BTN Communications, February 19, 2015
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 from April 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.
BTN MEN?S LACROSSE TELEVISION SCHEDULE (All Times Eastern)
| Date | Visiting Team | Home Team | Time (ET) |
| 3/29/2015 | Michigan | Maryland | TBD |
| 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 |
| 4/26/2015 | 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 |
BTN WOMEN?S LACROSSE TELEVISION SCHEDULE (All Times Eastern)
| 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 |
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 1,000 events across all platforms, 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 digital extension of the Big Ten Network, delivering live games and on-demand programming to Big Ten Network customers via the web, smartphones, and tablets. Events include football, men?s and women?s basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Olympic sports and championship events; studio shows; and classic games. 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 in more than 60 million homes across the United States and Canada, including carriage by all the major video distributors, such as DIRECTV, DISH, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Charter Communications, Comcast Xfinity, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Mediacom, RCN, WOW!, and approximately 300 additional video providers across North America. For additional information, go to http://www.BTN.com.
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