Thursday, January 05, 2012

MACON, Ga. – The 2012 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Basketball Championship moves to prime time, as the men’s championship game will now air at 7:00 p.m. (EST) on March 3 on ESPN2.

Originally scheduled for 4:00 p.m., the game’s rescheduling broadens coverage for the A-Sun and continues to strengthen its long-standing relationship with ESPN that first began with the airing of the conference’s tournament title game back in 1989. For the past three seasons, all of the conference’s CSS/A-Sun Friday Night Game of the Week contests have been available on the ESPN Full Court package and on ESPN3.

This season the Atlantic Sun Conference and ESPN is teaming up to deliver exclusive content on its signature multi-screen sports network ESPN3. ESPN3 serves as the home of the conference’s women’s basketball package, highlighting each A-Sun institution through five regular season games and all of the 2012 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Basketball Championship quarterfinal contests. A seven-game regular season men’s package, in addition to men’s quarterfinal action, is also part of the exclusive agreement.

A total of 20 live league basketball games will be distributed in 2011-12, beginning Jan. 7 with double-header action between Jacksonville and Stetson. The women tip at 1:00 p.m. (EST), featuring the defending champion Hatters (13-3, 4-0 A-Sun). SU is currently ranked at No. 25 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Women’s Mid-Major Top 25 poll and tied atop the league with FGCU. Men’s action follows at 3:15 p.m.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University. Northern Kentucky University will join the A-Sun effective July 1, 2012.