BIG EAST Digital Network's Winter/Spring Schedule Unveiled
NEW YORK – Last summer, the BIG EAST Conference announced it was expanding the number of live events streamed on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) to 225 and on Monday the league announced its schedule for the upcoming Olympic sports winter championships and spring season. The 2016 winter-spring slate features 44 total contests which includes 12 championship events and 23 regular-season softball, baseball, women’s lacrosse and men’s lacrosse games.
When the BIG EAST launched the Digital Network in 2014-15, the league became the first collegiate conference to be hosted on FOX's mobile platform, FOX Sports Go, the app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. The 2015 fall schedule featured 99 total contests, including a combined 85 regular season men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball matches, along with 14 BIG EAST Championship events.
The winter and spring BEDN Olympic sports schedule is bookended by conference postseason events as the BIG EAST Digital Network will cover the league’s swimming and diving championships in late February and finish its 2016 coverage with the baseball championship the last weekend in May.
The BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Championships Presented by Jeep will start on Wednesday, Feb. 24 and finish Saturday, Feb. 27. The championships will be held at the Nassau Aquatic Center in East Meadow, N.Y. BIG EAST Digital Network Correspondent Kim Adams will be live from the pool deck, giving her take as a former swimmer. Simultaneously, BEDN will carry the BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Championships which will be held at the new state-of-the-art Ocean Breeze Park Track Center in Staten Island, N.Y., on Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27. Announcer Pat O’Keefe and BEDN Correspondent Cayleigh Griffin return to report the stories from the track.
Championship coverage continues from South Carolina as BEDN carries the final round of the women’s golf championship on Sunday, April 24 on Callawassie Island. BEDN stays in South Carolina for the final rounds of both the men’s and women’s BIG EAST Tennis Championships on Sunday, May 1 at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center. Three days later, we are back on the greens and fairways as BEDN returns to Callawassie Island for the final round of the men’s golf championship.
The spring regular season coverage on BEDN opens with softball at Butler with a conference clash against Seton Hall on March 25. In all, 10 regular season softball games will be carried on BEDN leading up to the conference championship the first weekend in May. BEDN will feature all eight teams on the final day of the regular season, Sunday, May 8 as seedings for the championship will be decided. The softball championship in its entirety will be broadcast on FS2.
BIG EAST baseball fans can look forward to nine games over seven weekends of the league slate that includes all seven teams in the first four broadcasts. The first conference game of 2016 will feature 2015 champion St. John’s hosting Georgetown at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 8. There is at least one game per weekend on BEDN. The final two weekends feature two series opening contests. Additionally, BEDN brings BIG EAST fans postseason baseball as the first five games of the Championship will stream on the network. Championship Sunday will be on FS2.
BEDN will have four combined women’s and men’s lacrosse games as both the women and men will be featured on Saturday, April 9. Fans can tune in at noon Eastern to watch reigning BIG EAST champion Florida at Georgetown for women’s lacrosse action, then stay tuned for Providence at Georgetown men’s action at 3 p.m. Additionally, BEDN will stream the women’s lacrosse championship semifinals on Thursday, May 5 at Georgetown’s Multi-Sport Field in Washington, D.C. The final will be on FS2.
Championship coverage will travel to Geneva, Ohio on May 13-14 with streaming of the men’s and women’s outdoor track & field championships. Two full days of track & field content from the SPIRE Institute will include interviews, medal ceremonies and live action from the track as the athletes prepare for the NCAA qualifiers.
The 2015-16 BEDN schedule will conclude with the baseball championship in Aberdeen, Md. on Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-29.
FOX Sports Go is currently available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones, select Windows devices, and on desktops through FOXSportsGO.com. Fans can download the mobile app for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store and Windows Store.
FOX Sports Go users who are also subscribers of participating video providers can live stream the BIG EAST men's and women's basketball telecasts, plus the Olympic sports championships, carried on FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, FOX Sports Regional Networks and FOX broadcast network. The BIG EAST women's basketball events and the Olympic sports contests that are not televised by FOX Sports do not require a video authentication.
2015-16 Winter & Spring BEDN Broadcast Schedule
Winter & Spring Championships Presented By Jeep
Wednesday, Feb. 24 – Saturday, Feb. 27 BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Championships
Friday, Feb. 26 & Saturday, Feb. 27 BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Championships
Sunday, April 24 BIG EAST Women’s Golf Championship (Final Round)
Sunday, May 1 BIG EAST Men’s & Women’s Tennis Championships (Final Round)
Tuesday, May 3 BIG EAST Men’s Golf Championship (Final Round)
Thursday, May 5 BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Championship Semifinals
Friday, May 13 & Saturday, May 14 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Thursday, May 26 – Saturday, May 28 BIG EAST Baseball Championship (Games 1-5)
Softball
Friday, March 25 at 3 p.m. Seton Hall at Butler
Sunday, April 3 at 12 p.m. St. John’s at Villanova
Sunday, April 10 at 12 p.m. DePaul at Providence
Sunday, April 17 at 12 p.m. Villanova at Creighton
Sunday, April 24 at 12 p.m. St. John’s at DePaul
Sunday, May 1 at 12 p.m. Georgetown at Providence
Sunday, May 8 (time TBA) Butler at Georgetown
Sunday, May 8 at 12 p.m. DePaul at Creighton
Sunday, May 8 at 12 p.m. Villanova at Providence
Sunday, May 8 at 12 p.m. Seton Hall at St. John’s
Baseball
Friday, April 8 at 3 p.m. Georgetown at St. John’s
Friday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. Butler at Creighton
Friday, April 22 at 6 p.m. Villanova at Seton Hall
Friday, April 29 at 3 p.m. Xavier at Butler
Friday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. Georgetown at Creighton
Friday, May 13 at 6 p.m. St. John’s at Seton Hall
Friday, May 13 at 7 p.m. Villanova at Georgetown
Thursday, May 19 at 3 p.m. Seton Hall at Butler
Thursday, May 19 at 3 p.m. Villanova at Xavier
Women’s Lacrosse
Saturday, April 9 at 12 p.m. Florida at Georgetown
Wednesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. Temple at Villanova
Friday, April 29 at 6 p.m. Cincinnati at Marquette
Men’s Lacrosse
Saturday, April 9 at 3 p.m. Providence at Georgetown
All times listed are Eastern.