00 pm MSG, FCS, FSN-Pittsburgh (TD at 7 pm), MASN (TD-2/28 at 4 pm)
Sunday Mar. 7 NEC Men's Semifinal Game 2:00 pm MSG, FCS
Wednesday Mar. 10 NEC Men's Championship Game 7:00 pm ESPN2
Sunday Mar. 14 NEC Women's Championship Game 3:00 pm ESPNU
TD - Tape Delay
* Additional affiliates may still be added for certain games
Viewership
Carrier Region Households
MSG MSG Network Three states in NY metro area 8.5 million
MASN Mid-Atlantic Sports Network MD, DE, VA and DC, plus portions of PA, WV and NC 5.2 million
FSN-Pittsburgh Fox Sports Net-Pittsburgh Western PA, portions of WV, OH and MD 2.3 million
NESN New England Sports Network Six-state New England region 4.0 million
CTSN Connecticut Sports Network Connecticut & Rhode Island 500,000
Cox Cox Sports Connecticut & Rhode Island 450,000
WWCP-Fox 8 Fox Affiliate Altoona/Johnstown, PA 300,000
WPXI-NBC11 NBC Affiliate Pittsburgh 1.1 million
FCS Fox College Sports Digital cable systems (Atlantic, Central & Pacific feeds) 54 million
ESPNU Nationwide 46 million
ESPN2 Nationwide 98 million
ESPN FC ESPN Full Court Nationwide PPV Package
ESPN 360 Broadband network for live ESPN programming