Get ready, Lady Hornet fans. A nationally-televised game is coming to Emporia.
For the first time in its 66-year history, White Auditorium will host a nationally-televised game when Washburn plays Emporia State on Feb. 17 in Emporia. National cable network CSTV will pick up the broadcast.
To accommodate the television audience, the game has been moved to 11 a.m. from its originally scheduled 5:30 p.m. starting time.
“This is a terrific opportunity,” ESU coach Brandon Schneider said, “to showcase the quality competition and level of play in the MIAA to the rest of the nation.”
It will be the second time the ESU women have appeared on national television, with the first time coming in 1998 when the Lady Hornets advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship. That game was aired on ESPN.
As part of the television partnership, CSTV will televise three Division II women’s games and three men’s games throughout the course of the year. The ESU-Washburn matchup is the only MIAA game being picked up and is also the only contest that has both teams currently ranked in the top five nationally.
In this week’s WBCA poll, ESU is ranked No. 3 and Washburn No. 1.
The “Turnpike Tussle” has proven to be a competitive game over the last few years. Nine of the last 12 meetings between the schools have been decided by fewer than 10 points, with four of those won by two points or less.
The two teams have placed themselves in the elite ranks in Division II basketball, combining to win eight of the last nine MIAA regular-season titles and also the last two South Central Regional championships. The last seven games between the schools have all drawn more than 4,000 fans, with a high of 4,978 in 2004 at White Auditorium.
CSTV’s agreement with Division II runs through 2009.
“This landmark partnership has provided the NCAA with a new level of exposure,” said Tim Pernetti, Executive Vice President of Content at CSTV, “and we’re proud to showcase the fine student-athletes and pageantry of Division II sports across our network.”
The ESU-Washburn men’s game will also be moved up, switching to a 1:30 p.m. start. The contest will not be televised as part of CSTV’s package.
The first matchup between the two schools on Jan. 3 in Topeka will be televised locally on KTWU, which is channel 11 in Emporia. That telecast will include both the women’s and men’s games, beginning at 5:30 p.m.