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.