SUPER SATURDAY HOOPS COMES TO FOX SPORTS 1

Legendary Madison Square Garden Hosts College Basketball Doubleheader on Eve of Super Bowl XLVIII

New York - Six months out, much of what is planned in and around Super Bowl XLVIII has yet to be revealed, but two things are certain: the game is set to be broadcast by FOX Sports; and FOX Sports 1, America's new sports network launching on Aug. 17, is planning to televise a week's-worth of super events and programs leading up to what is sure to be the boldest and coldest Super Bowl ever.

Courtesy of FOX Sports' landmark 12-year multi-platform media rights agreement with the BIG EAST Conference beginning this academic year, FOX Sports 1 is carrying a spectacular SUPER SATURDAY HOOPS doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 1, featuring Marquette vs. St. John's (12:30 PM ET) and Michigan State vs. Georgetown (3:00 PM), live from legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City on the eve of Super Bowl XLVIII.

"SUPER SATURDAY HOOPS is just the first of what will be a week's worth of tremendous sports events carried by FOX Sports 1, with most, like this one, originating in the New York/New Jersey area," said Eric Shanks, FOX Sports Co-President & Chief Operating Officer. "We're proud of our long-term association with the new BIG EAST, and it's through that relationship we look forward to the conference and our new channel growing together."

The intriguing matchup of St. John's and Marquette has history dating back to the 1959 season. Hall of Famer Al McGuire, who played at St. John's from 1948-51, was elected to the basketball Hall of Fame in 1992 largely for his coaching accomplishments at Marquette, where he won the 1970 NIT title and the 1977 NCAA national championship. St. John's advanced to the second round of last season's NIT and finished its campaign at 17-16, the school's 83rd winning season and second of the Steve Lavin era.

"Madison Square Garden will be buzzing on Super Bowl weekend when the Johnnies play host to Marquette and Georgetown meets Michigan State," said St. John's Head Coach Steve Lavin. "With three BIG EAST squads in action and Coach Tom Izzo's perennially-tough Spartans, this doubleheader at The Garden will be a great showcase for our league and a terrific experience for college basketball fans."

The Marquette University men's basketball team, fresh off the program's first Elite Eight appearance since 2003, begins its ninth season of competition in the BIG EAST Conference this fall. Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Buzz Williams, the Golden Eagles are in the midst of a run that has seen the team participate in eight-straight NCAA Tournaments. In each of the last three campaigns, MU has advanced to at least the Sweet 16.

"We always look forward to playing in The Garden," said Marquette Head Coach Buzz Williams. "It obviously has a tremendous amount of tradition and the environment makes it a special place to play. We are fortunate to have had some success there and I know our players are excited about being in New York City the weekend of the Super Bowl."

Michigan State and Georgetown have met just once, on March 15, 1986 when the Spartans won 80-68 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State returns four starters and six of its top seven scorers from last year's Sweet 16 squad. Senior guard Keith Appling, senior forward Adreian Payne and sophomore guard Gary Harris each earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last season.

"Playing Georgetown in Madison Square Garden on Super Bowl Saturday is a great addition to our schedule," said Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo. "I have a lot of respect for Coach Thompson and the way he has continued to build his program on a foundation of toughness first implemented by his father, a man for whom I have an incredible amount of admiration. As a huge football fan, I'm excited to be a part of Super Bowl weekend in some small way, while also playing a game in one of the greatest basketball venues."

Georgetown finished the 2012-13 season with a 25-7 record and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Hoyas won a share of the BIG EAST regular-season championship and were the No. 1 seed in the tournament after posting a 14-4 record in league play. The Hoyas were ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and No. 8 in the USA Today Coaches' poll and closed out the regular season with 12 wins in 13 games. The Hoyas are one of only four schools in the country to be ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 at least once in each of the last seven seasons.

"We're very excited to have the opportunity to play Michigan State at Madison Square Garden," said Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III. "Michigan State is tremendous program and I have a great deal of respect for Coach Izzo and what they've accomplished there. For this game to be held in New York City during Super Bowl Weekend televised on FOX Sports 1, our partner channel, it will make it one of the highlight games of the season."

FOX Sports 1 is slated to televise over 100 BIG EAST men's regular-season basketball games this season, plus the entire BIG EAST Men's Basketball Tournament, also live from Madison Square Garden, the tournament's home since 1983, and the longest-running conference tournament played at one venue. The BIG EAST Conference now features Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John's University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University beginning with the coming academic year.

-- FOX SPORTS --

About FOX Sports 1

FOX Sports 1 is a new national 24-hour multi-sport channel launching on August 17 and boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. The channel has eight pillar sports: college basketball and football, MLB (in 2014), NASCAR, NFL (ancillary programs), USGA events including the U.S. Open (2015), soccer and UFC. College football is highlighted by regular season coverage of Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA games, while the college basketball spotlight shines on the Big East, Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA and the Big East men's basketball tournament. Starting in 2014, select MLB League Championship Series and Division Series games as well as regular season games are coming to the channel. FOX Sports 1 also carries select NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events beginning in 2015; NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races; the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race; and all Speedweeks coverage, including Daytona 500 Qualifying, Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, (2014, 2017-22) the Budweiser Duel, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NCWTS Practice and Qualifying sessions. Additionally, FOX Sports 1 carries NASCAR RACEDAY, NASCAR VICTORY LANE and RACE HUB shows. The channel also carries the world's most prolific club soccer competitions, like UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and CONCACAF Champions League, along with the world's oldest soccer competition, the FA Cup; plus CONCACAF Gold Cup; CONCACAF Qualifiers, EURO 2016 Qualifiers; 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers; FIFA Women's World Cup in 2015 and 2019; FIFA Men's World Cup in 2018 and 2022. In addition to Saturday pay-per-view preliminary cards, Wednesday nights are home to the UFC with UFC TONIGHT, live events and THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER. In Feb. 2014, FOX Sports 1 partners with The Jockey Club for newly created package of nationally televised races featuring the leading horses in the country. FOX SPORTS LIVE is FOX Sports 1's flagship 24/7 news, opinion and highlights program, providing around the clock coverage through regularly scheduled programs, hourly updates and an information rich ticker. Original programs include: FOX FOOTBALL DAILY, CROWD GOES WILD, a new live sports entertainment talk show hosted by Regis Philbin; and the groundbreaking BEING: documentary franchise. FOX Sports GO, a groundbreaking authenticated mobile sports experience for iPhone, iPad, Android devices and the web, serves as the channel's digital extension. The app offers more than 1,100 live games and events from cross FOX Sports, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports' 22 regional sports networks, as well as scores, highlights, news, stats and analysis. For more information visit www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1.