By Uncle Tom George

NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference, in conjunction with ESPN, announced that the Saturday, January 27 men’s basketball matchup between James Madison and App State will appear on either ESPN2 or ESPNU with a 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT tipoff at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, N.C.

The contest is the first of three wildcard appearances for the Sun Belt on the ESPN Family of Networks during the 2024 league season. The remaining wildcard appearances will take place on February 22 and February 24 with matchups to be determined.

Additionally, a matchup from the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge, set for Saturday, February 10 [6 p.m. ET / 5p.m. CT], will also air on ESPN2/ESPNU. The matchups will be based on real-time NET rankings announced later this month. ESPN2 also televised App State’s non-conference home win over Auburn on Sunday, December 3.

The game will mark the 10th all-time meeting between James Madison and App State, and the fourth as conference foes, as the two teams meet Saturday, January 13 in Harrisonburg, Va., for their first league matchup of this season. The Mountaineers lead the all-time series, 5-3.

As part of the Sun Belt’s comprehensive media rights partnership with ESPN, which runs through the 2030-31 academic year, the Worldwide Leader in Sports will also broadcast the championship games of the Sun Belt Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships on Monday, March 11.

Ticket packages are now on sale for the 2024 Sun Belt Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships. Click here for more information and to purchase your tickets today. 

COURTESY SUN BELT CONFERENCE COMMUNICATIONS