NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Big East Conference and ESPN announced a six-year agreement yesterday… NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Big East Conference and ESPN announced a six-year agreement yesterday that extends the network’s coverage of Big East football and men’s and women’s basketball through 2013.

Currently, the football contract between ESPN and the conference has two years remaining, while both basketball contracts have one.

“We have been together with ESPN from the start, and we have both grown together,” said Big East Commissioner Michael Tranghese of the pair’s history. Television exposure is critical to the success of our teams. Our new agreement provides an incredible opportunity to take Big East programs to even greater heights.

“We’re very excited to extend our relationship.”

The relationship between the Big East and ESPN has some history. Since college basketball began rising in the conference in the early ’80s, the worldwide leader in sports has always kept a spot on its “Big Monday” broadcast lineup for Big East basketball.

ESPN is also the only network to broadcast Big East football every year since its inaugural season in 1991.

“As a mainstay on ESPN for nearly three decades, the Big East has delivered many memorable moments,” said ESPN and ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer. “We are thrilled to expand that long-standing relationship through this unprecedented collaborative effort, which will supply conference action to fans however they experience sports.”

The combination of ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports will carry a total of 17 Big East football games each season – a new record. A minimum of 60 Big East men’s basketball games per season will be picked up by the network, along with at least 15 women’s contests.

The Pitt football team’s season opener against Virginia this Saturday will be televised by ESPNU, a division of ESPN. It is the first of six of Pitt’s 12 games that are scheduled for broadcast by ESPN or ABC Sports.