MVC on CBS Sports Network

ST. LOUIS — For the second consecutive year, CBS Sports Network will televise a package of Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball games, including the State Farm MVC Tournament semifinals as well as eight regular-season contests, Commissioner Doug Elgin announced today.

CBS Sports will continue to televise the title game of Arch Madness for a 12th consecutive year on March 5, 2017.

“As the lead-in to the final week of college men’s basketball, our tourney begins the final march to Selection Sunday, and we are grateful to have the increased visibility for Arch Madness on CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network,” said Elgin, who is in his 29th year with the Conference.

“CBS Sports’ commitment to the MVC brand paid immediate dividends in 2016. Northern Iowa took full advantage of the national stage, upsetting MVC regular-season champion Wichita State in overtime in the semifinals before edging Evansville on a buzzer-beater on CBS Sports in the finale to win the title,” Elgin added.

The 2017 regular-season package of league games on CBS Sports Network reflects the 2016 postseason success by The Valley, which saw Wichita State (versus Vanderbilt and Arizona) and UNI (against Texas) win games in the NCAA Tournament.

Of the seven pre-determined league match-ups, Wichita State will appear in three games, while UNI, Missouri State and Southern Illinois are slated for two appearances each.

The CBS Sports Network package, which features contests on Saturdays and select mid-week nights, begins on Jan. 7, as Southern Illinois visits Missouri State for a 3 p.m. Central telecast.

CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2017 State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Championship — the league’s 27th consecutive tournament in St. Louis — will include the semifinal games on March 4 on CBS Sports Network. The title contest on March 5 will air at 1 p.m. Central on CBS Sports.

There will also be additional non-conference exposure through Loyola’s participation in the Paradise Jam and Drake’s participation in the Great Alaska Shootout in November.

The final non-conference contest for the league on CBS Sports Network will occur on Saturday, December 3 at 4 p.m. Central, when Wichita State visits Colorado State in a Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge game — one of nine such match-ups contested on that date.

The two leagues are in the second year of a four-year Challenge series, their second such term following a previous series played from 2009 to 2012.

Editors: This is part of a press release by mvc-sports.com