Mar 14, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; UC Irvine Anteaters celebrate after the game against the Hawaii Warriors in the Big West Conference Tournament championship game at Honda Center. The UC Irvine Anteaters won 67-58. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Prime Ticket, the official regional telecast home of Big West Conference basketball, revealed its 15-game package for the 2015-16 season on Thursday.
The television lineup includes four men's quarterfinal games and the women's basketball championship from Honda Center, site of the Big West Basketball Tournament for the sixth consecutive year.
"We expect a very competitive, intense race for the Big West title this year and the Prime Ticket package will reflect that in each of their selected games," said Big West Conference Commissioner Dennis Farrell. "Our longtime relationship with Fox has resulted in many entertaining battles on the hardwood, and this year will be no different."
The Prime Ticket schedule begins on Tuesday, Dec.1 as Long Beach State hosts San Diego State from the Mountain West Conference. The last time the two teams played in Long Beach, a standing room only then-record crowd of 5,143 invaded the Walter Pyramid on Nov. 13, 2010.
Eight regular season Big West games also fill the ledger, starting Thursday, Jan. 7 on Prime Ticket when UC Davis visits UC Irvine. The Aggies won a Division I program record 25 games and clinched their first Big West regular season championship last year, while the Anteaters captured both the conference tournament title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. CI has posted three straight 20-win seasons under head coach Russell Turner and returns three starters, including 7-foot-6 junior center Mamadou Ndiaye.
The next Prime Ticket matchup will feature UCI at Long Beach State on Thursday, Jan. 14 in a Black and Blue rivalry game. LBSU will host another rival in UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Jan .28 and will wrap up the regular season against Hawai'i on Saturday, March 5. The Rainbow Warriors appeared in last year's Big West Tournament finals.
The Saturday, Feb. 13 contest featuring Cal Poly at UC Riverside will appear on FOX Sports West.
Additionally, the package displays one "Wild Card" matchup on February 20 in which FOX will choose between two games â either Hawai'i at UC Irvine or Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State -- approximately 3-4 weeks before the game date.
Prime Ticket will also pick up the Fox Sports South telecast between Long Beach State at Duke on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
The regular season buildup leads into the 41st annual Big West Men's Basketball Tournament and the four quarterfinal games slated for Prime Ticket on Thursday, March 10, as well as the Saturday, March 12 women's basketball tournament championship game that crowns the conference's NCAA Tournament representative.
The schedule
Tues., Dec. 1 San Diego State at Long Beach State, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
Weds., Dec. 30 *Long Beach State at Duke, 1 p.m., Prime Ticket
Thur. Jan. 7, UC Davis at UC Irvine, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
Thurs, Jan. 14, UC Irvine at Long Beach State, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
Weds., Jan. 20, Cal State Fullerton at UC Irvine, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
Thurs., Jan. 28, UC Santa Barbara at Long Beach State, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
Sat., Feb. 13, Cal Poly at UC Riverside 7:30 p.m., FOX Sports West
Sat., Feb. 20, Wild Card game (Hawai'i at UC Irvine or Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State) 7:30, p.m., Prime Ticket
Thurs., Feb. 25, UC Santa Barbara at CSUN, 7:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
Sat., March 5, Hawai'i at Long Beach State, 4:00 p.m., Prime Ticket
Big West Tournament: Honda Center
Thurs., March 10, Men's Quarterfinal #1, 12 p.m., Prime Ticket
Thurs., March 10, Men's Quarterfinal #2, 2:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
Thurs., March 10, Men's Quarterfinal #3, 6:00 p.m., Prime Ticket
Thurs., March 10, Men's Quarterfinal #4, 8:30 p.m., Prime Ticket
Sat., March 12, Women's Championship, 3:00 p.m., Prime Ticket
* Taken from ACC package on FOX Sports South
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