BIG EAST Announces 2015-16 Men's Basketball Conference Schedule FS1 To Telecast Over 100 Games Nationally; New Year’s Marathon Runs On Jan. 2; BIG EAST Tournament Coverage On FS1

– The 2015-16 BIG EAST Conference men’s basketball schedule was released today and features another year of wall-to-wall television coverage through the league’s partnership with FOX Sports. The schedule includes a five-game New Year’s Marathon on FS1 and a third consecutive season of double round-robin competition culminating with the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden.This season, FS1, a widely distributed national sports channel, will carry more than 100 BIG EAST games nationally, and FOX broadcast network will increase its coverage of BIG EAST action to a record 12 games, all on weekends. All 90 conference regular-season games will be nationally televised. Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery will be back to serve as FOX Sports’ lead announce team.The BIG EAST, which will be in the third season of its 10-team, basketball-centric membership, will start league play on Dec. 30 and 31. On Dec. 30, Seton Hall plays at Marquette and Georgetown travels to DePaul. The three games on Dec. 31 are: Xavier at Villanova, Providence at Butler, and Creighton versus St. John’s at Carnesecca Arena.The New Year’s Marathon will take place on Saturday, Jan. 2, with all 10 teams in action on FS1. The games will begin at 11 a.m. ET with DePaul at Seton Hall and end at approximately midnight when Villanova at Creighton concludes.CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network again will televise selected BIG EAST conference games, with CBS Sports carrying two league games and CBS Sports Network set to air 14 conference contests. CBS Sports Network also will televise at least four non-league games.FS1 will be the television home of the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 9-12, 2016. The BIG EAST Tournament, which will be held at the World’s Most Famous Arena for the 34th consecutive year, is college basketball’s longest running postseason basketball conference tourney held at the same venue.The BIG EAST had previously announced that FS1 will telecast the four BIG EAST home contests in the inaugural Gavitt Tipoff Games, an eight-year, eight-game series between the BIG EAST and The Big Ten Conference held during the first full week of the regular season. Those games are: Nebraska at Villanova on Nov. 17, Illinois at Providence on Nov. 18, and Rutgers at St. John’s along with Iowa at Marquette on Nov. 19.

The New Year’s Marathon on Jan. 2 starts with DePaul at Seton Hall from the Prudential Center at 11 a.m. ET. At 1 p.m., Butler visits Xavier at the Cintas Center, followed by St. John’s at Providence at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center at 3:30 p.m. Marquette travels to the Verizon Center to play Georgetown at 5:30 p.m. The marathon is capped by Villanova at Creighton from the CenturyLink Center at 10 p.m.



BIG EAST coverage on FOX broadcast network includes nine league games and three non-league contests. The non-conference slate of FOX games is scheduled for three straight Saturdays in December: Georgetown hosts Syracuse in a renewal of their legendary rivalry on Dec. 5 at the Verizon Center at 1 p.m.; Xavier hosts local rival Cincinnati on Dec. 12 at the Cintas Center at 5:30 p.m.; and Seton Hall will meet visiting Wichita State on Dec. 19 at noon at the Prudential Center. BIG EAST league play on FOX starts with Providence at Villanova on Jan. 23. On March 5, the last day of the regular season, FOX will carry Georgetown at Villanova at noon, followed by either Marquette at Butler or Creighton at Xavier. FOX broadcast network schedule is listed in this release following the composite league schedule.



CBS Sports again will broadcast two BIG EAST games: Villanova plays at Georgetown on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 1 p.m., and on Saturday, Feb. 27, Butler travels to Georgetown at noon. CBS Sports Network again will carry a lineup of strong league contests, including 14 conference games and at least four non-conference games.



The 2015-16 regular season will come to a close on Saturday, March 5 with all 10 teams in action battling for seeding for the following week’s BIG EAST Tournament. The matchups are: Providence at St. John’s, Georgetown at Villanova, Marquette at Butler, Seton Hall at DePaul and Creighton at Xavier. The FOX broadcast network will televise Georgetown at Villanova and then either Marquette at Butler or Creighton at Villanova.



BIG EAST Tournament coverage on FS1 begins with a first round doubleheader on Wednesday, March 9. Quarterfinal doubleheaders will be played Thursday afternoon and evening, March 10. The semifinal doubleheader is held Friday, March 11, followed by the championship game on Saturday evening, March 12.



FS2 and the FOX Sports Regional Networks will air games not carried by FOX, FS1, CBS and CBS Sports Network, including conference and non-conference contests.



For the third straight season, the BIG EAST will feature an 18-game double round-robin conference schedule.

Highlights of the 2015-16 schedule include:

BIG EAST basketball during the 2015-16 season will also be carried on the BIG EAST Digital Network. BEDN has its own branded channel within FOX Sports GO, the app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. FOX Sports GO app users who are also subscribers of participating video providers can live stream men’s basketball telecasts carried on the FOX broadcast network, FS1, FS2, and the FOX Sports Regional Networks.



BEDN will also carry 225 live streamed events, including every women’s basketball game that is not carried by FOX Sports or CBS Sports Network. All BIG EAST championships will be carried on a FOX Sports channel or BEDN. In addition to live streaming, BEDN content will include highlights, selected news coverage and shoulder programming.



Last year, six of the 10 BIG EAST schools earned NCAA Championship berths. The participating teams were Villanova, Georgetown, Butler, Providence, St. John’s and Xavier, which advanced to the Sweet 16.



The BIG EAST will conduct its Men’s and Women’s Basketball Media Day on Oct. 14 at Madison Square Garden.



Each of the BIG EAST’s 10 schools will separately announce their full individual schedules.







