If you haven't heard, the Big Ten Network and Comcast have come to an agreement regarding carriage of the channel.  Its a broad based agreement.  What I've understood from the agreement is the following:

• The Big Ten Network gets to be carried on expanded basic cable in the eight Big Ten states until Spring of 2009, when Comcast can decide to move the channel to a broadly distributed digital tier of service.  The exception to this is Comcast's Philadelphia area systems, who will start out with the channel on digital basic cable.
• Comcast gets various content for video-on-demand and their internet portal site, Comcast.net.  They also can place the channel in their Sports and Entertainment Tier outside of the Big Ten states.  Some reports say this is an option and a system does not have to carry the channel if they do not desire to do so.

Both sides won something in the battle, though neither got the favorable terms they desired.  The BTN gets more eyeballs for their games and that can only help them and advertisers.  They do not get consistent coverage as the channel can get moved down to a digital tier, though digital cable has become more of a standard across the country.  For example, Comcast has switched much of their Chicagoland systems to be digital and most customers now require a digital set-top box in that area.  Advertisers, particularly FOX who subbed in a lot of advertising inserts of their programming, will be pleased and be much more inclined to buy spots.

Both sides took a public beating, but Comcast took one because customers did have a choice to switch away from their service if they wanted to get the channel right away (Dish Network and DirecTV).  Comcast may be able to stem the flow of customers away from their system.  Comcast was able to get the channel at a reduced rate.

Consumers also won.  Outside of the Big Ten states, if you don't want to pay for the tier that could provide the BTN, you don't have to.  Comcast pushed that point-of-view in many of their ads.  Chances are that you may be already paying for this package if you watch CBS College Sports, NBA TV, NFL Network, Fox Soccer Channel and other specialty sports networks.

Here's some other things to talk about:

• By not getting full time expanded basic cable, did the Big Ten come out as a loser in the deal?  The BTN is showing the 2nd or 3rd tier football & basketball games plus other sports that do not get as much coverage, but is the intent of the network to eventually cut out the middle man (ie. ABC/ESPN & CBS) and have the BTN get all games? If that is the intent, and the BTN partnership runs 15 years longer than the deals with ABC/ESPN do, they may have come up short.
• The SEC has been watching over this like a hawk.  Supposedly they've made their decision on whether they will do an SEC network but it will not be announced until at least the SEC media day in late summer at the earliest.  If they want a network of their own, I have no doubt they are taking notes as to what the perceived missteps of the Big Ten Network and the mtn., the MWC's regional cable network, were in getting their product to the masses.

Posted by mattsarz44017 at 11:14 AM EDT

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Here's the rest of the conference tournaments and where you can find them on TV.  For the possible at-large teams, anyone in the top 60 RPI at RealtimeRPI.com as of the morning of 3/9 is listed.

For the first weekend's set of tournaments, the following teams are legitimate at large candidates:

ACC (at Charlotte, NC)
Telecast: The 1st round is mostly on Raycom Sports syndication in select markets, except for the 3rd game which is available exclusively on ESPN. After that, ESPN HD/ESPN2 HD carries the tournament to most of the nation where Raycom continues syndication of the tournament in ACC markets.
Top seed: N. Carolina
Possible at-large teams: Clemson, Duke, Miami (FL)

Atlantic 10 (at Atlantic City, NJ)
Telecast: The quarterfinals and semifinals, syndicated by CSTV Networks, can be found on Sportsnet New York and FSN Cincinnati. ESPN has the final.
Top seed: Xavier
Possible at-large teams: Massachusetts, Dayton, St. Joseph's, Temple

Big 12 (at Kansas City, MO)
Telecast: In Big 12 markets, the entire tournament is syndicated through ESPN Plus except the championship game. Outside of those markets, ESPNU and ESPN2 have some coverage. ESPN2 carries the semifinals and ESPN carries the championship nationally.
Top seed: Kansas or Texas
Possible at-large teams: Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas A&M, Kansas St., Texas Tech

Big East (at New York, NY)
Telecast: The entire tournament is available on ESPN HD.
Top seed: Georgetown
Possible at-large teams: Louisville, UConn, Notre Dame, Marquette, Pittsburgh, W. Virginia, Syracuse, Villanova

Big Sky (at Portland, OR)
Telecast: The semifinals will be televised on Altitude.  Semifinal #1 on the Altitude2 feed, the second semi on the main feed.  The final is on ESPN2.
Top seed: Portland St.

Big Ten (at Indianapolis, IN)
Telecast: The Big Ten Network, ESPN/ESPN2 and CBS split coverage of the tournament. The Big Ten gets the 1st opening round games and the evening quarterfinal games. ESPN/EPSN2 get the other two opening round games and the first session of quarterfinal games. CBS gets the semifinals and championship. All games in HD.
Top seed: Wisconsin
Possible at-large teams: Purdue, Indiana, Michigan St., Ohio St.

Big West (at Anaheim, CA)
Telecast: KVMD will televise the 2nd round game. ESPNU will televise the semifinals (the 2nd one live, 1st one on tape delay). ESPN2 has the final.
Top seed: UC-Santa Barbara

Conference USA (at Memphis, TN)
Telecast: CSS will televise the quarterfinals, with CSTV simulcasting the 3rd quarterfinal. CSTV has the semifinals and CBS HD has the championship.
Top seed: Memphis
Possible at-large teams: UAB

Mid-American (at Cleveland, OH)
Telecast: MAC-TV, through FSN Ohio, has the quarterfinals and semifinals. ESPN2 has the championship.
Top seed: Kent St.

MEAC (at Raleigh, NC)
Telecast: ESPN Classic has the championship
Top seed: Morgan St.

MWC (at Las Vegas, NV)
Telecast: The mtn. has the quarterfinals (CSTV will simulcast the evening session) and CSTV will carry the semifinals exclusively. Versus will carry the final.
Top seed: BYU
Possible at-large teams: UNLV, New Mexico

PAC-10 (tournament at Los Angeles, CA)
Telecast: FSN HD has the entire tournament except the final, which is broadcast by CBS HD.
Top seed: UCLA
Possible at-large: Stanford, Washington St., Arizona, USC, Oregon

Patriot League (at campus sites)
Telecast: ESPN2 has the final
Top seed: American

SEC (at Atlanta, GA)
Telecast: Raycom Sports syndicates the tournament, except for the final which is broadcast by CBS HD.
Top seed: Tennessee
Possible at-large teams: Vanderbilt, Mississippi St., Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky

Southland (at Katy, TX)
Telecast: ESPN2 has the championship
Top seed: Stephen F. Austin

Sun Belt (at Mobile, AL)
Telecast: ESPN Regional syndicates the semifinals and ESPN2 has the final.
Top seed: S. Alabama
Possible at-large teams: W. Kentucky

Summitt (at Tulsa, OK)
Telecast: The conference syndicates the semifinals and ESPN has the final.
Top seed: Oral Roberts

SWAC (at Birmingham, AL)
Telecast: ESPNU has the final
Top seed: Alabama St.

WAC (at Las Cruces, NM)
Telecast: The WAC syndicates the quarterfinals and semifinals. ESPN2 has the final.
Top seed: Utah St.

Posted by mattsarz44017 at 6:50 PM EST

Updated: Sunday, 9 March 2008 6:52 AM EST

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No more undefeateds.  I thought Tennessee-Memphis was a heckuva game.  It clearly shows that Memphis will be in trouble when it comes to free throw shooting.  Also, this is the last week of the regular season for several conferences.

Monday

Texas at Kansas St., 9pm (ESPN HD) - K-State has Bill Walker and Michael "Beastly" Beasley, but they are slipping on to the bubble, especially now that Baylor beat them on Sunday night.  Texas is now in the driver's seat for the Big 12 title and maybe be playing itself into a #1 seed.

Tuesday

Ohio St. at Indiana, 7pm (ESPN HD) - Ohio St. needs every win they can get from here on out and they stil have games with Purdue and Michigan St. after this.  A couple wins here would do wonders.  Indiana got a win vs. Northwestern for its first win under Dan Dakich, but played very sloppy and unprepared.

Tennessee at Vanderbilt, 9pm (ESPN HD) - The new #1 gets an immediate test with Vanderbilt, who could stop the Vols from claiming the SEC title outright.  Vandy will be there come March, and I like the raised from at Memorial Gym.

BYU at New Mexico, 10pm (The mtn.) - Rejoice MWC fans, DirecTV will pick up the channel before the start of the next football season.  Unfortunately we'll miss this one.  The MWC can easily get a third team in the conversation if UNM can scratch out a couple more wins.

Wednesday

UNC-Wilmington at VCU, 7pm (CAA RSNs) - VCU can claim the CAA title and top seed outright with a win.

Thursday

Notre Dame at Louisville, 7pm (ESPN HD) - Both teams should get a first day bye, but a win here gets them a change to get the top seed should Georgetown falter down the stretch.

Michigan St. at Wisconsin, 9pm (ESPN2 HD) - Wisconsin needs a little luck to get the top seed in the Big Ten tournament, but Michigan St. would like to move up to avoid a 4-5 matchup with bubble team Ohio St.

Wright St. at Butler, 9pm (ESPNU) - Butler can clinch the Horizon League, plus the conference tournament up to the final, at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

CSU-Northridge at CSU-Fullerton, 10pm (KVMD) - The Big West season has another week after this, but Northridge can put itself up another game on Fullerton and it means a lot in the Big West tourney, where the tournament re-seeds after each round.

UCLA at Arizona St., 10:30pm (FSN Prime Ticket) - Probably a game more worthy of national distribution than the Washington St.-California game that will go to the rest of us.  ASU needs a couple more wins, plus a conference tournament win, to get itself on the right side of the bubble.

Saturday

Georgetown at Marquette, 2pm (CBS HD) - Marquette can turn the Big East upside down with a win here, possibly creating a five way tie for the top spot.  Marquette wants to stay away from having to win four straight days to get the Big East auto-bid.

Washington St. at Stanford, 4pm (FSN) - Both of these teams have an outside shot at the PAC-10 top seed, but Stanford is more realistic and still has a meeting with UCLA. The winner gets the inside track at one of top two seeds, forcing a game with one of the bottom four seeds.  Don't take any of those bottom four in the PAC-10 lightly, unless it is Oregon St.

UNC-Asheville at Winthrop, 4:30pm (SportSouth) - The winner here will be the Big South regular season champ and host the conference tournament.

USC at Arizona St., 6pm (FSN Prime/Arizona) - Bubble matchup in the PAC-10, ASU needs at least this one to keep pace in the PAC-10.

St. Mary's at Gonzaga, 8pm (FSN Northwest/FSN Bay Area+) - This one will likely decide the WCC title, the loser could conceivably fall out of one of the double byes given out in the conference tournament.

Sunday

Indiana at Michigan St., 2pm (CBS) - Could be Dan Dakich be the next Steve Fisher?

Posted by mattsarz44017 at 9:26 AM EST

Updated: Sunday, 24 February 2008 10:26 AM EST

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Bracketbusters are up soon and for some conferences there are two weeks left in the regular season.

Monday

Xavier at Rhode Island, 7pm (FSN Ohio) - Xavier has had a few close calls recently while URI could use a big win to boost its profile.

Texas A&M at Texas, 9pm (ESPN HD) - Lone Star Shootout means a lot to the Aggies, who had a somewhat iffy non-conference profile and have been only slightly above average in Big 12 play.  Texas got the wins they needed over Kansas and Baylor and have a reasonable chance at the conference title.

Gonzaga at San Diego, 11pm (ESPN2) - No one really knows it outside of WCC followers, but USD is in play for the conference regular season title (and a guaranteed postseason birth in at least the NIT).  Both of these squads have St. Mary's on the schedule next week.

Tuesday

Purdue at Indiana, 7pm (ESPN HD) - Purdue looks very real now, while Indiana is just trying to get itself away from the Kelvin Sampson mess.

Wednesday

UW-Milwaukee at Cleveland St., 7pm (ESPN Full Court) - This one is important for Horizon League conference seeding.  Cleveland St. can get closer to the 3rd place side of the bracket with a win and avoid Butler as long as possible, maybe even spring an upset.

Thursday

Pittsburgh at Notre Dame, 7pm (ESPN HD) - Levance Fields is back for Pitt, making a very strong Big East even stronger.  Notre Dame can still challenge Louisville and Georgetown for the top of the conference.

S. Alabama at W. Kentucky, 8pm (WKYU/Fox College Sports) - USA won the first meeting, but this meeting is at Diddle Arena.  The winner gets closer to at worst a guaranteed postseason birth.

Friday

Davidson at Winthrop, 7pm (ESPN2) - #1 SoCon vs. #1 Big South.  Both conference recruit the same areas and sometimes are misidentified.  Davidson needs this since it didn't have the non-conference win they could have had over the ACC or UCLA.

Saturday

Drake at Butler, 5pm (ESPN2) - #1 MVC vs. #1 Horizon.  Both are top 15 teams and Drake has already clinched a postseason birth by clinching the MVC regular season title, but they don't have a real good OOC win, unlike Butler.  Much like last year's SIU-Butler game, Hinkle Fieldhouse will be rocking.

Tennessee at Memphis, 9pm (ESPN HD) - Game of the week and maybe the last chance for someone to nip Memphis before the end of the year.  Both of these teams can still end up as #1 seeds and the state of Tennessee looks quite strong this year.

Rider at CSU-Northridge, 9pm (ESPNU) - #1 MAAC vs. #1 Big West.  Neither conference has a chance at a 2nd big through an at-large, but its an intriguing east-west matchup.

Siena at Boise St., 10pm (ESPN360.com) - If you can get ESPN360.com, you'll get to see the MAAC's other #1 team vs. #1 from the WAC.

Kent St. at St. Mary's, Midnight (ESPN2) - The 2nd best game of the day and what could be the beginning of a brutal three game stretch for St. Mary's, who get the other two WCC 1st place teams, San Diego and at Gonzaga, after this Bracketbuster game.  Kent St. needs this one a little bit more as St. Mary's does have a decent OOC profile.

Sunday

Louisville at Pittsburgh, 12pm (ESPN+/Full Court) - Pitt can continue to get itself back into the Big East top four with a win here.

Posted by mattsarz44017 at 12:43 PM EST

Updated: Sunday, 17 February 2008 1:58 PM EST

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Monday

Kansas at Texas, 9pm (ESPN HD) - Texas has built itself, like Florida and Ohio St., into a school that isn't solely thought of as a football school.  Post-Kevin Durant, they are solidly the 2nd best team in the Big 12 behind the Jayhawks, but the balance of power could shift slightly.  Kansas is penciled in as a #1 seed if they can continue to roll through the conference.

Tuesday

Michigan St. at Purdue, 7pm (ESPN HD) - Don't look now but the Boilermakers have swept Wisconsin and are closer to an at-large bid in the event they don't win the conference.  Indiana, Michigan St. and Wisconsin might be the names that get pub in conference, but the Boilers should be ranked top 20 as well.

Wednesday

Notre Dame at UConn, 7pm (ESPNU) - Bizzarro world in the Big East now that Georgetown has come down to earth.  Both of these teams can challenge the Hoyas.

Wisconsin at Indiana, 7pm (Big Ten HD) - Indiana got their wins on the road and get to host the Badgers, who might be showing some vulnerability.

Maryland at Duke, 7pm (ESPN HD) - Maryland has slowly crept into the ACC race for third place since Duke and UNC seem to be locked on the 1st two spots.  Maryland does have some questionable OOC losses, so they need every conference win they can get.

Arkansas at Tennessee, 8pm (Raycom/ESPN Full Court) - Both of these teams should be dancing in March and either one could claim the auto-bid.  Amazing stat:  Arkansas G Patrick Beverley, at 6'1", leads Arkansas in rebounding in SEC games at 11 boards/game.

Houston at Memphis, 9pm (CSTV) - Houston gets one more crack to upset the Tigers and have a remote chance in conference to claim the the top seed in C-USA.

Thursday

Stanford at Arizona St., 10:30pm (FSN) - ASU comes off a huge sweep of the archrival Wildcats since 1994-95 while Stanford seems to solidified themselves as the top challenger to UCLA. 

Friday

Pittsburgh at Marquette, 9pm (ESPN HD) - A Big East game on a Friday night because of ESPN needing programming since the NBA is on the All-Star break.  Both teams are ranked, though Marquette may be heading in the wrong direction.

Saturday

Georgetown at Syracuse, 12pm (ESPN HD) - The original Big East rivalry and Syracuse needs every win they can get from here on out.

Cleveland St. at Butler, 2pm (STO) - CSU had Butler's number earlier, but have somewhat fallen back in Horizon League play.  Butler has a pair of losses in conference play, but the team has been given a lot of credit for their OOC wins.

Ohio at Kent St., 3pm (FSN Ohio) - Kent St. is close to another 20 win season. Ho-hum.  Ohio is still within reach and has a chance to grab a first round bye in the MAC tournament.

Arkansas at Mississippi St., 4pm (ESPN) - 1st place in the SEC West is up for grabs.

Pacific at CSU-Fullerton, 7pm (FSN Prime Ticket) - Top of the Big West is at stake, particular since the Big West uses a format for the conference tournament that favors the higher seeds.

Michigan St. at Indiana, 9pm (ESPN HD) - The Saturday night showcase with the Big Ten.  Likely the two stronest teams in conference.

UNLV at BYU, 9pm (CSTV) - Don't feel guilty if you switch away from MSU-IU.  Top of the MWC and a rematch of the conference title game.  Both teams could be dancing in about six weeks.

Game not televised: Oral Roberts (17-5, 12-0) at IUPUI (19-5, 11-2).  The Summit League clash determines if ORU runs and hides in the regular season.

Sunday

UCLA at USC, 10pm (FSN HD) - The Crosstown Rivalry shifts to the Galen Center with the Trojans owning a win over the Bruins from January.

Posted by mattsarz44017 at 3:41 PM EST

Updated: Sunday, 10 February 2008 4:51 PM EST

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And we're down to one undefeated team, the Memphis Tigers of Conference USA.  The #1 team in the land.  UTEP gave them a scare.  But really the season is barely half over for them if they want to get their hands on the real prize come March.

Monday

Louisville at Marquette, 7pm (ESPN HD) - There's a real logjam of teams right behind Georgetown and no one has yet to separate themselves from the pack and now is the time for one of these two teams to begin to stand out.

Villanova at St. Joseph's, 8pm (CSTV) - A late Big Five matchup in Philly.  'Nova has been up and down since entering Big East play, where St. Joe's has been keeping itself in the conversation in the A-10 for an at-large.

Gonzaga at St. Mary's, 11pm (ESPN2) - Stick around for this one because it should be worth it.  Gonzaga has been rolling in WCC play, but St. Mary's hasn't been a slouch, getting themselves ranked a couple different times this year.  The Gaels need this more than the Zags right now, though both should have a chance at a double bye in the WCC tournament.

Tuesday

Florida at Tennessee, 9pm (ESPN HD) - Florida can get themselves into the mix in the SEC East with a win.  Florida lost sooo much talent, and they are still rolling along.

And since this one isn't on TV beacuse of the inflexibility of college basketball scheduling, peek at the Drake - Illinois St. boxscore.  Drake is #17 in the country with one loss and is undefeated in the MVC, which is rather remarkable since both Drake and Illinois St. (8-3 in MVC play) have been the MVC doormats the last few years.  You'll likely see both teams play on Bracketbuster weekend and a game on the MVC's wildcard TV weekend in March.

Wednesday

Connecticut at Syracuse, 7pm (ESPN HD) - See what I wrote about Louisville and Marquette?  Put the same thing here, change the schools' names.

Duke at N. Carolina, 9pm (ESPN HD/Raycom HD) - If you aren't watching, you must be dead.

Thursday

Portland St. at N. Arizona, 8:30pm (FSN Arizona) - 1st place in the Big Sky up for grabs.

UCLA at Washington St., 10:30pm (FSN) - Geez, have the Cougars fallen off since the beating UCLA gave them in Westwood.  They aren't in danger of missing the NCAA, but they could really use a win.

Saturday

Marquette at Notre Dame, 12pm (ESPN) - Nice midwest Catholic school rivalry that goes back to their independent roots.  Another game of Big East breakaway.

W. Michigan at Ohio, 2:30pm (FSN Ohio) - Division leaders in the MAC square off.  Lets see how well WMU plays after Ohio coach Tim O'Shea called out the MAC offices for rewarding the top two MAC West teams with byes (as has gone on for the past few years) in the conference tournament, while the MAC East has had teams finish third or lower in their division but have better records than the MAC West teams.

Baylor at Kansas, 8pm (ESPN Full Court) - This should be a fun game.  Kansas is no longer undefeated but still needs to prove itself as the class of the Big 12, while Baylor is just having fun.  And its fun to watch them.

Georgetown at Louisville, 9pm (ESPN HD) - Louisville gets their crack at knocking down the beasts of the east.

Sunday

St. Joseph's at Xavier, 12pm (FSN Ohio/CSN Philly) - Don't sleep on the A-10, they'll be grabbing at least four bids this spring.  And both these teams will be involved in those decisions.

Clemson at N. Carolina, 6:30pm (FSN HD) - Clemson should had the Tar Heels' number in January, maybe a flip of the calendar will change their luck.

Posted by mattsarz44017 at 11:56 AM EST

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Super Bowl Sunday is part of this week's viewers guide, so the schools tend to stack the schedule for the day before.  After SBS, this is where we really heat up in conference.

Tuesday

VCU at George Mason, 7pm (ESPN2) - The top two teams in the Colonial.  A VCU win her put the Rams up three games and almost in "run-&-hide" territory in the standings.

Wednesday

Memphis at Houston, 8pm (CSTV) - The top of C-USA as both come into the game with undefeated conference records.  Houston may be the place where Memphis stumbles in conference, if they do at all.

Kansas at Kansas St., 8pm (ESPN+/Full Court) - Sunflower state matchup and K-State hasn't folded at all despite Bob Huggins not sticking around.

Thursday

Indiana at Wisconsin, 9pm (ESPN HD) - Both teams coming in licking their wounds, though Indiana's scrap came out-of-conference vs UConn.  Eric Gordon has been solid in the Big Ten play, but the hiccup on Saturday (5-16 from the field) can't continue.

Arizona St. at UCLA, 10:30pm (FSN Prime Ticket) - ASU gave Washington St. all they could handle, but just didn't have enough in the comeback bid.  ASU needs to get themselves back on track before all the steps forwards are erased.

Saturday

Pittsburgh at Connecticut, 1pm (CBS HD) - The Big East beats up on each other.  No idea outside of Georgetown who is the 2nd best of the bunch.  Maybe it is one of these teams.

Baylor at Texas, 1:45pm (ESPN+/Full Court) - Baylor's Scott Drew has to get some consideration for coach of the year awards after how quickly Baylor has recovered from the dark past of the Dave Bliss era.

Rider at Siena, 2pm (ESPN2) - Acquaint yourself with the MAAC and their top two teams right now.  And get to know Rider's Jason Thompson, averaging a double-double (nearly 20 pts, 10 rebs).  You may get to know him at the pro level.

Stanford at Washington St., 3pm (FSN) - Battle for 2nd place in the PAC-10.  The Lopez brothers vs. the structured system play of Washington St.

Tennesee at Mississippi St., 7pm (SEC-TV/Full Court) - Tennessee laid their egg vs. Kentucky.  Mississippi St. is undefeated in conference play though in many respects the SEC West appears weaker that the East.

Arizona at UCLA, 9pm (ESPN HD) - A PAC-10 game on ESPN?  How?  FSN sublicensed a pair of games to ESPN this year.  Both happen to involve Arizona, where Lute Olson has been the biggest critic of FSN's PAC-10 coverage.  Arizona has been up and down and they'll need to be up to get the Bruins off their game in Pauley Pavilion.

Posted by mattsarz44017 at 1:10 PM EST

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