Ryan Sullivan, April 21, 2015
CHICAGO - BTN is the home for complete coverage of Big Ten spring championships in May and will televise events in the sports of baseball, softball, rowing, and men?s and women?s lacrosse, golf, tennis and outdoor track and field. In all, BTN will offer more than 70 hours of coverage.
Broadcast coverage of Big Ten spring championships begins on April 30, when BTN will televise the Big Ten Men?s Lacrosse Tournament Semifinals, hosted by Maryland. The Big Ten Men?s Lacrosse Tournament Championship Game will air at 8 PM ET on Saturday, May 2. The Big Ten Women?s Lacrosse Tournament Quarterfinals will stream live on BTN Plus on April 30, at 3 PM ET and 5 PM ET. BTN will also air both semifinal games live on May 1 at 5:30 PM ET and 8 PM ET.
The Big Ten Women?s Golf Championships will air at 7 PM ET on Wednesday, May 6, while the Big Ten Men?s Golf Championships will air at 7 PM ET on Wednesday, May 13. The Minnesota men?s team won the 2014 Big Ten Championships, while Michigan State and Ohio State shared the women?s title.
The Big Ten Men?s Tennis Tournament, hosted by Illinois, will air at 7 PM ET on Tuesday, May 12, followed by the Big Ten Women?s Tennis Tournament, hosted by Northwestern. The Ohio State men?s and Northwestern women?s teams look to defend their Big Ten Tournament crowns from a year ago.
At 11 AM ET on Sunday, May 24, the network will provide coverage of the Big Ten Men?s and Women?s Outdoor Track and Field Championships from Michigan State. The Wisconsin men?s and Penn State women?s teams earned 2014 titles.
At 6 PM ET on Sunday, May 24, BTN will televise the Big Ten Rowing Championships from Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, as the Buckeyes seek their third-consecutive Big Ten title. Ohio State is also the two-time defending national champion.
BTN will provide live coverage of the entire Big Ten Softball Tournament from Ohio State. Game 1 begins at noon ET Thursday May 7, followed by Game 2 at approximately 2:30 PM ET. Both games will be streamed live on BTN Plus. Television coverage on BTN begins that day with Game 3 at 5:30 PM ET and Game 4 at approximately 8 PM ET. The championship game will air at 8:30 PM ET on Saturday, May 9. Minnesota won last season?s Big Ten Tournament crown.
BTN?s coverage of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament is May 20-24 from Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn., home of the Minnesota Twins. Two games are scheduled to air each day, Wednesday through Friday, and potentially four games on Saturday. The Big Ten Baseball Tournament Championship Game will air at 2 PM ET on Sunday, May 24. Last season, Indiana won its second-straight Big Ten Tournament. The B1G Diamond Report will air following the last game of the day from Thursday through Sunday of the tournament.
In the latest polls, the Big Ten has nationally ranked teams in the sports of baseball (No. 8 Illinois, No. 18 Maryland and No. 21 Iowa), men?s golf (No. 2 Illinois, No. 44 Iowa and No. 49 Michigan), women?s golf (No. 13 Northwestern, No. 36 Ohio State and No. 39 Purdue), men?s lacrosse (No. 3 Maryland and No. 10 Ohio State), women?s lacrosse (No. 1 Maryland, No. 8 Penn State, No. 9 Northwestern and No. 17 Ohio State), rowing (No. 1 Ohio State, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 11 Michigan, No. 12 Indiana and No. 20 Minnesota), softball (No. 4 Michigan and No. 12 Minnesota), men?s tennis (No. 2 Illinois, No. 11 Ohio State, No. 27 Northwestern, No. 33 Minnesota, No. 43 Indiana, No. 51 Penn State and No. 66 Iowa), women?s tennis (No. 14 Michigan, No. 17 Ohio State, No. 27 Northwestern, No. 34 Purdue, No. 48 Indiana, No. 50 Michigan State, No. 51 Illinois, No. 52 Penn State and No. 68 Maryland), men?s track and field (No. 15 Penn State and No. 19 Nebraska) and women?s track and field (No. 14 Michigan State).
The complete television schedule for the 2015 Big Ten Spring Championships and Tournaments appears below. For more information on these events, go to BTN.com or BigTen.org.
2015 Big Ten Network Spring Championships/Tournament Schedule
| Sport | Dates | Site | Air Date and Time (ET) | Defending Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W Tennis | April 23-26 | Northwestern | Tuesday, May 12 – 7:30 PM | Northwestern |
| M Tennis | April 23-26 | Illinois | Tuesday, May 12 – 7 PM | Ohio State |
| W Golf | April 24-26 | Indianapolis, IN | Wednesday, May 6 – 7 PM | Michigan State, Ohio State |
| M Golf | April 24-26 | Newburgh, IN | Wednesday, May 13 – 7 PM | Minnesota |
| M/W Outdoor Track & Field | May 15-17 | Michigan State | Sunday, May 24 – 11 AM | Wisconsin / Penn State |
| Rowing | May 16-17 | Indianapolis, IN | Sunday, May 24 – 6 PM | Ohio State |
2015 Big Ten Men?s Lacrosse Tournament Schedule
| Games | Date | Air Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Semifinal 1 | Thursday, April 30 | 5:30 PM |
| Semifinal 2 | Thursday, April 30 | 8:00 PM |
| Championship | Saturday, May 2 | 8:00 PM |
2015 Big Ten Women?s Lacrosse Tournament Schedule
| Games | Date | Air Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed | Thursday, April 30 | 3:00 PM** |
| No. 3 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed | Thursday, April 30 | 5:30 PM** |
| No. 1 Seed vs. Quarterfinal One Winner | Friday, May 1 | 5:30 PM |
| No. 2 Seed vs. Quarterfinal Two Winner | Friday, May 1 | 8:00 PM |
**Student U Production aired on BTN Plus
2015 Big Ten Softball Tournament Schedule
| Games | Date | Air Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| TBD Matchup vs. TBD Matchup | Thursday, May 7 | 12:00 PM* |
| TBD Matchup vs. TBD Matchup | Thursday, May 7 | 2:30 PM* |
| TBD Matchup vs. TBD Matchup | Thursday, May 7 | 5:30 PM** |
| TBD Matchup vs. TBD Matchup | Thursday, May 7 | 8:00 PM ** |
| Seed 4 vs. Game 1 Winner | Friday, May 8 | 12:00 PM |
| Seed 1 vs. Game 2 Winner | Friday, May 8 | 2:30 PM |
| Seed 3 vs. Game 3 Winner | Friday, May 8 | 5:30 PM |
| Seed 2 vs. Game 4 Winner | Friday, May 8 | 8:00 PM |
| Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner | Saturday, May 9 | 3:30 PM |
| Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner | Saturday, May 9 | 6:00 PM |
| Championship | Saturday, May 9 | 8:30 PM |
*Game will air on BTN Plus (Subscription Required)
**Student U Production
2015 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Schedule
| Games | Date | Air Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| TBD Matchup vs. TBD Matchup | Wednesday, May 20 | TBD |
| TBD Matchup vs. TBD Matchup | Wednesday, May 20 | TBD |
| Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner | Thursday, May 21 | 6:00 PM |
| Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner | Thursday, May 21 | 10:00 PM |
| Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Loser | Friday, May 22 | 4:30 PM |
| Game 6 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser | Friday, May 22 | 8:30 PM |
| Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner | Saturday, May 23 | TBD |
| Game 7 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner | Saturday, May 23 | TBD |
| Game 12 Winner vs. Game 12 Loser (if necessary) | Saturday, May 23 | TBD |
| Game 11 Winner vs. Game 11 Loser (if necessary) | Saturday, May 23 | TBD |
| Championship | Sunday, May 24 | 2:00 PM |
