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Bridgewater, NJ -- The Northeast Conference (NEC) today announced a 25-game basketball television package for the 2023-24 season.

Among the highlights:

ESPNU will televise a pair of games during conference play, beginning with a matchup of NEC men’s contenders on January 25 when CCSU visits an FDU program fresh off its historic 16-over-1 NCAA win vs. Purdue last March. The ESPNU cameras will return to Hackensack on February 9 when the defending NEC women’s regular season champion Knights host a Wagner team with its own title aspirations.

The NEC will take center stage on CBS Sports Network with a pair of games this season, starting with the men’s TV opener on January 19 when Stonehill hosts FDU. The excitement continues on February 25 in a special Sunday matinee on the penultimate week of the regular season, as LIU takes on perennial title challenger Wagner in a battle of NYC rivals. CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour home of CBS Sports, is widely available through all major cable, satellite and telco distributors as well as via OTT streaming service providers YouTube TV, fuboTV, DirecTV and Hulu. Additionally, a live CBS Sports Network stream is available through CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App by authenticating with select providers. For more information, including a full programming schedule, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

NEC hoops will once again have a strong New York metro area presence with the addition of YES Network as the league’s newest regional partner. YES is gearing up to broadcast three regular season games on its linear network and on the YES App, highlighted by FDU’s return matchup against CCSU in New Britain on February 10. Come March, YES and the YES App also plan to air the NEC men’s and women’s semifinals, pending any potential conflicts with New York Yankees spring training games. YES and the YES App will carry these playoff games on tape delay in the event they cannot be aired live. The YES Network, the most-watched regional sports network in the country for 18 of the last 20 years, owns the exclusive regional media rights of the 27-time World Champion New York Yankees, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty. YES, which has earned 146 Emmy Awards since its 2002 launch, also televises original biography, interview and magazine programs, college sports and Manchester City and AC Milan soccer. YES made the list of Forbes’ top 10 most valuable sports business brands in the world for nine straight years.

The NEC and longtime broadcast partner ESPN will join forces to deliver games to fans through ESPN streaming services on the web and via the ESPN App across smartphones, tablets and connected devices. ESPN+ is set to be the go-to destination for basketball enthusiasts this winter, hosting a lineup of ten NEC women’s games and nine men’s contests. Of particular note, ESPN+ is set to air both highly anticipated women’s matchups between Merrimack and Sacred Heart. The Pioneers are the defending NEC champion and were the unanimous preseason favorite, while the Warriors were tabbed second in the preseason poll. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $10.99 a month (or $109.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App. It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu.

As the season crescendos in March, ESPN+ will carry the men’s semifinals on Saturday, March 9, and the women’s semis on Thursday, March 14. As part of the network’s Championship Week coverage, the NEC men’s title game will be televised by ESPN2 for the 37th straight year on Tuesday, March 12th at 7:00 pm. Additionally, ESPNU is set to carry the NEC Women’s Championship game for the 17th straight year. This year’s final is scheduled for Sunday, March 17th at 12:00 pm.

The conference anticipates adding additional regional syndication partners in the lead up to conference play.

“As we set sail into the 2023-24 conference season, we want to express our heartfelt appreciation to our outstanding television partners for their unwavering support,” said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. “Our longstanding collaborations with ESPN and CBS Sports Network play a crucial role in extending the national reach of NEC basketball, providing fans across the country an up-close experience of top-tier matchups and fierce rivalries. While maintaining our commitment to linear television within our regional footprint, we’re excited to welcome YES Network as our newest partner. We value their commitment to showcasing NEC hoops to a broad audience within the network’s extensive coverage area.”

Now in his 24th season, Dave Popkin serves as the primary play-by-play announcer on men’s broadcasts, with Paul Dottino (25th year) filling in. Tim Capstraw (25th year) and Joe DeSantis (17th year) are slated to split color analyst duties.

Dottino and Craig D’Amico (15th year) will once split play-by-play duties on women’s telecasts. Pam Roecker is back for her 22nd year as color analyst.

Pack Network and Linacre Media will handle production duties for the league’s ESPN+ package. Freedom Broadcast Group will package and produce CBSSN games.
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 43rd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout five states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#34) and Syracuse (#85). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.
  
2023-24 NEC Basketball Television Schedule