Here’s the release…
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The BIG EAST 2012-13 men’s basketball conference schedule has two familiar traits. Every conference game will be televised and more than half – 56 percent — will be seen on national television. The schedule also is loaded with heavy duty matchups. Nearly 80 percent of the league contests will include at least one team that played in last season’s NCAA Championship and 27 percent will feature two NCAA squads.
On the national television slate, ESPN & ESPN2 will carry 45 conference games. At least 24 league games will be televised on ESPNU, which reaches more than 73 million homes. CBS Sports has six BIG EAST contests, its highest number of conference games in 20 years, and one non-league game. ESPN will continue to televise The BIG EAST Championship presented by American Eagle Outfitters from Madison Square Garden in New York. The dates for the 2013 event are March 12-16. It will be the 31st BIG EAST tournament at MSG.
At least 75 of the 135 regular-season BIG EAST games will be on national television. One hundred seven of the 135 will include one team that played in the 2012 NCAA Championship. Thirty seven games will have two NCAA squads. BIG EAST teams will play, on average, 10 nationally televised games during their 18-game league schedules. The remaining conference games will be produced by ESPN Regional Television for the BIG EAST Network. All BIG EAST Network games will be available on ESPN3.