Summit League Reaches Landmark Television Agreement

ELMHURST, Ill. - The Summit League along with Midco Sports Network and Fox College Sports have reached an agreement that will provide at least 20 men's and women's basketball games to a national cable television audience during the 2012-13 season.

Midco Sports Network will produce and air eight Summit League matchups during the regular season and all men's and women's quarterfinal and semifinal games from The Summit League Championships in March. Each of those 20 games will be simulcast to a national audience by Fox College Sports. As many as five additional games will be announced in the coming weeks with Midco Sports Network holding an option to include up to three exclusive regional telecasts and FCS to select two more games for national availability.

All nine Summit League men's basketball teams will have at least one nationally-televised game during the regular season with additional opportunities during the tournament. The first broadcast comes Nov. 29, the opening night of Summit League play, when 2012 tournament finalist Western Illinois travels to South Dakota. A three-game January slate ends with defending Summit League champion South Dakota State hosting South Dakota in a clash of intrastate rivals on Jan. 31. The final regular season broadcast comes on March 2, the last day of league play, when Summit League newcomer Omaha hosts North Dakota State.

The 2012-13 national television schedule includes a Dec. 30 women's contest featuring four-time defending Summit League champion South Dakota State hosting North Dakota State.

Saturday, March 9 marks the beginning of The Summit League Championships and the first of three days of all-day coverage from Sioux Falls. Women's doubleheaders will air during the afternoon with men's doubleheaders each evening. Quarterfinal games are set for March 9-10 with the semifinals on March 11.

"We are pleased to announce a package of nationally-televised basketball games that enables our league and each of our schools further exposure," said Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple. "This agreement continues our tremendous partnership with Midco Sports Network while developing national interest from another partner in Fox College Sports. Summit League basketball enjoyed a memorable record-setting season a year ago and the opportunity to expose our brand to the nation on a regular basis makes for an exciting new venture."

"We're looking forward to expanding our coverage of The Summit League on Fox College Sports to include regular season basketball games and a new weekly television show," said Gary Ehrlich, executive vice president, Fox Sports Networks. "We're glad to provide The Summit League with a national television platform that it could use to showcase its young male and female student-athletes and grow its brand."

The basketball television package is the third phase of The Summit League's "See The Summit" initiative. The league launched a new website in May and recently announced a joint venture with Midco Sports Network and Fox College Sports to air a weekly television show titled "Inside The Summit League."

Midco Sports Network has produced and aired 46 men's and women's games live from The Summit League Basketball Championships since 2009, including all quarterfinal and semifinal games over the past three years. The network is based in Sioux Falls, S.D., and covers South Dakota, North Dakota and parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Fox College Sports, which reaches over 60 million homes across the United States, aired all of the men's and women's quarterfinal and semifinal games in 2011.

"Midco Sports Network is pleased to provide these games that will be distributed nationally for The Summit League," said Vice President of Business Solutions/Midco Sports Network Mark Powell. "We're proud of our production team and look forward to a continued valuable partnership with The League."

In 2011-12, The Summit League enjoyed unprecedented basketball success. Men's basketball notched an all-time best final RPI ranking, the highest home attendance total in league history, the most postseason tournament teams, a record number of all-district honorees and the NCAA scoring champion. Women's basketball produced record-setting league tournament attendance, the most postseason tournament teams in league history and the best RPI ranking in six years.

A list of the 20 nationally-televised games announced today that will air on Fox College Sports via Midco Sports Network is below: