Sixteen Basketball Games to be Televised on Southland TV Network

FRISCO, Texas - Sixteen men's and women's basketball games will be televised this year on the new Southland Conference Television Network, the conference office announced Thursday. The network will televise 10 men's games, six women's games and five games from the SLC Tournament, including the women's championship game. The men's championship will be televised on ESPN2.

The Southland Network slate gets underway Saturday, Jan. 10 with a men's game between Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin. Each Saturday will feature a game of the week through the final weekend of conference play. The two men's semifinal games and the two women's semifinal games at the SLC Tournament also will be televised.

"We are excited to announce the basketball schedule for the Southland Television Network," league commissioner Tom Burnett said.  "With our recent successes in the sport, and with more expected, we are very pleased to provide a consistent offering of telecasts to give fans a steady diet of Southland hoops."

All 12 men's teams will have at least one regular-season appearance on the network, while Sam Houston State and UTSA each make two appearances. Women's teams from Lamar, Northwestern State, UTSA and Texas State also have regular-season games on the network.

Following the opening game Jan. 10, other men's games include: Texas State at Central Arkansas (Jan.17), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Sam Houston State (Jan. 31), UTSA at Southeastern Louisiana (Feb. 7), UTSA at UT Arlington (Feb. 14), Northwestern State at Lamar (Feb. 21) and McNeese State at Nicholls State (Feb. 28). The women's schedule begins Jan. 24 with Texas State at Lamar. The other scheduled women's game is Wednesday, Feb. 25 with Northwestern State at UTSA.

The Southland Network will also broadcast two wildcard games during the last week of the regular season, and will determine the exact matchup as the conference race develops. The women's wildcard game will be Wednesday, March 4 and the men's wildcard game will be Saturday, March 7.

"The men's and women's wild card matchups give us the opportunity to offer the most meaningful matchups during the final week of the regular season," Burnett added.  "Additionally, we have always wanted the ability to televise more from the Conference tournament like we will this year, and the semifinals usually provide some of the best basketball action of the season."

Saturday marks the first of eight football games to be carried on the network, which will also televise the championship games of the 2008 Volleyball Tournament and the 2009 Baseball Tournament.

All live game broadcasts by the Southland Network will be simulcast on SLC NOW, the Southland's streaming video and audio channel on its web site, www.southland.org.

The Southland Network presently has the following affiliates, KWCE in Alexandria, La.; WBTR in Baton Rouge, La.; KFDM/Time Warner Cable in Beaumont, Texas; KTBU in Houston, Texas; KVHP in Lake Charles, La.; KKYK in Little Rock, Ark.; WVUE 8.2 in New Orleans, La.; Texas State Cable Ch. 17 in San Marcos, TX; KPXJ in Shreveport, La.; MYTX in Tyler, Texas; and select Time Warner Cable systems in Texas.  Numerous network broadcasts are also available nationally on Fox College Sports.

2008-09 Southland TV Network Basketball Broadcast Schedule

Date           Day        Game                                                                                       Time

Jan. 10         Sat.          Sam Houston State at Stephen F. Austin* (men)                 2 p.m.

Jan. 17         Sat.          Texas State at Central Arkansas* (men)                                2 p.m.

Jan. 24         Sat.          Texas State at Lamar* (women)                                             2 p.m.

Jan. 31         Sat.          Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Sam Houston State* (men)   2 p.m.

Feb. 7          Sat.          UTSA at Southeastern Louisiana* (men)                               2 p.m.

Feb. 14        Sat.          UTSA at UT Arlington* (men)                                                 2 p.m.

Feb. 21        Sat.          Northwestern State at Lamar* (men)                                    7 p.m.

Feb. 25        Wed.        Northwestern State at UTSA* (women)                                 7 p.m.

Feb. 28        Sat.          McNeese State at Nicholls State* (men)                                2 p.m.

Mar. 4          Wed.        Wildcard Game TBA* (women)                                               7 p.m.

Mar. 7          Sat.          Wildcard Game TBA* (men)                                                    2 p.m.

Mar. 13        Fri.           Women's Tournament Semifinal 1                                        Noon

Mar. 13        Fri.           Women's Tournament Semifinal 2                                   2:30 p.m.

Mar. 13        Fri.           Men's Tournament Semifinal 1                                              6 p.m.

Mar. 13        Fri.           Men's Tournament Semifinal 2                                         8:30 p.m.

Mar. 14        Sat.          Women's Tournament Championship                                  2 p.m.

*Southland Conference Game; All times Central