BTN.com staff, October 24, 2012

BTN today revealed its studio talent for the 2012 Big Ten men?s and women?s basketball season. Gus Johnson, one of America?s favorite sportscasters, will return to BTN for his fifth season as a men?s basketball play-by-play announcer. Johnson joined BTN during the 2008-09 season. Known for his memorable catchphrases, Johnson?s style is popular among fans.

BTN has added five new faces to the men?s basketball talent roster. Justin Kutcher, who previously worked for ESPN, will join BTN?s deep roster of returning play-by-play announcers, which includes Eric Collins, Kevin Kugler, Dave Revsine, Brian Anderson, Tom Hamilton and Wayne Larrivee.

[RELATED: Watch some of Gus Johnson's best calls on BTN from 2011-2012.]

Sam Vincent, former head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, Mike Kelley, who previously worked as an analyst for ESPN, Scoonie Penn, former Ohio State point guard and Sean Harrington, former Illinois shooting guard, will all join returning BTN analysts Jim Jackson, Shon Morris, Greg Kelser, Dan Bonner, Steve Smith and Eddie Johnson. Vincent, who played at Michigan State, spent seven seasons in the NBA with multiple teams and won an NBA Championship with the 1986 Boston Celtics. Kelley, a former Badger basketball standout and 1999 Defensive Player of the Year, holds Wisconsin?s all-time record in career steals with 275. Penn was a two-time All Big Ten selection and a third team All-American as a senior. Harrington spent the last four years at Illinois as the Director of Basketball Operations.

BTN has added former ESPN and NBA TV analyst LaChina Robinson to the women?s basketball talent roster. Robinson, who played in college at Wake Forest, will join returning analysts Stephanie White, Mary Murphy and Debbie Antonelli. Returning play-by-play talent to the women?s basketball roster includes Lisa Byington and Brenda VanLengen, as well as Kugler and Collins.

BTN will bring fans two 60-minute basketball preview shows for both men?s and women?s basketball. The Big Ten Men?s Basketball Preview Show will air at 7 PM ET on Nov. 4 and will be hosted by Revsine and Jackson. The Women?s Big Ten Basketball Preview Show will air at 8:30 PM ET on Nov. 5 and be hosted by White and BTN?s Mike Hall.

BTN is the fan?s home for Big Ten basketball this season, airing more than 175 men?s and women?s conference and non-conference matchups, which includes  four Big Ten Men?s Basketball Tournament games and 10 Big Ten Women?s Basketball Tournament games. All televised games will also be available on BTN2Go. An additional 150 games will be streamed on the Big Ten Digital Network.

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. Events include football, men?s and women?s basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Championship events; studio shows; coaches? 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 80 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.