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If you work a late shift in an office where internet use is verboten, if the iHeartRadio app has given you (like everyone else), or if you just spend a lot of time in the car and love the fm radio, I've got good news for you. Today Westwood One announced that it had landed the rights to Big East basketball.
Up here that means I'll be tuning in 92.3 on the fm dial to catch Xavier games as frequently as possible. Down in the home of the Musketeers you can try both 1360 or 1530 if the local guys fade out on you. As I type this, the announcement is less than half an hour old, so a schedule isn't out yet, but you can bet that the Musketeers will figure prominently. Westwood also has rights to the entire Big East tournament for the next two years. According to our SBN brothers at Big East Coast Bias:
WestwoodOne's coverage of Big East basketball will begin with a New Year's Eve doubleheader, featuring the first Big East Conference home games for Villanova vs. Butler and Creighton vs. Marquette at 7:15 pm ET and 9:45 pm ET respectively. In addition to acquiring the exclusive rights to select Big East games, WestwoodOne will stream the broadcast on its own website and distribute the game audio to hundreds of media partners throughout the United States.
Hall of Fame Georgetown Coach John Thompson, former Big East coach Steve Lappas and former Big East star Donny Marshall will be among the analysts hosting conference broadcasts this season.
"The Big East is synonymous with excellence," WestwoodOne Sports Executive Vice President Howard Deneroff said on Wednesday.
The Westwood Sunday Night Football crew of Kevin Kugler and James Lofton is genuinely enjoyable to listen to and quite well produced. Westwood One hasn't announced the play by play men for basketball yet, but Steve Lappas, John Thompson (the original), and Donny Marshall will be employed as analysts.