Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball to Appear on ESPNU Four Time, Women Once, as Part of 2007 Patriot League Television Package
10/18/2006 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 18, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Patriot League on Wednesday announced its 2007 men's and women's basketball television schedule, with a total of nine men's games and three women's games to be aired live on ESPNU. Bucknell will be well-represented, as four of its Patriot League men's games, including both Holy Cross contests, will be part of the package, while the women's home game with Holy Cross will also be shown as part of a neat doubleheader evening from Sojka Pavilion.
The Bison men have captured the last two Patriot League titles, with Holy Cross reaching the finals both years. The Bison-Crusaders rivalry will be heavily showcased on the ESPNU docket, as both the Jan. 12 game at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass., and the Feb. 9 game at Sojka Pavilion will be aired. Bucknell's other two ESPNU appearances will be on Jan. 20 at home against Colgate, and on Feb. 2 at Navy.
Bucknell's women's team, which is expected to be one of the Patriot League title contenders in 2007, will take on perennial league power Holy Cross on ESPNU on Feb. 9. The women's televised game will be at 4:30 p.m., with the men to follow at 7 p.m.
ESPNU will also broadcast the women's Patriot League championship game on March 7.
Along with the announcement of the television schedule comes several changes to Bucknell's previously published 2006-07 men's and women's schedules. A total of seven men's games have been shuffled forward one day, and one game time has been changed. The affected men's dates are as follows:
-- Home game vs. American moves from Wednesday, Jan. 10 to Tuesday, Jan. 9 (7 p.m.)
-- Game at Holy Cross moves from Saturday, Jan. 13 to Friday, Jan. 12 (7 p.m.)
-- Home game vs. Colgate on Saturday, Jan. 20, time adjusted to 2 p.m.
-- Home game vs. Lehigh moves from Wednesday, Jan. 24 to Tuesday, Jan. 23 (7 p.m.)
-- Game at Colgate moves from Wednesday, Jan. 31 to Tuesday, Jan. 30 (7 p.m.)
-- Game at Navy moves from Saturday, Feb. 3 to Friday, Feb. 2 (9 p.m.)
-- Game at American moves from Wednesday, Feb. 7 to Tuesday, Feb. 6 (8 p.m.)
-- Home game vs. Holy Cross moves from Saturday, Feb. 10 to Friday, Feb. 9 (7 p.m.)
The women's schedule changes are as follows:
-- Home game vs. American moves from Tuesday, Jan. 9 to Wednesday, Jan. 10 (7 p.m.)
-- Home game vs. Lehigh moves from Tuesday, Jan. 23 to Wednesday, Jan. 24 (7 p.m.)
-- Game at American on Tuesday, Feb. 6, time adjusted to 5:30 p.m.
-- Home game vs. Holy Cross moves from Saturday, Feb. 10 to Friday, Feb. 9 (4:30 p.m.)
Bucknell's men's team played a school-record nine games on national television last season. The Bison appeared four times on one of the ESPN entities (once on ESPN, twice on ESPN2 and once on ESPN360), twice on CBS and three times on CSTV. This season, in addition to the four ESPNU games as part of the Patriot League package, Bucknell's Dec. 23 game at Texas Tech will be shown on ESPN2. The Bison will also host a BracketBusters game on Feb. 17, and there is still the possibility of other non-conference television opportunities that have not yet been finalized.
Below is the 2007 Patriot League Television Package on ESPNU:
Men:
-- Friday, Jan. 12 - Bucknell at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
-- Saturday, Jan. 20 - Colgate at Bucknell, 2 p.m.
-- Sunday, Jan. 21 - Navy at Army, 12 p.m.
-- Friday, Jan. 26 - Lehigh at Holy Cross, 9 p.m.
-- Friday, Feb. 2 - Bucknell at Navy, 9 p.m.
-- Friday, Feb. 9 - Holy Cross at Buckell, 7 p.m.
-- Sunday, Feb. 11 - American at Colgate, 1 p.m.
-- Sunday, Feb. 18 - Lehigh at Lafayette, 12 p.m.
-- Friday, Feb. 23 - Lafayette at American, 9 p.m.
Women:
-- Sunday, Jan. 21 - Navy at Army, 2:30 p.m.
-- Friday, Feb. 9 - Holy Cross at Bucknell, 4:30 p.m.
-- Wednesday, March 7 - Patriot League Championship Game
Returning for his fifth season as the play-by-play commentator on the Patriot League TV package will be Bob Socci. John Feinstein, author of The Last Amateurs and numerous other best-sellers, will handle the color commentary duties for the men's games for the sixth year. Joining Socci in the broadcast booth for Patriot League women's basketball action will be Leah Secondo.
Both Bison squads officially began practice this past weekend. The women's team begins its 2006-07 season at home against Hampton on Nov. 10, while the men's team hosts Mansfield in an exhibition game on Nov. 4 before opening the regular season on Nov. 11 at Albany.
