BIG EAST TIP-OFF IS A PARTY ON FOX SPORTS 1

Two-Hour Program Celebrates New Era, New Season In College Basketball With Coverage of All 10 Conference Teams

Campus Events Feature Musical Guests DJ Nick Cannon, B.O.B., and More Surprises to Come

New York - FOX Sports 1 captures the energy and excitement surrounding the start of a new college basketball season and a new college basketball conference with coverage from all 10 BIG EAST campuses during the BIG EAST TIP-OFF PARTY on Friday, Oct. 25, from 9:00-11:00 PM ET.

FOX Sports studio host Rob Stone sits alongside FOX Sports lead college basketball game analyst Bill Raftery and the network's latest addition, Tarik Turner, a former St. John's standout and broadcaster for SNY, to host the program live from Studio A at the FOX Network Center in Los Angeles. Once the season begins, Turner serves as a BIG EAST game analyst for FOX Sports. Additional play-by-play broadcasters and game analysts are to be announced shortly.

Throughout the evening, Stone, Raftery and Turner discuss top storylines from around the conference and check in at each campus's start-of-season celebration. The trio speaks live via satellite to head coaches Steve Lavin of St. John's, John Thompson III of Georgetown, Jay Wright of Villanova and Greg McDermott of Creighton, while the Bluejays' Doug McDermott, the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and national award candidate, also talks back live to the broadcasters in LA.

Reporters on campus provide interviews with Butler head coach Brandon Miller, DePaul head coach Oliver Purnell, Marquette head coach Buzz Williams, Providence head coach Ed Cooley, Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard and Xavier head coach Chris Mack.

The BIG EAST TIP-OFF PARTY showcases highlights from each school's celebration, including scrimmages by the men's and women's teams, skills contests, Coach Willard's head-to-head showdown with competitive hot dog eating sensation Takeru Kobayashi and musical guests at select campuses like DJ Nick Cannon at Providence, B.O.B. at Georgetown and more surprises to come.

FOX Sports is home to BIG EAST basketball with more than 100 men's games on FOX Sports 1 this season, including the entire BIG EAST Men's Basketball Tournament from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Game coverage begins Friday, Nov. 8, as Providence hosts Boston College (6:00 PM ET), and conference play gets underway Tuesday, Dec. 31, with a five-game New Year's Eve marathon from 12:00 PM to 12:00 AM on FOX Sports 1.