News

For the third consecutive season, SIUE will welcome a national television audience inside First Community Arena.

The first televised matchup of the 2024-25 Ohio Valley Conference ESPN basketball schedule will feature Western Illinois at SIUE on Thursday, January 2 and will air on ESPNU. Tipoff time has been moved to 8 p.m. to accommodate the network.

To help ensure a full arena and the best atmosphere for the televised games, Cougar fans can use the discount code TIPOFF25 when purchasing tickets to receive 25 percent off their entire purchase.

Tickets are available online here. 

The OVC and ESPN are once again utilizing a Wild Card selection process to determine the linear broadcasts, with selections determined and announced approximate two weeks before the competition date to ensure the best matchups.

The full ESPN broadcast schedule includes eight total men's basketball games (five regular season contests and three OVC Tournament games) that will appear on one of the linear networks during the season. The five regular season games will air on ESPNU.

The schedule also includes a women's basketball regular season matchup on ESPNU. In addition, all seven games of the OVC Women's Basketball Tournament, as well as the first round and quarterfinals of the men's tournament (four total games), will stream on ESPN+.

The 2025 OVC Championship Tournament is scheduled for March 5-8 at The Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

All games that are televised on an ESPN network will also be available on the ESPN App with TV Everywhere credentials. All events will be available for replay on the ESPN App.

2024-25 OVC ESPN Television Schedule - Upcoming Games

Thursday, January 2
Western Illinois at SIUE, 8:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU)

Thursday, January 23
Wild Card Matchup, 8:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU)

Saturday, February 8
Wild Card Matchup, 1:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU)

Saturday, February 15 - WOMEN'S GAME
Wild Card Matchup, 11:00 a.m. CT (ESPNU)

Saturday, February 22
Wild Card Matchup, 1:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU)

Saturday, March 1
Wild Card Matchup, 11:00 a.m. CT (ESPNU)

Friday, March 7
OVC Men's Tournament Semifinal #1, TBA
OVC Men's Tournament Semifinal #2, TBA

Saturday, March 8
OVC Men's Tournament Championship, TBA