VIEW COMPLETE 2012-13 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Coming off a season that saw eight teams advance to the NCAA Championship and four teams to the WNIT, the BIG EAST Conference announced its 2012-13 women’s basketball schedule, including record-setting television coverage. The 2012-13 television schedule features every team for the seventh consecutive year and continues to be one of the top television slates in the nation. The league’s overall exposure includes one game on CBS Sports, 10 games on ESPN/ESPN2, 14 games on ESPNU and 13 games on CBS Sports Network for a total of 97 appearances, the highest mark for BIG EAST women’s basketball.
The Conference will have a presence on CBS Sports for the 18th straight year. Connecticut will host Notre Dame on Jan. 5 at 4 p.m. ET, in what is primed to be a top-25 matchup. The two teams met four times last year. After the Fighting Irish swept the regular season series, with one of the games decided in overtime on their way to the regular-season crown, the teams met in the BIG EAST Championship title game with Connecticut taking home the tournament Championship trophy. For the second straight year, the Huskies and Fighting Irish met in the Final Four, with Notre Dame advancing to the title game.
The BIG EAST’s 15 appearances on ESPN/ESPN2 include four regular-season conference games. All ESPN/ESPN2 games are also available via WatchESPN.com.
This year’s schedule also is highlighted by a pair of ESPN2 events, the Women’s Jimmy V Classic and Play 4Kay, formerly known as WBCA Pink Zone. Connecticut faces Maryland at home on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. ET, in the Jimmy V Classic. After Maryland defeated 2011 NCAA champion Texas A&M, the Terrapins advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight, where they were defeated by Notre Dame.
Play 4Kay will feature five BIG EAST teams on ESPN2 and two teams on ESPNU, showing two conference tilts and a nonconference contest. On Feb. 17, Marquette hosts Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. ET prior to Cincinnati visiting St. John’s at 5 p.m. ET. The following day, Connecticut will host 2012 NCAA champion Baylor at 9 p.m. That game is also part of the ESPN2 Big Monday lineup.
Including the Connecticut vs. Baylor tilt, BIG EAST Conference women’s basketball will have five Big Monday games this season televised on ESPN2. The Big Monday tipoff will come on Jan. 21 as Connecticut hosts Duke at 7 p.m. The Huskies played in Durham, N.C., last year, and posted a 61-45 victory.
On Jan. 28, Notre Dame will play at Tennessee. Notre Dame and Tennessee met last year, with the Irish recording a 72-44 victory. On Feb. 11, Louisville will play at Notre Dame at 9 p.m. On March 4, Connecticut will play at Notre Dame at 7 p.m.
Connecticut will play at Texas A&M on Nov. 18 at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Last year, when the two teams met in Hartford, Conn., the Huskies picked up their 91st straight win at home with an 81-51 victory. At the time of the game, UConn was ranked No. 2 and Texas A&M was ranked No. 8.
The Conference will have “Game of the Week” packages on the CBS Sports Network and the BIG EAST Network. ESPNU also will televise numerous games on Sundays during the regular season.
The BIG EAST will appear on ESPNU 26 times, including seven regular-season conference games, two nonconference matchups, three of the BIG EAST Championship quarterfinals on March 10 and the BIG EAST Championship semifinal rounds on March 11. ESPNU can now be seen in more than 73 million homes and will showcase at least six BIG EAST teams throughout the conference season.
In nonconference action, Baylor will play at Notre Dame on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. The game is a rematch of the NCAA Final Four title game. The Bears won an unprecedented 40th game in Denver, Colo., last season for the title.
UConn will play at Stanford on Dec. 29 at 4 p.m. After Stanford broke Connecticut’s 90-game winning streak in 2010, the Huskies exacted revenge at the XL Center with a 68-58 win last November.
Conference action on ESPNU begins on Jan. 6 with St. John’s at Rutgers and runs most Sundays through Feb. 24, wrapping up the regular season with Notre Dame at DePaul before televising the BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinals.
CBS Sports Network will continue its “Conference Game of the Week” broadcasts. The BIG EAST’s 26 appearances will consist of 13 conference games, including four doubleheaders. The schedule begins on Jan. 8 when Rutgers plays at Louisville at 7 p.m. Eleven of the 13 conference games will be on Tuesdays. The first doubleheader is on Jan. 15, as four NCAA Championship teams battle in Georgetown at Notre Dame at 7 p.m., followed by Louisville at Connecticut at 9 p.m. The games run through March 4, the last day of the regular season. Syracuse hosts Louisville at 9 p.m. to wrap up the league schedule. The CBS Sports Network schedule features 11 of 15 BIG EAST schools.
The BIG EAST Network Game of the Week regional television package is in its seventh year and will feature a total of 28 appearances by league schools on Saturdays, including all four games of the BIG EAST Championship Second Round on March 9 and one quarterfinal game on March 10. ESPN Regional Television will once again produce every game and SportsNet New York (SNY) will carry the entire package live in the nation’s No. 1 media market.
For the fifth time in six years, all of the BIG EAST schools are featured in the BIG EAST Network Game of the Week package. The weekly airings will begin on Jan. 5 and run every Saturday until the end of the regular season on March 2. Every game will air on the league’s flagship regional sports network, SNY, as well as numerous local affiliates across the country. The weekly game will air immediately preceding or following the BIG EAST men’s Game of the Week allowing many affiliates to carry a doubleheader. RSNs in various markets are still in the process of committing to the package, which will also be available via RSN-sports packages on DirecTV and DISH Network. Some BIG EAST Network games also will be available on ESPN Full Court.
The BIG EAST continues to expand its women’s basketball website coverage for 2012-13. For the fifth-straight year, 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. Both days of coverage, as well as the Saturday Game of the Week package, will be free to viewers. Users should visit www.bigeast.tv for more information.
2012-13 BIG EAST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TELEVISION COMPOSITE SCHEDULE
BIG EAST-CBS Sports Schedule
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January 5
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Notre Dame at Connecticut
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4:00 p.m.
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CBS
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BIG EAST-ESPN Schedule
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November 18
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Connecticut at Texas A&M
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2:30 pm
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ESPN2
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December 3
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Maryland at Connecticut Jimmy V
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7:00 pm
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ESPN2
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December 5
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Baylor at Notre Dame
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7:00 pm
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ESPNU
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December 29
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Connecticut at Stanford
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4:00 pm
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ESPNU
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January 6
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St. John’s at Rutgers
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11:30 am
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ESPNU
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January 13
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Rutgers at Notre Dame
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3:30 pm
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ESPNU
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January 20
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St. John’s at Notre Dame
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Noon
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ESPNU
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January 21
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Duke at Connecticut Big Monday
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7:00 pm
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ESPN2
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January 27
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St. John’s at Louisville
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1:30 pm
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ESPNU
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January 28
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Notre Dame at Tennessee Big Monday
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7:00 pm
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ESPN2
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February 10
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DePaul at Connecticut
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3:30 pm
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ESPNU
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February 11
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Louisville at Notre Dame Big Monday
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9:00 pm
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ESPN2
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February 17
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DePaul at Louisville Play4Kay
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1:30 pm
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ESPNU
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February 17
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Notre Dame at Marquette Play4Kay
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2:30 pm
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ESPN2
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February 17
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Cincinnati at St. John’s Play4Kay
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5:00 pm
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ESPN2
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February 18
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Baylor at Connecticut Big Monday / Play4Kay
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9:00 pm
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ESPN2
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February 24
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Notre Dame at DePaul
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3:30 pm
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ESPNU
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March 4
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Connecticut at Notre Dame Big Monday
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7:00 pm
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ESPN2
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March 10
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BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinals
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Noon/2:00/8:30 pm
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ESPNU
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March 11
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BIG EAST Championship Semifinals
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6:00/8:00 pm
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ESPNU
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March 12
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BIG EAST Championship Game
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7:00 pm
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ESPN/ESPN2
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BIG EAST-CBS College Sports Network (CBS SN) Game of the Week Schedule
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January 8
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Rutgers at Louisville
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7:00 pm
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CBS SN
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January 15
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Georgetown at Notre Dame
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7:00 pm
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CBS SN
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January 15
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Louisville at Connecticut
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9:00 pm
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CBS SN
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January 22
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Georgetown at Rutgers
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7:00 pm
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CBS SN
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January 22
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Louisville at Marquette
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9:00 pm
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CBS SN
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February 5
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Notre Dame at Villanova
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7:00 pm
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CBS SN
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February 12
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St. John’s at USF
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7:00 pm
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CBS SN
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February 12
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Rutgers at DePaul
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9:00 pm
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CBS SN
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February 19
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Rutgers at Syracuse
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9:00 pm
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CBS SN
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February 20
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St. John’s at Marquette
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8:00 pm
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CBS SN
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February 26
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Syracuse at Notre Dame
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7:00 pm
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CBS SN
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February 26
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Georgetown at DePaul
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9:00 pm
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CBS SN
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March 4
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Louisville at Syracuse
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9:00 pm
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CBS SN
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BIG EAST Network (BETV) Game of the Week Schedule
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January 5
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Louisville at DePaul
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BETV
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January 12
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Villanova at Pittsburgh
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BETV
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January 19
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Seton Hall at Georgetown
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BETV
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January 26
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Marquette at USF
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BETV
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February 2
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Connecticut at St. John’s
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BETV
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February 9
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Cincinnati at Rutgers
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BETV
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February 16
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Pittsburgh at Syracuse
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BETV
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February 23
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Syracuse at USF
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BETV
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March 2
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Notre Dame at Providence
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BETV
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March 9
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BIG EAST Championship Second Round (Hartford, Conn.)
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Noon/2:00/6:00/8:00 pm
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BETV
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March 10
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BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinal (Hartford, Conn.)
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6:00 pm
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BETV
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BETV - The Conference, in conjunction with the ESPN-ESPN Regional Television Partnership, produces and distributes a regular season Conference Game of the Week to various regional sports networks in BIG EAST markets. SportsNet New York (SNY) carries the entire package and is singled out as the flagship station and core of the distribution, solidifying New York as the nation’s No. 1 media market. Numerous local affiliates also pick up the weekly games and will be determined at a later date. Check bigeast.org for the most up-to-date clearance list.
All dates and times (Eastern) are subject to change; BIG EAST games in all CAPS
ESPN/ESPN2 games are also available via WatchESPN
BETV – BIG EAST Network Game of the Week (check your local listings for affiliates)
