CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The 2011 America East Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Newman’s Own takes place this weekend (March 3-6) at Hartford’s Chase Family Arena and fans will have more ways than ever to follow this year’s action via television, computers and mobile devices.
For the second straight year, America East will partner with Pack Network to provide free live video streaming of the first- and quarterfinal rounds, as well as coverage of the postgame press conferences. New this year, fans will be able to watch all the action on their iPhones, iPads and iPods. iPhone Viewing link
“We want to be a leader in new media and providing fans with the ability to watch games from anywhere is a great step in that direction,” America East Commissioner Patrick Nero said. “This is going to be an exciting four days in Hartford and we want all America East basketball fans, not only those in attendance, to be able to partake in the excitement.”
All first, quarterfinal and semifinals action will be available at AmericaEast.com and at “http://packnetwork.com/aeiphone/” for iphone users. The voice of America East, Eric Frede, will call all the action with Brian Irizarry and Brian Maurer providing analysis during the first three days of the tournament.
All four semifinal contests on Sunday, March 6 will be televised as part the America East TV package (networks TBA). All games will be available on ESPN3, to ESPN Full Court subscribers and for free at AmericaEast.com. Veterans Leah Secondo (women’s) and Frank Sullivan (men’s) will provide the analysis alongside Frede’s play-by-play.
Visit Championship Central at AmericaEast.com after every game for highlight packages, photos, recaps and much more. Fans can also keep up to date by following America East on twitter (@AmericaEast) for in-game updates. Tweeters are also encouraged to use the hashtag #AEBBChamps to join the discussion. Fans can “like” us on Facebook (Facebook.com/AmericaEast) for a look at what’s going in Fan Fest, while AExtra, the conference’s official blog, will also take you even behind the scenes of the tournament.
Into its third decade of operation, America East has evolved into one of the most comprehensive NCAA Division I conferences with a commitment to broad-based, competitive athletics programs, complementing the academic integrity and missions of the member institutions. Progressive in its approach to its more than 3,400 student-athletes, America East recognizes champions in each of its 20 sports and also conducts the nation’s most comprehensive academic recognition program for student-athletes. With a geographic footprint covering the Mid-Atlantic to Northeast regions of the United States, America East strives to develop champions in academics, athletics and leadership at its nine member institutions: University at Albany, Binghamton University, Boston University, University of Hartford, University of Maine, UMBC, University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University and University of Vermont.
Pack Network specializes in video production, web-based applications, and graphic/web design projects of all sizes. Formed in 2007, the Boston-based company partners with schools and conferences to provide live video production and webcast services. To learn more, visit packnetwork.com or facebook.com/packnetwork.