CBS Sports Network To Televise MVC MBB Slate

CBS Sports Network will air a 10-game Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball television package, including the State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals as well as eight regular-season games, Commissioner Doug Elgin announced today.

Additionally, CBS Sports will continue to televise the Arch Madness title game, which it has aired for ten consecutive years.

“Our postseason tournament tips off the final week of men’s basketball coverage leading up to Selection Sunday, and we are grateful to have heightened Arch Madness television exposure on CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network,” said Elgin, who is in his 28th year with the Conference.

“Gaining the ability to have a second national partner televise our men’s basketball contests was a key element in our media rights contracts, and we recognize CBS Sports for its continued willingness to spread The Valley brand through a sublicense agreement,” Elgin added.

The regular-season package of games on CBS Sports Network reflects the success of The Valley, which saw two teams represent the league in the final Associated Press rankings in 2015 -- Wichita State (14) and UNI (11) -- as a well as a run to the NCAA Sweet 16 by Wichita State, which marked the sixth MVC team to reach the Sweet 16 in the past 10 years.

Of the seven pre-determined league match-ups, Wichita State will appear in three games, while Evansville, Illinois State, Loyola and UNI are slated for two appearances each.  The CBS Sports Network package, which features contests on Saturdays and select mid-week nights, begins on Jan. 9, with Wichita State visiting Southern Illinois at SIU Arena in Carbondale, Ill., in a 3 p.m. Central telecast.

The men’s basketball regular-season package in January also features Loyola at Evansville (Jan. 19), and Loyola at Wichita State (Jan. 27).

In the month of February, telecasts include UNI at Drake (Feb. 6), Illinois State at Evansville (Feb. 11), Missouri State at Wichita State (Feb. 18) and Illinois State at UNI (Feb. 20).

The February lineup concludes on Saturday, Feb. 27, when ESPN and CBS Sports Network will utilize the Wildcard Selection process to choose from five games -- Illinois State at Wichita State, UNI at Evansville, Missouri State at Southern Illinois, Loyola at Drake and Bradley at Indiana State.

The wildcard games selected to air on ESPN and CBS Sports Network will be announced on Friday, Feb. 12.

CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2016 State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Championship -- the league’s 26th consecutive postseason tournament in St. Louis -- will include the semifinal games on March 5 on CBS Sports Network. The title contest on March 6 will air at 1 p.m. Central on CBS Sports.

There will also be additional non-conference exposure through Indiana State’s participation in the Paradise Jam, Illinois State’s involvement in the Cancun Challenge and Loyola’s participation in the Great Alaska Shootout in November.

Should Indiana State win its first-round game against Norfolk State on Nov. 20, the Sycamores will meet the winner of Ohio-Tulsa on CBS Sports Network at 5:30 p.m. Central on Nov. 22. They could also gain an appearance at 5:30 or 8 p.m. Central on Nov. 23.

Illinois State plays Maryland on Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Central on CBS Sports Network. The Redbirds would play either Rhode Island or TCU in another CBS Sports Network telecast on Nov. 25.

Loyola plays San Diego on Nov. 26 at 1 a.m. Central on CBS Sports Network. Both semifinals on Nov. 27 and the championship game on Nov. 28 are being carried by CBS Sports Network.