Feb. 26, 2007

CHICAGO -- The Big Ten Network Basketball Tour will make a stop in Evanston for the Northwestern-Indiana basketball game at Welsh-Ryan Arena at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Fans entering the game will be given a ticket with details regarding the "Road to the Big Ten Tournament" sweepstakes. Fans have the opportunity to win a trip for two to the 2007 or 2008 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament. In addition, 100 lucky fans will win an official Big Ten Network jacket.

At halftime, the Big Ten Network Dribbling Team will showcase their famous basketball skills performance to fans. The Big Ten Network will also sponsor t-shirt giveaways throughout the game and free rally towels in the Northwestern student section.

"The Big Ten Network Basketball Tour will provide an exciting experience for fans in attendance while increasing overall awareness of what the Big Ten Network is all about," said Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman. "The Big Ten Network Basketball Tour is a great way to keep the network in the minds of Big Ten fans leading up to our August launch."

The Big Ten Network Basketball Tour will promote the upcoming 24-hour a day, 365-day a year television network that is dedicated exclusively to the Big Ten Conference and scheduled to launch this August.

"We're excited about the creation of the Big Ten Network," Northwestern Athletics Director Mark Murphy said. "This is a tremendous development for Northwestern, the Big Ten Conference and most importantly, our dedicated fans. The Network is going to be a boost to not only football and basketball, but our entire athletics program."

The tour will visit all 11 Big Ten basketball arenas during select games throughout the 2007 season.

The Big Ten Network will carry many of the games and events previously available only through syndication, providing greater exposure for these and other Big Ten sports. The sports programming on the Big Ten Network and/or through alternative Big Ten Network platforms will include, but is not limited to:

Coverage from the conference's vast library of historic sporting events, including bowl games.

The Big Ten Conference's compelling athletic competition positions the network as the go-to destination for Big Ten alumni and fans across the nation. In addition to traditional distribution through cable and satellite, select Big Ten Network content will also be available through alternative media platforms such as the Internet, iPods, cell phones and/or other emerging technologies.

The Big Ten Network, scheduled to launch in August 2007, is dedicated exclusively to the Big Ten Conference and will be the destination for Big Ten fans across the country. Operating 24-hours a day, 365-days a year, the Big Ten Network is majority-owned by the Big Ten Conference, while Fox holds a minority interest in the network. Showcasing a wide array of classic-to-current sports as well as original programming produced by the conference's 11 institutions, it will be available to all carriers and distributors nationwide. For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.bigten.org.