BTN announces 2015 men's and women's lacrosse coverage

In the Big Ten's inaugural season sponsoring both men's and women's lacrosse, the Big Ten Network (BTN) announced its coverage for the 2015 season. The coverage will be expansive, featuring a minimum of 25 games on the cable channel and an additional 30 or so that will be streamed on BTN Plus. In addition to these games, 17 men's and women's games are scheduled to air on ESPNU or ESPN3. The latter will broadcast Saturday's scheduled game between Maryland and Yale.

Rather fittingly, the first BTN broadcast will happen on Sunday, March 29 when the Maryland Terrapins host the Michigan Wolverines. The Terps' games with Johns Hopkins and Penn State will also be featured. The Maryland women's team game with the Penn Quakers on March 18 will inaugurate the network's coverage of women's lacrosse. The women's games at Northwestern and vs. Penn State will also be featured.

BTN will telecast the entire Men's Lacrosse Tournament beginning with the semifinals on April 30. The semifinals of the Women's Lacrosse Tournament hosted by Rutgers are also on the current schedule. The women's championship game is scheduled for broadcast on ESPNU or ESPN3.

The network also plans to air a 60-minute BTN Lacrosse Preview Show on March 24 at 4 p.m. and a BTN Originals mini-series that will go behind the scenes leading up to the April 4 men's game between Maryland and Penn State.

Former Hopkins player Mark Dixon will anchor BTN's coverage. He will be joined by Greg Bice, an Ohio State graduate and the first pick in the 2006 MLL draft, and Courtney Connor who played at Maryland and coached at Mount St. Mary's. Joe Beninati, Mike Wolf and Pete Medhurst will handle the play-by-play duties.

Here is the full schedule as currently released:

BTN Men's Lacrosse Television Schedule

BTN Women's Lacrosse Television Schedule (All Times Eastern)

Here is the schedule for games to be aired by the ESPN family of networks:

Saturday, Feb. 28 at 12 p.m.
Northwestern at North Carolina (W)
Noon, ESPN3

Saturday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m.
Princeton at Johns Hopkins (M)
ESPN3 @

Saturday, March 7 at 12 p.m.
Navy at Johns Hopkins (M)
ESPN3 ^

Saturday, March 14 at 2 p.m.
Johns Hopkins at Syracuse (M)
ESPN3

Saturday, March 21 at 12 p.m.
Ohio State at Notre Dame (W)
ESPN3

Saturday, March 21 at 4 p.m.
Ohio State at Notre Dame (M)
ESPNU

Saturday, March 21 at 6 p.m.
Virginia at Johns Hopkins (M)
ESPNU

Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m.
Rutgers at Johns Hopkins (M)
ESPNU

Sunday, March 29 at 3 p.m.
Ohio State at Penn State (M)
ESPNU

Saturday, April 11 at 6 p.m.
Penn State at Johns Hopkins (M)
ESPNU

Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m.
Ohio State at Michigan (M)
ESPNU

Wednesday, April 15 at 8:30 p.m.
Maryland at Johns Hopkins (W)
ESPNU

Saturday, April 18 at 2 p.m.
Michigan at Johns Hopkins (M)
ESPNU

Saturday, April 25 at 12 p.m.
Ohio State at Rutgers (M)
ESPNU

Sunday, May 3 at 12 p.m.
Women's Lacrosse Tournament Final
ESPN3#

@ Will air on ESPNU via tape delay on Sunday, March 1 at 10 a.m.
^ Will air on ESPNU via tape delay on Sunday, March 8 at 10 a.m.
# Will air on ESPNU via tape delay on Sunday, May 3 at 5 p.m.

A complete listing of Big Ten men's and women's lacrosse games set to appear on BTN Plus will be available on BTN.com in the coming weeks, and is subject to change.