Report: 'Catholic 7' to Tip Off as 'Big East' in 2013-14

Fox Sports to gain TV rights to basketball league still bearing old conference name

By Mike Reynolds, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/1/2013 1:51:37 PM

The Catholic 7 - the departing schools from the Big East Conference - will retain that circuit's moniker, add Butler and Xavier, and tip off their own basketball league with the 2013-14 season.

According to an ESPN report citing sources on Thursday evening, the schools -- DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova - will begin the new Big East with Xavier and Butler in tow for the 2013-14 season.

The push, according to the report, is being driven by Fox Sports. The programmer is expected to announce the new league at a press conference followed by an upfront presentation to advertisers on March 5 in Manhattan, where it will introduce two new national cable sports services, Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2. Those networks will be converted from Speed and Fuel, respectively.

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