Press release time..
CHICAGO – BTN will provide unprecedented coverage of the inaugural seasons of Big Ten men’s and women’s lacrosse, televising at least 25 men’s and women’s games and streaming approximately 30 additional games on BTN Plus. Additional events may be added to the schedule later.
Men’s television coverage begins Sunday, March 29, when Maryland hosts Michigan. Highlighting the schedule is No. 9 Johns Hopkins vs. No. 7 Maryland, and No. 17 Penn State vs. No. 7 Maryland. In addition, BTN will televise the entire Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Tournament, hosted by Maryland, set for April 30 to May 2.
The reigning NCAA champion Maryland women’s team opens play on BTN at 7 PM ET Wednesday, March 18, when the top-ranked Terrapins host the University of Pennsylvania at 7 PM ET. Other key women’s games of note on the schedule are No. 3 Syracuse vs. No. 5 Northwestern and No. 1 Maryland at No. 5 Northwestern. BTN also will televise the semifinals of the Big Ten Women’s Lacrosse Tournament, hosted by Rutgers fromApril 30 to May 3.
Leading BTN’s coverage is a group of analysts that includes Mark Dixon, who played lacrosse at Johns Hopkins, has covered NCAA Men’s lacrosse for 18 seasons; Greg Bice, a former lacrosse standout at Ohio State and first overall selection in the 2006 MLL draft; and Courtney Connor, who played at Maryland, coached at Mount St. Mary’s and has also served as a TV analyst. Joining them in the booth will be play-by-play announcers Joe Beninati, Mike Wolf and Pete Medhurst.
The network’s lacrosse coverage will also include a 60-minute BTN Lacrosse Preview Show at 4 PM ET on March 24, and a special BTN Originals mini-series, in which the cameras go behind-the-scenes with the Penn State and Maryland men’s teams leading up to the highly anticipated April 4 contest. More details will be announced at a later date.
The latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division I men’s poll includes three Big Ten squads ranked in the top 20, with No. 7 Maryland, No. 9 Johns Hopkins and No. 17 Penn State. Four Big Ten women’s lacrosse teams are ranked in the top 20 of the latest Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll, including top-ranked Maryland, No. 5 Northwestern, No. 10 Penn State and No. 11 Ohio State.
Despite this being the first season as official Big Ten sports, the 12 competing lacrosse programs boast a rich history of success. The six men’s teams have won a combined 56 national championships, with Johns Hopkins leading the way with 44. Big Ten women’s lacrosse will feature teams that have won 24 National Championships, including nine of the last 10.
Men:
Date Visiting Team Home Team Time (ET) 3/29/2015 Michigan Maryland 5:00 PM 4/4/2015 Penn State Maryland 4:00 PM 4/5/2015 Johns Hopkins Ohio State TBD 4/12/2015 Maryland Rutgers TBD 4/18/2015 Maryland Ohio State 11:00 AM 4/19/2015 Rutgers Penn State TBD 4/25/2015 Penn State Michigan 6:00 PM 4/25/2015 Johns Hopkins Maryland 8:00 PM 4/30/2015 Big Ten Tournament: Semifinal 1 Big Ten Tournament: Semifinal 1 5:30 PM 4/30/2015 Big Ten Tournament: Semifinal 2 Big Ten Tournament: Semifinal 2 8:00 PM 5/2/2015 Big Ten Tournament: Championship Game Big Ten Tournament: Championship Game 8:00 PM Women:
Date Visiting Team Home Team Time (ET) 3/18/2015 Pennsylvania Maryland 7:00 PM 3/22/2015 Syracuse Northwestern 1:00 PM 3/22/2015 Colorado Michigan 3:00 PM 3/26/2015 Maryland Northwestern 7:00 PM 3/28/2015 Penn State Rutgers 1:00 PM 3/29/2015 Louisville Northwestern 1:00 PM 3/31/2015 Lehigh Rutgers 7:00 PM 4/2/2015 Northwestern Michigan 7:00 PM 4/4/2015 Ohio State Penn State 6:00 PM 4/9/2015 Michigan Penn State 7:00 PM 4/16/2015 Rutgers Ohio State 7:00 PM 4/23/2015 Penn State Maryland 7:00 PM 5/1/2015 Big Ten Tournament: Semifinal 1 Big Ten Tournament: Semifinal 1 5:30 PM 5/1/2015 Big Ten Tournament: Semifinal 2 Big Ten Tournament: Semifinal 2 8:00 PM
Michigan will not host a “Battle at the Big House” this year, which is a garbage move by both its own athletic department and the Big Ten Network. (Michigan’s spring football “game” is at 2 p.m. April 4, the lacrosse game against Rutgers will be the following day at noon). Missed opportunities for both the athletic department and TV Network, but it is what it’s gonna be.
Enjoy your Purdue Campus Programming, folks.