Ohio’s men’s basketball and football teams were on national TV more than ever last season, and Wednesday the Mid-American Conference announced a deal with SportsTime Ohio and ESPN that lends one to think that mark will continue to climb.
The deal, which is the largest in MAC history, will come to a head Nov. 13 when Northern Illinois plays Valparaiso, kicking off a 53-game schedule that will include 13 games broadcast on the ESPN family of networks.
Ohio’s men’s basketball team is included in four of the broadcast games, beginning Jan. 9 when it hosts Buffalo. Later games against Toledo and Akron will be aired from The Convo as well, and when the Bobcats travel to Kent State on Jan. 26 they will also make an appearance on STO.
On top of Ohio’s four TV appearances, the MAC Tournament’s second, third, semifinal and final round will be broadcast as well.
The Bobcats’ women’s basketball team is guaranteed two regionally televised games, the first of which is on the road against Eastern Michigan on Feb 9. A week later, STO will make a trip to Athens for the Bobcats’ game against Western Michigan.
The 14 women’s basketball games broadcast regionally is the most ever for the MAC.
Between the men's and women's basketball TV schedules, there are also ten wildcard games set to air that will be determined down the road.
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