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Bridgewater, NJ -- The Northeast Conference (NEC) today announced a 16-game basketball television package for the 2024-25 season.
Among the highlights:
- All 16 games to be featured on ESPN platforms
- ESPNU will showcase a pair of marquee matchups
- ESPN+ will broadcast 12 games this season, including four exclusive matchups
- YES Network, SportsNet Pittsburgh and NESN/NESN Nation will each carry eight games, bringing extensive regional coverage to fans while also being accessible nationwide on ESPN+
- The 2024-25 NEC slate includes eight men’s and eight women’s games, with all teams appearing at least once during the regular season.
- NEC Tournament coverage includes the men’s and women’s semifinals, with title games airing on ESPN2 (men) & ESPNU (women)
ESPNU will televise a pair of key games during conference play, beginning with a rematch of the 2024 NEC women’s final on February 20, when preseason favorite FDU hosts Le Moyne. On the final day of the men’s regular season, preseason co-favorites CCSU and Wagner will square off in New Britain in a potentially pivotal game with playoff implications, all in front of a national audience on the “U.”
The NEC and longtime broadcast partner ESPN are teaming up to bring games to fans through ESPN’s streaming services on the web and via the ESPN App across smartphones, tablets and connected devices. ESPN+ will be the go-to destination for NEC basketball enthusiasts this winter, hosting a dozen games, evenly split between the men’s and women’s teams. Notably, ESPN+ will air the first-ever NEC-televised games featuring league newcomers Chicago State and Mercyhurst. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $10.99 a month (or $109.99 per year) via ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or the ESPN App. It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu.
With March Madness on the horizon, ESPN+ will carry the NEC men’s semifinals on Saturday, March 8, and the women’s semifinals on Thursday, March 13. As part of its Championship Week coverage, ESPN2 will air the NEC men’s title game for the 38th consecutive year on Tuesday, March 12, at 7:00 pm. Furthermore, ESPNU will televise the NEC Women’s Championship game for the 18th straight year, scheduled for Sunday, March 16, at 12:00 pm.
The NEC will supplement it’s national coverage on ESPN with comprehensive regional programming across the conference footprint.
NEC basketball will continue to have a strong presence in the New York metro area with YES Network returning as a regional partner. YES will broadcast four regular-season games on its linear network and YES App, highlighted by a February 6 doubleheader between CCSU and FDU. When March arrives, YES and the YES App will air the NEC men’s and women’s semifinals, though these broadcasts may be impacted by potential conflicts with New York Yankees spring training. YES will carry the semifinals on tape delay in the event they cannot be aired live.
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) and NESN are set to expand their NEC coverage this season, with each network broadcasting four regular season games and four playoff games. SNP’s coverage will be split between SNP and SNP+, while NESN will feature several games on NESN Nation, a soon-to-launch FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channel accessible on various streaming platforms, smart TVs and other connected devices.
“As we gear up for basketball conference play, the NEC is proud to deliver an exceptional viewing experience for fans through our longstanding partnership with ESPN, which provides broad national exposure for our programs. At the same time, our regional collaborations with YES Network, SportsNet Pittsburgh and NESN allow us to bring the action directly to our dedicated fanbase within the conference footprint. Together, these broadcast agreements ensure that NEC basketball shines on every platform, reaching audiences near and far this winter.”
Now in his 25th season, Dave Popkin will serve as the primary play-by-play announcer on men’s broadcasts, with Paul Dottino (26th year) filling in. Tim Capstraw (26th year) and Joe DeSantis (18th year) are slated to split color analyst duties.
Dottino and Craig D’Amico (16th year) will once split play-by-play duties on women’s telecasts. Pam Roecker is back for her 23rd year as color analyst.
Pack Network and Linacre Media will handle production duties for the league’s ESPN+ package.
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 44th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#8). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#87). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.
2024-25 NEC Basketball Television Schedule
Date Matchup Time Carriers
Mon., Jan. 20 Wagner at Saint Francis U (w) 7:00 pm ESPN+, YES, SNP, NESN Nation
Sat., Feb. 1 Chicago State at LIU (w) 2:00 pm ESPN+ exclusive
Thur., Feb. 6 FDU at CCSU (w) 4:00 pm ESPN+ exclusive
Thur., Feb. 6 FDU at CCSU (m) 8:00 pm ESPN+, YES, SNP, NESN+
Sat., Feb. 8 Saint Francis U at Chicago State (m) 1pm CST/2pm EST ESPN+ exclusive
Sat., Feb. 15 Stonehill at Mercyhurst (w) 1:00 pm ESPN+, YES, SNP+, NESN+
Sat., Feb. 15 Mercyhurst at Stonehill (m) 3:30 pm ESPN+, YES, SNP+, NESN Nation
Thur., Feb. 20 Le Moyne at FDU (w) 5:00 pm ESPNU
Sat.. Feb. 22 LIU at Le Moyne (m) 4:00 pm ESPN+ exclusive
Sat., Mar. 1 CCSU at Wagner (m) 6:00 pm ESPNU
Sat., Mar. 8 NEC Men’s Semifinal #1 12:00 pm ESPN+, YES*, SNP, NESN+
Sat., Mar. 8 NEC Men’s Semifinal #2 2:00 pm ESPN+, YES*, SNP, NESN Nation
Tues., Mar. 11 NEC Men’s Championship 7:00 pm ESPN2
Thur., Mar. 13 NEC Women’s Semifinal #1 7:00 pm ESPN+, YES* (live), SNP+, NESN+
Thur., Mar. 13 NEC Women’s Semifinal #2 7:00 pm ESPN+, YES* (delay),
SNP+ (TD: 3/15 at 10 pm), NESN Nation
Sun., Mar. 16 NEC Women’s Championship 12:00 pm ESPNU
* YES game playoff clearances are tentative pending Yankees spring training TV games