Charlotte, NC – For the second consecutive year, the eTeamSponsor NJCAA DI Men's and Women's Basketball Championships will be televised live via CBS Sports Network. The men's championship in Hutchinson, KS and the women's title game in Lubbock, TX will both be held on Saturday, March 21.
As part of the announced agreement, negotiated by Collegiate Sports Management Group, the 2021 NJCAA DI Men's and Women's Basketball Championships and the 2020 and 2021 NJCAA Football National Championships will also be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network has previously televised the 2018 and 2019 NJCAA eTeamSponsor Football Championship as well as the 2019 NJCAA DI Men's and Women's Basketball Championship games.
"We look forward to another opportunity to showcase our student-athletes on a national stage," stated Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA President & CEO. "Our partnership with CBS Sports Network has presented unprecedented exposure that showcases our championship events."
The eTeamSponsor NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Championship, a 24-team field comprised of 16 district champions and eight at-large selections will tip-off on March 16 from the historic Hutchinson Sports Arena at 2:00 PM ET/1:00 PM CT. The championship has been held in Hutchinson since 1949 and has showcased the likes of Bob McAdoo, Cotton Fitzsimmons, and Steve Francis among a bevy of high-profile alums.
The 2019 title game featured Vincennes (IN) outlasting Ranger (TX) 87-77 for the program's fourth national title and first since 1972. The 2019 tournament was highlighted by a series of student-athletes who have gone on to compete at the NCAA Division I level in 2020, including Northwest Florida State's Chris Duarte (Oregon) and Moberly Area's Alonzo Verge Jr. (Arizona State).
From March 17-21, 24 teams will compete for the coveted DI women's national title in Lubbock. 16 district winners and eight at-large berths will compete at the Rip Griffin Center. The last five national champions have come from the state of Florida, including three of the last four from Gulf Coast State.
Gulf Coast State held off a furious comeback from New Mexico to capture the 2019 NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Championship at the Rip Griffin Center. The Commodores were led by MVP Alexus Dye who poured in 14 points and a team-high 15 rebounds for the program's sixth national title overall.
Dye moved onto Troy University where the forward is currently averaging 9.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Along with Dye, 2019 tournament participants that have gone on to the next level include Angelina's Natasha Mack (Oklahoma State), Florida SouthWestern's Tina Stephens (Kansas) and South Plains' Gabbie Green (Pittsburgh).
CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour home of CBS Sports, is widely available through all major cable, satellite and telco distributors as well as via OTT streaming service providers YouTube TV, fuboTV, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV and Hulu. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.