SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference announced today (November 1) a schedule of 26 live events to be broadcast exclusively through ESPN3 as part of the league's agreement with the live broadband sports network. The package calls for both regular season and championship events to be carried by ESPN3.
"This is a significant addition for our programs and our fans," said Southern Conference Commissioner John Iamarino. "ESPN3 is available in roughly 80 percent of all U.S. households and gives us a way to tap into ESPN's cutting edge delivery system. It's a huge plus for us."
The agreement calls for five conference championship finals to be shown, beginning with the league's Women's Soccer final on Sunday (November 6). The title games of the men's soccer and volleyball tournaments will also be shown this fall, while the league's softball and baseball championship games will air on ESPN3 exclusively in the spring.
A total of 13 men's basketball games will be shown live on ESPN3, including four non-conference games. The men's basketball package begins November 16 when Clemson visits The Citadel. Wofford hosts Davidson on December 1st in the first league game on ESPN3. The quarterfinals of the men's basketball tournament on March 3 will air exclusively on ESPN3.
Southern Conference teams are scheduled to make at least 11 appearances on national television during the season, including the 2012 Southern Conference men's tournament final, which is slated for a 9:00 p.m. tip on either ESPN or ESPN2 on March 5. League teams will also make an additional 12 appearances on numerous regional sports networks.
ESPN3 will carry eight Southern Conference women's basketball regular season games with each league team making at least one appearance. The first women's game is slotted for December 5 when Furman visits Georgia Southern.
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
The Southern Conference, in its 91st season of intercollegiate competition, is a national leader in emphasizing the development of the student-athlete and helping build lifelong leaders and role models. The conference has been on the forefront of innovation and originality in developing creative solutions to address issues facing intercollegiate athletics. From establishing the first conference basketball tournament (1921), tackling the issues of freshman eligibility (1922), developing women's championships (1984) to becoming the first conference to install the three-point goal in basketball (1980), the Southern Conference has been a pioneer. The Southern Conference is the nation's fifth-oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association.
The conference currently consists of 12 members in five states throughout the southeast and sponsors 19 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships.
2011-12 Southern Conference Broadcasts - ESPN3 Exclusive
Date Sport Teams Time
Nov. 6 Women's Soccer Championship Game 1:00 p.m.
Nov. 13 Men's Soccer Championship Game 1:00 p.m.
Nov. 21 Volleyball Championship Game 6:00 p.m.
Nov. 16 Men's Basketball Clemson at The Citadel 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 1 Men's Basketball Davidson at Wofford 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 5 Women's Basketball Furman at Georgia Southern 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 7 Men's Basketball Vanderbilt at Davidson 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 17 Women's Basketball Western Carolina at Samford 3:00 p.m.
Dec. 22 Men's Basketball VCU at UNCG 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 30 Men's Basketball George Mason at Coll. of Charleston 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 12 Men's Basketball Furman at Appalachian State 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 21 Women's Basketball Chattanooga at Appalachian State 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 26 Men's Basketball Georgia Southern at Samford 8:00 p.m.
Jan. 30 Women's Basketball Elon at Chattanooga 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 2 Men's Basketball Chattanooga at Western Carolina 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 6 Women's Basketball Samford at Wofford 6:00 p.m.
Feb. 9 Men's Basketball Elon at Chattanooga 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 14 Women's Basketball Davidson at UNCG 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 20 Women's Basketball Elon at College of Charleston 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 27 Women's Basketball Appalachian State at Chattanooga 7:00 p.m.
March 3 Men's Basketball SoCon Tournament Quarterfinals 12:00 p.m.
May 12 Softball Championship Game 1:30 p.m.
May 27 Baseball Championship Game 2:00 p.m.