CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Mid-American Conference has announced a 39-game regional men's and women's basketball television package produced and distributed by SportsTime Ohio (STO), the league's regional cable partner. The 39 scheduled games are part of the largest men's and women's television package in league history. In addition, there will be at least 12 other men's basketball games that are scheduled to be televised on ESPN platforms (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3).
2012 MAC Women’s Basketball TV Schedule
- Saturday, Jan.  7: Akron @ Bowling Green. 12 Noon ET
- Sunday, Jan. 8: Northern Illinois @ Eastern Michigan, 2 pm ET
- Sunday, Jan. 15: Miami @ Ohio, 2 pm ET
- Sunday, Jan. 22: Eastern Michigan @ Bowling Green, 2 pm ET
- Saturday, Jan. 28: Ball State @ Miami, 12 Noon ET
- Saturday, Feb. 4: Toledo @ Kent State, 12 Noon ET
- Saturday, Feb. 11: Bowling Green @ Toledo, 12 Noon ET
- Saturday, Feb. 18: Western Michigan @ Toledo, 12 Noon ET
- Sunday, Feb. 19: Central Michigan @ Ball State, 2 pm ET
- Saturday, Feb. 25: Ohio @ Buffalo, 12 Noon ET
- Friday, March 9: First Energy MAC Tournament Semifinals, 12 Noon/2:30 pm ET
- Saturday, March 10: First Energy MAC Tournament Championship, 1 pm ET
 
2012 MAC Men’s Basketball TV Schedule
- Saturday, Jan. 7: Ohio @ BGSU, 6 pm ET
- Tuesday, Jan. 10: Ball State @ Toledo, 7 pm ET
- Saturday, Jan.14: Buffalo @ Miami, 6 pm ET
- Wednesday, Jan. 18: Kent State@ Ohio, 7 pm ET
- Saturday, Jan. 21: Kent State @ Akron, 6 pm ET
- Tuesday, Jan. 24: Akron @ Ball State, 7 pm ET
- Wednesday, Jan. 25: Western Michigan @ Ohio, 7 pm ET
- Saturday, Jan. 28: BGSU @ Eastern Michigan, 6 pm ET
- Tuesday, Jan. 31: Kent State @ Central Michigan, 7 pm ET
- Wednesday, Feb. 1: Toledo @ Akron, 7 pm ET
- Saturday, Feb. 4: Northern Illinois @ BGSU, 6 pm ET
- Wednesday, Feb. 8: Akron @ Western Michigan, 7 pm ET
- Saturday, Feb. 11: Western Michigan @ Buffalo, 6 pm ET
- Tuesday, Feb. 14: Buffalo @ Kent State, 7 pm ET
- Tuesday, Feb. 21: Kent State @ Miami, 7 pm ET
-  Wednesday, Feb. 22: Ball State @ Western Michigan, 7 pm ET
- Saturday, Feb. 25: 21-Day Wildcard Selection, 6 pm ET
- Sunday, Feb. 26: Northern Illinois @ Central Michigan, 2 pm ET
- Wednesday, Feb. 29: 21-Day Wildcard Selection, 7 pm ET
- Sat., March 3: 21-Day Wildcard Selection, 6 pm ET
- Wednesday, March 7: First Energy MAC Tournament Second Round, 7 pm/9:30 pm ET
- Thursday, March 8: First Energy MAC Tournament Quarterfinals, 7 pm/9:30 pm ET
- Friday, March 9: First Energy MAC Tournament Semifinals, 7 pm/9:30 pm ET
 
2011-12 ESPN Men’s Basketball Schedule:
- Wednesday, Nov. 9: Akron @ Mississippi State, 7 pm ET/ESPNU
- Sunday, Nov. 13: Bowling Green @ Georgia, 6 pm ET/ESPNU
- Tuesday, Nov. 15: Kent St. @ West Virginia, 10 am ET on ESPN
- Sunday, Nov. 27: Michigan State @ Eastern Michigan, 12 pm ET on ESPNU
- Tuesday, Dec. 13: Central Michigan @ Minnesota, 9 pm ET on ESPNU
- Friday, Dec. 30: Western Michigan @ Duke, 7 pm ET on ESPN2
- Saturday, Jan. 14: 21-Day Wildcard Selection, 4 pm ET/ESPNU
- Saturday, Jan. 28: 21-Day Wildcard Selection, 11am ET/ESPNU
- Saturday, Feb. 11: 21-Day Wildcard Selection, 11 am ET/ESPNU
- Sunday, Feb. 26: 21-Day Wildcard Selection, 8 pm ET/ESPNU
- Friday, March 2: 21-Day Wildcard Selection, 7 pm ET/ESPN2
- Saturday, March 10: First Energy MAC Tournament Championship, 8 pm ET/ESPN2

what is meant by the 21 day wildcard selection?

could these turn into a broadcast of our games against Miami and Akron on those days?

Saturday, Feb. 25: 21-Day Wildcard Selection, 6 pm ET
Sat., March 3: 21-Day Wildcard Selection, 6 pm ET

Yes, I believe it means they have up unitl 21 days before those dates to pick which of the games scheduled for that day they want to show.

I'm happy to see that this package has been put together to follow up on what STO did last year.

Only disadvantage I can see at first glance is that more of Ohio's road games are not televised. 

Those home games are hard to watch on TV when you are in the stands!

Our game hosting Miami will more than double any attendance figure at all other MAC venues this year and no one wants a piece of it?

Sadly Kent @ Akron is a bigger game and has been for a while in this conference.   

The timing of this announcement is kind of strange in that it follows all of this BCS expansion/realignment talk on the football side of things. The biggest TV package in MAC history for basketball? I'm going off on a tangent here, but maybe the MAC has seen the light and realized football is a lost cause, it's time to invest in basketball, where the league has had sustained success and publicity throughout the years. It hasn't been so much that way lately, save our upset of Georgetown.

Maybe I'm just thinking too much, but still I can't help but think someone up in Cleveland at the MAC offices finally gets it.

You're thinking too much, and wishfully at that.

Exhibit A: Copy/Paste Press Release.  Look, last year's was the biggest in history, too!

Exhibit B: I'm not sure they can count.  In last year's press release, I see 38 games.  That's even being generous and knocking out the 2 OOC games they included in the release.  Take out the Akron-produced ones and it is 33.  I can't come up with 34 in any rational way.

Exhibit C: The ESPN part of the deal has actually regressed moderately.  4 conference games on the U, one on the Deuce, and the Championship game on the Deuce.  I'm ignoring the OOC games and stunts like the 24-hour Tipoff Marathon, as those are outside the control of the conference for the most part, and generally not televised on the MAC's merit.  Championship gets a moderate timeslot improvement, from 6 to 8pm, the 2 slot stays the same, but on the U we get downgraded from Saturdays at 3p, 5p, and 11a to 4p, 11a, and 11a.  The Sunday U slot moves from 6 to 8, perhaps a minor improvement, but I have to think 11a is the worst slot you can get.

Pretty much the same as last season.  Which isn't all bad -- STO actually treats the conference property with a respect FSO never did, and I think they do a nice job overall with their productions.

I agree that STO did a nice job last year. 

We just have to hope STO stays on the air.