BTN to Offer All-Access Coverage of Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament

CHICAGO, March 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- BTN puts the full court press on the Big Ten Tournament, including four live BTN games featuring Gus Johnson, as well as pre- and post-game shows, post-game press conferences, and a Sunday night special following NCAA Tournament selections.

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"With four Big Ten teams ranked in the nation's top 10, this is a special season for Big Ten fans, and BTN will have more tournament coverage than ever before," said BTN President Mark Silverman.

Tournament coverage on BTN and BTN2Go begins Wednesday, with the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Preview Show at 8 PM ET from the United Center. Host Dave Revsine and analysts Jim Jackson and Shon Morris will take viewers through the tournament with key matchups, players to watch and predictions on the teams most likely to make it to the title game.

At 11:30 AM ET Thursday, BTN airs the Big Ten Tip-Off Show, with Game One beginning at noon ET on BTN and BTN2Go featuring No. 8 Illinois and No. 9 Minnesota. Game Two tips off at approximately 2:30 PM ET, with No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 Penn State. After Thursday's afternoon games have ended, BTN will air the Big Ten Finale at 4:30 PM ET. A second episode of the Big Ten Finale will also air after all the games have ended at 11 PM ET.

On Friday, coverage begins at 6 PM ET with the Big Ten Tip-Off Show, recapping the day's games, and previewing the night's action. Game Seven on BTN and BTN2Go, at 6:30 PM ET Friday, will feature No. 2 Ohio State and the winner of No. 7 Purdue vs. No. 10 Nebraska.  Game Eight will tip off at approximately 9 PM ET and will feature No. 3 Michigan State against the winner of No. 6 Iowa and No. 11 Northwestern.  The Big Ten Finale at 11 PM ET will recap the day's action.

Johnson and Morris will call all BTN games, with Stephanie White reporting from the sideline.

BTN coverage continues Saturday, with the Big Ten Tip-Off Show at 1 PM ET and the Finale at 6 PM ET. On Sunday, the Tip-Off Show airs at 3 PM ET.

At 7 PM ET, Sunday, BTN airs the Big Ten Basketball and Beyond Selection Sunday Special, a 90-minute show hosted by Revsine and Jackson in-studio, with Morris, Rick Pizzo, and Mike DeCourcy at the United Center. The show will include a post-game interview with the Big Ten Tournament Champion's head coach, and interviews with select coaches of Big Ten teams earning a NCAA Tournament bid.

In addition, all post-game press conferences from the United Center will be available via live stream on the Big Ten Digital Network throughout the tournament.

On Wednesday, March 20, the season finale of The Journey: Big Ten Basketball 2013 airs at 8 PM ET. The 60-minute show will feature tournament storylines and behind-the-scenes action.

About BTN: A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, BTN is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 800 events, all in HD, the 24/7 network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. BTN2Go is the 24/7 simulcast of BTN that delivers live and on-demand programming via the internet, smartphones and tablets to customers of participating video providers. Events include football, men's and women's basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Olympic sports and championship events; studio shows; and classic games. The network televises and streams more Olympic sporting events and women's sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation's finest universities. The groundbreaking Student U initiative provides real-world experience for students interested in careers in sports television. The network is available to more than 90 million homes across the United States and Canada, and currently has agreements with more than 300 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Atlantic Broadband, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Rogers Cable (Canada), Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct (Canada), Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For additional information, go to www.BTN.com.

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