AUGUSTA, GA -- For the first time, the Peach Belt Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournament championship games will be televised. The games will be broadcast by CSS (Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast) on a tape-delayed basis on Tuesday, March 11. The women’s tournament championship game will air at 6:00 p.m. with the men’s championship following at 8:00 p.m. The games will be played on Sunday, March 9, at the Frank G. Lumpkin Center on the campus of Columbus State University at 2:00 and 4:00.
"This is a big step for us and one that we are very happy to take," said Marvin Vanover, Peach Belt Conference commissioner. "Having our biggest games of the year available to a television audience for the first time demonstrates our commitment to our fans and member schools. I’m very excited by this, it adds to the atmosphere that is created by championship games and will be something the players and fans will remember forever."
The games will be broadcast on Comcast and Charter Cable systems in nine states in the southeast and reach over 4 million households. The games will be seen in most key Peach Belt Conference markets including Atlanta, Columbus, Augusta and Macon, Ga., Jacksonville, Fla., Greenville and Spartanburg, S.C. A complete list of markets including channels can be found at www.csssports.com.
Barry McNight will handle play-by-play duties for both championship games and will be joined by color commentator Sonny Smith.
The telecast will close out a full week of activities at the Peach Belt Tournament. All tournament games will be broadcast live over the internet with full audio and video. Fans can see the internet broadcasts through www.peachbelt.com.
The 2003 PBC Tournament will feature all 12 men’s and women’s teams. The conference is divided into two divisions, north and south, with six teams each. The top two seeds from each division receive a bye in the first round.
The Peach Belt Conference is one of the premiere conferences in NCAA Division II with 12 schools in four states in the southeast. Peach Belt Conference schools have won 17 national championships and appeared in 15 national finals. The conference was founded in 1991 and the 2003 tournament will be the 12th edition.