NBC Sports has announced its broadcast commentators for its first year of broadcasts of Big Ten Conference men’s and women’s basketball games, which will be exclusively streamed on Peacock.
Throughout the 2023-24 season, the over-the-top (OTT) streaming service will present more than 50 men’s and women’s Big Ten basketball games over the course of the season. The broadcasts are part of a larger seven-year media rights deal between the conference and the network worth a reported $350 million annually.
Zora Stephenson, Cindy Brunson, and Sloane Martin will work as play-by-play announcers for women’s basketball games in the conference. They will be joined by analyst Meghan McKeown, a former college basketball commentator for the Big Ten Network and ESPN. The former Northwestern athlete is also on broadcasts for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA and brings an understanding of the various levels of the sport to the role.
Julianne Viani is also slated to provide color commentary for the games, entering the role after playing basketball for Marist College for four years. Since the 2018-19 season, she has provided analysis on Atlantic 10 Conference games and has also been featured on YES Network broadcasts of the New York Liberty.
As previously reported, Noah Eagle will serve as a play-by-play announcer for the property’s men’s basketball games, adding to his workload as he calls B1G Saturday Night football games throughout the season. Eagle will also call a handful of Brooklyn Nets games on the YES Network after working as the radio voice of the LA Clippers for the last several seasons. Jac Collinsworth and Terry Gannon will also call these basketball games on Peacock, all of whom will be joined by various experienced analysts.
Robbie Hummel, a former forward at Purdue University, is officially making the move to NBC and will also reportedly contribute to FOX and remain on the Big Ten Network. Additionally, Stephen Bardo is joining the NBC Sports analysis lineup and will split calling a majority of the men’s basketball games with Hummel. Former Northwestern guard Tre Demps will also call select games throughout the Big Ten basketball season.
The men’s Big Ten Conference studio show will be hosted by Ahmed Fareed, who has seen his role expand since joining NBC Sports after time at its Bay Area regional sports network. He hosts studio coverage for B1G College Countdown in addition to MLB Sunday Leadoff and the Premier League and will now add the college basketball property to his portfolio. He will be joined by former Memphis and Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner and former ESPN analyst Jordan Cornette on the program.
Conversely, the women’s Big Ten studio show will feature reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year and No. 1 overall draft pick Aliyah Boston. The former South Carolina standout and two-time National Player of the Year averaged 14.5 points on 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, and is now joining network basketball coverage early in her professional career. Boston will work with the aforementioned McKeown and studio host Carolyn Manno.
NBC Sports will present its first Big Ten men’s basketball broadcast on Monday, Nov. 6 when Princeton visits Rutgers for a showdown at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST. Women’s coverage tips off at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on Tuesday, Jan. 2 in a game between Michigan State and Iowa.
