Nebraska Announces New Basketball Television Package with FSN Midwest

Lincoln -- The Nebraska Athletic Department and FSN Midwest announced an exciting new package that will put the Nebraska men's and women's basketball teams on live television 12 more times during the 2004-05 season.

Nebraska and FSN officials began preliminary negotiations in late summer to set up a basketball television package that would provide coverage throughout the state of Nebraska. FSN Midwest will produce and televise 10 men’s basketball games this year under the deal, giving Nebraska 17 total televised regular-season contests. FSN Midwest will also telecast two additional women’s basketball games.

"We are extremely excited that FSN Midwest has agreed to add Nebraska basketball to its lineup," said NU Executive Associate A.D. Marc Boehm, who orchestrated the agreement for the Huskers. "The exposure will help us grow our fan base as we continue to build our men's and women's basketball programs. I'm also excited for our many fans who will have the opportunity to follow the Huskers when they play on the road."

The first contest under the new agreement comes on Saturday, Dec. 11, when the NU men play host to instate rival Creighton at the Devaney Center at 1:05 p.m. Four of the next five NU men's games televised on FSN will be road contests, including at Marquette, Tennessee, Colorado and Kansas. Overall, six of the 10 men's games will be against conference opponents, including games against Kansas, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Baylor and Colorado twice.

"We are excited about the television package that Marc Boehm has worked to get prepared for the basketball program," said NU Coach Barry Collier. "This will not only give our fans an opportunity to see us play when they might not otherwise, but it will also mean a lot to us in terms of exposure to recruits."

On the women's side, FSN Midwest will telecast a pair of Big 12 Conference games. NU's first matchup on FSN Midwest comes at home on Wednesday, Jan. 5 against Colorado at 7:05 p.m., with its second contest on the road on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at Texas (7 p.m.).

"We’re excited about the additional television exposure that FSN Midwest will provide our program," said Coach Connie Yori. "Not only will it give our fans a chance to watch us play at home against Colorado, but it will give our great fans at home an opportunity to see us on the road at Texas."

Greg Sharpe, a veteran sportscaster, will handle play-by-play duties for both the men's and women's games on the new telecast package. Sharpe is a two-time Kansas Sportscaster of the Year who has extensive experience calling basketball games over the past decade. He was the voice of the Kansas State Wildcats from 1996 to 2002 and called the 2001 and 2002 NCAA Tournament for Westwood One Radio. He is currently the host of a sports talk show in Topeka, Kan., on WIBW radio.

"Greg Sharpe is considered one of the best in the business," Boehm said. "Nebraska fans will love his style and enthusiasm."

Sharpe is looking forward to joining the Nebraska telecast team during an exciting era in Husker basketball.

"I am excited to be in on the ground floor of something this special," Sharpe said. "Having basketball on television is something that is overdue at Nebraska. I'm looking forward to calling games for the Huskers on FSN in a time when basketball in Nebraska is on the rise."

Joining Sharpe on men's basketball telecasts as color analyst will be Matt Davison, who is also entering his second year handling color commentary for men’s basketball games on the Pinnacle Sports Network.

Husker games telecast on FSN Midwest will be regional telecasts available on cable and satellite in the state of Nebraska, per Big 12 Conference rules.

"FSN Midwest is proud to partner with the University of Nebraska," said Jack Donovan, FSN Midwest President and General Manager. "Nebraska basketball is great regional programming for our network, and we’re excited to bring it to the passionate fans throughout the state."

Overall, FSN Midwest reaches 4.2 million cable and satellite television homes in six states. It carries more than 2,000 hours of local programming each year, including professional basketball (Indiana Pacers), baseball (St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals) and hockey (St. Louis Blues), along with Big 12 Football, Big 12 women's basketball and several other collegiate athletic contests. FSN's 20 regional sports channels reach more than 82 million homes in the United States.