Edison, N.J. - ESPN has reached a multi-year agreement (through 2011-2012) with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) for coverage of men's and women's basketball and Olympic sports across ESPN's multimedia entities.  It was announced by Burke Magnus, senior vice president of college sports programming for ESPN, and MAAC Commissioner Richard J. Ensor, Esq.

ESPN and the MAAC at a glance:

• Each year of the agreement, ESPNU will televise at least seven regular-season men's basketball games and two Olympic sports events. This season, ESPNU will televise the Men's Soccer and Volleyball Championships and will also air three women's basketball games.
• ESPN or ESPN2 will televise two men's basketball appearances each year, plus feature the Men's Basketball Championship game during Championship Week on ESPN or ESPN2.

For the fourth straight year, the MAAC will serve as the sponsoring conference of the Old Spice Classic at the Milk House at the ESPN Wide World of Sports® Complex near Orlando, Fla.  All 10 MAAC member institutions will participate in the eighth annual BracketBusters event, a two-day men's college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each February 19-20, 2010.

"We are delighted to continue our growing relationship with the MAAC," said Magnus. "The MAAC has been an esteemed supporter of our college sports initiatives and we look forward to showcasing more action from its fine athletic and academic institutions, which greatly contribute to our diverse lineup of content."

"The MAAC is extremely pleased with its continued relationship with ESPN, particularly the Friday night showcase for the league's men's and women's basketball teams," noted Ensor.  "Almost five years ago, the MAAC committed to the start-up of ESPNU, and it is gratifying to see how it has grown to a more than 60-million-home platform.  The association with the ESPN brand is extremely important to the MAAC and continues with the league's syndication and production agreement with ESPN Regional Television in Charlotte and the event hosting agreements with the recently renamed ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando."

The new pact also includes distribution rights for MAAC programming across multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPNU.com, ESPN360.com, ESPN.com, ESPN Pay-Per-View, ESPN Video-on-Demand, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes and more.