CBS Sports, College Basketball's leading network broadcaster, has acquired the rights to the Missouri Valley Conference Men's College Basketball Championship game, through an agreement with ESPN Regional. The multi-year agreement begins with the 2006 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
The Missouri Valley Tournament will be contested at the Savvis Center in St. Louis Mo. with the Championship game broadcast live on Sunday, March 5, 2006 (1:00-3:00 PM, CT) on the CBS Television Network. The winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
To accommodate the CBS Sports programming window, the tournament format has changed from a Friday-Monday to Thursday-Sunday format. First-round games will be played on Thursday, March 2, and the tournament will end Sunday, March 5, with the 1 p.m. CT championship.
"We are delighted to welcome the Missouri Valley to our roster of championship games and to provide national exposure for the conference prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament," says Mike Aresco, SVP Programming, CBS Sports. "The conference has made its mark in recent years during the NCAA Tournament and our viewers will be able to see an exciting match-up on the Road to the Final Four."
"Having our tournament aired on CBS Sports puts our championship among elite company, given that the network will air title games from only four other conferences. This is a tribute to the outstanding coaches and student-athletes we have had in the Missouri Valley in recent seasons," says Doug Elgin, Commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference. "This is a tremendous step for Missouri Valley Conference basketball and is testimony to our caliber of play. Having our championship game aired on the first Sunday in March by CBS Sports should provide a huge boost to our visibility."
CBS Sports broadcasts an extensive regular-season schedule of college basketball, including conference championships from the Big Ten, SEC, Pac-10 and Conference USA. Exclusive broadcaster of the NCAA tournament, CBS Sports will present coverage of the preeminent event in college sports for the 25th consecutive year in 2006.
The State Farm MVC Tournament, which celebrates its 16th-consecutive season in St. Louis in 2006, will be the first conference tournament championship aired by CBS Sports (of five) and will be part of a triple-header on Sunday, March 5, airing at 1 p.m. CST.
In addition to the Missouri Valley Conference, CBS Sports will also air the tournament championship game for men’s basketball for the Big Ten Conference, Conference USA, the Pac-10 Conference, and the Southeastern Conference.
The State Farm MVC Tournament championship game has aired on ESPN every year since 1986 (ESPN2 in 2002). And the tournament has concluded on a Monday every year since 1992. To accommodate the CBS Sports programming window, the tournament format has changed from a Friday-Monday to Thursday-Sunday format.
The CBS Sports telecast of the 2006 State Farm MVC Championship game will mark the first national broadcast on network television for the Missouri Valley Conference (not including NCAA Tournament action) since Wichita State lost to BYU, 93-92, on Jan. 28, 1989, also on CBS Sports.
The 2005 State Farm MVC Tournament drew a total of 53,342 fans, for an average of 10,668 per session, which ranked No. 7 nationally among all conference tournaments. The 2005 tournament attendance figure ranks second-best all-time in league tournament history.
Since the tournament moved to St. Louis in 1991, a total of 654,669 fans have passed through the turnstiles, and the highest three figures have taken place in the past three years.
Bruce Rasmussen (Director of Athletics, Creighton, chair of MVC Marketing/Media Committee): "This is a milestone for The Valley. Our program has seen the benefits from being on television, and the national exposure that CBS Sports provides will only enhance the high quality of basketball already being played in this league."
Dana Altman (Creighton Head Coach): "We're excited that CBS has selected to televise the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament finals. Arch Madness is an event that our team and fans look forward to on an annual basis. The opportunity to play in front of a national audience on network TV will have great long-term benefits for our league in the years to come."
Greg McDermott (UNI Head Coach): "It is a feather in the cap for the Missouri Valley Conference to have our championship game televised live on CBS Sports. That puts the Valley in select company with some of the highest-profile leagues in the country. The television exposure we have received the past two years on ESPN and CBS Sports has helped our program immensely. Being able to have the ESPN agreement extended and add this relationship with CBS Sports is huge for UNI and the Missouri Valley Conference."
Jim Schaus (Director of Athletics, Wichita State, member of MVC Marketing/Media Committee): "Having our championship game on CBS Sports is a milestone event for MVC basketball. I believe this type of additional national exposure is warranted based on the consistent success of the conference. We have become the league of teams that no one wants to play due to the caliber of our programs, perhaps now we can be even better known nationally for great teams, coaches and players."
2006 State Farm MVC Tournament Schedule
Savvis Center, St. Louis, Mo – March 2-5
Game 1 - Thursday, March 2 -- No. 8 vs. No. 9, 6 p.m. CT
Game 2 - Thursday, March 2 -- No. 7 vs. No. 10, 8:30 p.m. CT
Game 3 - Friday, March 3 -- No. 1 vs. Game 1 winner, 12 p.m. CT (FSN)
Game 4 - Friday, March 3 -- No. 4 vs. No. 5, 2:30 p.m. CT (FSN)
Game 5 - Friday, March 3 -- No. 2 vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m. CT (FSN)
Game 6 - Friday, March 3 -- No. 3 vs. No. 6, 8:30 p.m. CT (FSN)
Game 7 - Sat., March 4 -- Game 3/4 winners, 1:30 p.m. CT (FSN) (Comcast)
Game 8 - Sat., March 4 -- Game 5/6 winners, 4 p.m. CT (FSN) (Comcast)
Game 9 - Sunday, March 5 -- Championship, 1 p.m. CT (CBS Sports)
(FSN) – Includes FSN Midwest and Fox College Sports; (Comcast) – Comcast SportsNet Chicago