Report: Big Ten Network to Broadcast Women's Lacrosse Semifinals, Championship* Confirmed: Big Ten Will Broadcast Women's Final
Four According to conference sources, the NCAA and the Big Ten Network are in negotiations to broadcast the women’s Division I lacrosse semifinals and the championship game on television. Before this deal, the women’s lacrosse championship weekend was available only via webstream from NCAA.com. The network has previously broadcast several 2011 Northwestern games, including the Widcats’ 18-4 quarterfinal win over Albany. Five-time NCAA women’s lacrosse champion Northwestern is a Big Ten conference member, although its lacrosse team competes in the American Lacrosse Conference. The final details of the arrangement are still being hammered out, but the schedule is likely to include a tape delay of the Northwestern-North Carolina game on Friday night (the Big Ten baseball championship is scheduled to air live, precluding a live broadcast of the lacrosse semifinal). Both semifinals will be aired on tape delay on Saturday, and Sunday’s final will be broadcast live, even if the Wildcats lose in the semifinals. All three games are available via webcast on NCAA.com. The news that championship weekend will be on television is
welcome news to the women’s lacrosse world. After years of
coverage by CBS College Sports, the NCAA’s new media deal
with Turner Sports moved several championships off television and
onto webcasts. The original announcement that the 2011
women’s lacrosse championship would not be televised, which
was made at the 2010 annual IWCLA coaches’ convention, was
met with sadness and anger by the college coaching community. “This is huge for us,” said Amonte Hiller. “It’s a step in the right direction, and the Big Ten Network did a great job with our quarterfinal.” |
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