The Northeast Conference (NEC) has made a significant announcement regarding its basketball programming for the 2024-25 season. With an extensive 16-game television package, fans are in for a treat. Le Moyne College's men's and women's basketball teams will each get their moment in the spotlight. Here's a look at the highlights:

ESPN Platforms Dominate

All 16 games will be featured on ESPN platforms, ensuring wide reach. ESPNU will showcase a pair of marquee matchups, while ESPN+ will broadcast 12 games this season, including four exclusive matchups. This extensive coverage will bring the NEC basketball action to fans across the nation.

Regional Networks in Action

YES Network, SportsNet Pittsburgh, and NESN/NESN Nation will each carry eight games, providing extensive regional coverage. This allows fans in specific areas to enjoy the games while also making them accessible nationwide on ESPN+. The 2024-25 NEC slate includes eight men's and eight women's games, ensuring all teams get a chance to shine during the regular season.

NEC Tournament Coverage

The NEC Tournament coverage is set to be exciting. The men's and women's semifinals will be televised, with the title games airing on ESPN2 (men) and ESPNU (women). This adds to the excitement and drama of the postseason.

ESPNU's Key Games

ESPNU will televise a pair of key games during conference play. One of them is a rematch of a 2024 NEC women's semifinal on February 20, when preseason favorite FDU hosts Le Moyne. On the final day of the men's regular season, preseason co-favorites CCSU and Wagner will square off in New Britain. These games will be watched by a national audience on ESPNU.

ESPN+ and Newcomers

ESPN+ will be the go-to destination for NEC basketball enthusiasts this winter. It will host a dozen games, evenly split between the men's and women's teams. Notably, it will air the first-ever NEC-televised games featuring league newcomers Chicago State and Mercyhurst. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $10.99 a month (or $109.99 per year) via ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com, or the ESPN App. It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle.

March Madness and Semifinals

With March Madness on the horizon, ESPN+ will carry the NEC men's semifinals on Saturday, March 8, and the women's semifinals on Thursday, March 13. As part of its Championship Week coverage, ESPN2 will air the NEC men's title game for the 38th consecutive year on Tuesday, March 12, at 7:00 pm. Furthermore, ESPNU will televise the NEC Women's Championship game for the 18th straight year, scheduled for Sunday, March 16, at 12:00 pm.

Regional Partners in New York

The NEC will continue to have a strong presence in the New York metro area with YES Network returning as a regional partner. YES will broadcast four regular-season games on its linear network and YES App, highlighted by a February 6 doubleheader between CCSU and FDU. When March arrives, YES and the YES App will air the NEC men's and women's semifinals, though these broadcasts may be impacted by potential conflicts with New York Yankees spring training. YES will carry the semifinals on tape delay in the event they cannot be aired live.

Expanded SportsNet Pittsburgh and NESN Coverage

SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) and NESN are set to expand their NEC coverage this season. Each network will broadcast four regular season games and four playoff games. SNP's coverage will be split between SNP and SNP+, while NESN will feature several games on NESN Nation, a soon-to-launch FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channel accessible on various streaming platforms, smart TVs, and other connected devices.

Broadcasting Teams

Now in his 25th season, Dave Popkin will serve as the primary play-by-play announcer on men's broadcasts, with Paul Dottino (26th year) filling in. Tim Capstraw (26th year) and Joe DeSantis (18th year) are slated to split color analyst duties. Dottino and Craig D’Amico (16th year) will once again split play-by-play duties on women's telecasts. Pam Roecker is back for her 23rd year as color analyst.

Production Duties

Pack Network and Linacre Media will handle production duties for the league's ESPN+ package, ensuring high-quality broadcasts.The NEC is committed to delivering an exceptional viewing experience for fans through its various broadcast partnerships. This season, basketball fans can look forward to a thrilling ride as the NEC teams take to the court.