Sept. 24, 2008

Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League announced Wednesday that seven regular-season basketball games and the Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship matchup will air on ESPNU during the 2008-09 campaign, while the Patriot League Men's Basketball Championship will be featured on ESPN2 on March 13.

The schedule features six regular-season men's contests and one regular-season women's game, with all eight men's basketball teams gaining exposure on ESPNU. American, Navy, Bucknell and Holy Cross men's teams will all make a pair of appearances.

"We are pleased to once again feature Patriot League regular-season and Championship basketball contests on the ESPN networks," Patriot League Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich said. "We are excited to have appearances for all eight of our men's basketball teams and multiple games featuring each of our last three Patriot League champions."

Bucknell and Navy open up the Patriot League men's basketball schedule on ESPNU for the second year in a row, with the Bison traveling to Annapolis on Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. in a rematch of last year's thrilling triple-overtime quarterfinal contest won by the Bison. Bucknell gets a second appearance on the network when it hosts Holy Cross on Jan. 17 at Noon.

The next weekend features a pair of Patriot League men's basketball contests on ESPNU. Holy Cross gets its second appearance on the network when it hosts defending champion American on Jan. 24 at 2 p.m., and Navy visits Army in a renewal of their rivalry on Jan. 25 at Noon.

The women take center stage on Feb. 7, with Lehigh facing American in a 4 p.m. tipoff.

The ESPNU men's basketball action continues from Bender Arena the next week, with American hosting Colgate in a rematch of the 2008 Patriot League Championship game on Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. The regular-season men's schedule on ESPNU concludes with the rivalry in the Lehigh Valley, with Lafayette visiting Lehigh on Feb. 22 at Noon.

The Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship contest will be televised by ESPNU on March 11 at 6 p.m. from the site of the highest remaining seed, with the men's title game following two days later from the site of the highest remaining seed on ESPN2 at 4:45 p.m.

Patriot League basketball teams open non-League action on Nov. 14, with the first League game set for Jan. 10.

The Patriot League continually demonstrates that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing its high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.

ESPNU launched on March 4, 2005. The 24-hour college sports television network features more than 550 live events annually, including college football, college basketball and Olympic sports from more than 25 Division I conferences, as well as premier high school content. The network also has a wide-ranging, long-term agreement with the NCAA for enhanced coverage of 22 NCAA Championships. ESPNU also offers comprehensive studio programming, including live simulcasts of ESPN Radio's The Herd with Colin Cowherd, and replays the best games of the week from ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Regional Television. The brand is also available in high definition on ESPNU HD and online at ESPNU.com. In addition, ESPNU Campus Connection, a multi-platform student-generated content initiative, was introduced in August 2007. ESPNU is available nationwide in 21 million households and has long-term carriage agreements with several top 10 providers, including Charter, Cox, DIRECTV (Channel 609), DISH Network (Channel 148), Insight Communications, Mediacom, Suddenlink, and Time Warner. ESPNU is also available on Verizon FIOS TV and AT&T U-verse.

2009 Patriot League Men's Basketball Schedule on ESPNU

Sat. Jan. 10 Bucknell at Navy 5 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 17 Holy Cross at Bucknell Noon
Sat. Jan. 24 American at Holy Cross 2 p.m.
Sun. Jan. 25 Navy at Army Noon
Sat. Feb. 14 Colgate at American 1 p.m.
Sun. Feb. 22 Lafayette at Lehigh Noon

2009 Patriot League Men's Basketball Schedule on ESPN2

Fri. Mar. 13 Championship Game 4:45 p.m.

2009 Patriot League Women's Basketball Schedule on ESPNU

Sat. Feb. 7 Lehigh at American 4 p.m.
Wed. Mar. 11 Championship Game 6 p.m.