LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.’s men’s basketball team will be one of the select NCAA Division II programs featured nationally this season and the Golden Eagles will get their showcase this week.
Cal State L.A.’s California Collegiate Athletic Association game at Cal State San Bernardino this Saturday, Jan. 31, is among nine men’s and women’s Division II college basketball contests that are being televised nationally this season by CBS College Sports Network, the NCAA and CBS College Sports Network has announced.
The game between the Golden Eagles and Coyotes will be aired at 5:30 p.m. from Coussoulis Arena in San Bernardino. Cal State L.A. Athletics is sponsoring a Rooter’s Bus to San Bernardino that will be leaving the CSULA campus at 3 p.m. The first 100 students to sign up and ride the bus will receive free transportation, a game ticket and t-shirt for the contest. Students should sign up for the bus before game day to insure a spot.
CBS College Sports Network is available on DirecTV (channel 613) and DISH Network (channel 152) and other cable and satellite providers all across the country. It is also available on local cable providers including Time Warner (channel 261), Charter (channel 318) and Comcast (channel 274).
“This will be a great opportunity for Cal State L.A. and Cal State San Bernardino to showcase their programs,” California Collegiate Athletic Association Commissioner Robert J. Hiegert said. “The CCAA has a rich basketball tradition and having a nationally-televised game will provide exposure to the conference and its member institutions. People tuning into the broadcast from around the country will have an opportunity to see the high caliber of play that the CCAA is recognized for at the Division II level.”
This is the third year of the television agreement between Division II and CBS Sports Network (formerly CSTV).
“Our partnership with CBS College Sports has been a successful and productive Division II initiative,” said Mike Racy, vice-president of NCAA Division II. “We are able to provide national exposure for the student-athletes and their institutions while also providing viewers a unique glimpse into the division and the way we balance academics and athletics excellence.”
The Cal State L.A.-Cal State San Bernardino showdown will be one of five men’s NCAA Division II broadcasts, which will began on Jan. 3 with Chaminade at Dixie State. After the Golden Eagles and Coyotes on Jan. 31, Colorado Christian will be at Metro State on Feb. 14, Northwest Missouri State will be at Central Missouri on Feb. 21 and Wheeling Jesuit will be at West Liberty State on Feb. 28.
In addition, four women’s games will also be broadcast. Florida Southern was at Barry on Jan. 10, East Stroudsburg was at Shippensburg on Jan. 17, Incarnate Word was at Saint Mary’s (Texas) on Jan. 24 and Northwest Nazarene will be at Seattle Pacific on Feb. 7.
The games will also be syndicated through regional sports networks and made available via broadband at www.ncaa.org.
“NCAA Division II basketball has been a staple of our strategy to serve fans at every level,” said Tim Pernetti, executive vice-president for content at CBS College Sports Network. “Our partnership with the NCAA continues to thrive on many fronts, providing a well-deserved national showcase for NCAA Division II athletics and some memorable moments on the CBS College Sports Network.”
In addition, the women’s game between Cal State L.A. and Cal State San Bernardino will be moved from the normal 5:30 p.m. start time to 8 p.m.
The Golden Eagle men have already faced Cal State San Bernardino this season and the Coyotes pulled out a 73-70 win in overtime. Cal State L.A. led by eight points with 10 minutes to go in regulation, fell behind by as many five and then sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Demetrius Hazel.
Cal State L.A. enters this weekend’s game with a 10-7 overall record and a 5-5 mark in conference. Cal State San Bernardino is 9-7 overall and 7-3 in conference. The Golden Eagles have won nine of their last 12 games.
Cal State L.A.’s men’s team finished tied for third in the CCAA last season, its best finish since 2000. The Golden Eagles finished with a 17-11 overall mark and hosted a first-round CCAA Championship Tournament game. The 17 wins were the most for the Golden Eagles since a 19-9 finish in 1999-2000 and marked an impressive seven-game improvement from the previous two seasons. Just three years ago, the Golden Eagles suffered through a 1-26 record.
The Golden Eagles were ranked ninth in the final regular-season Division II West Region poll and just missed out on the 64-team field that included eight teams from eight different regions.