The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team is enjoying what the perks of having a strong team can bring, and doing so with the rest of the country on televison. To date, four games this season have been televised on the ESPN family of networks, with two more on the way.
Additonally, one game has appeared on both the CBS Sports Network and the NBC Sports Network. NBCSN currently is scheduled to air two more games, the first of which will be televised live from the Mullins Center today at 12:30 p.m. as the Minutemen take on St. Bonaventure. CBS Sports Network is also set to air four games this season.
The growing product of the Atlantic 10 Conference and their ability to make agreements with national television partners is one reason for the vast coverage, but the Minutemen's recent sucess deserves most of the credit. UMass is currently ranked #19 in the Associated Press poll, their highest ranking in the poll since 1998.UMass' 69-67 win over Providence on December 28 in front of a sellout crowd of 9,493 in Amherst was televised live on ESPNU, and was a great way to showcase the success of UMass both on and off the court to a national televison audience.
February 21 will be a big night for UMass, as they will be shown live on ESPN2 at 7 when they face A-10 rival Virgina Commonwealth. The high national ranking along with the strong national televison coverage creates a unique opportunity for some of the best expsoure for the UMass basketball brand in quite some time.
Zach Baru can be followed on Twittter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.
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