St. Louis University is on the rise on the basketball court, beating teams from the Atlantic Coast, Big East and Big 12 conferences to win the 76 Classic over Thanksgiving weekend in Anaheim, Calif. But the Billikens still lag far behind the two other teams of regional interest, Missouri and Illinois, in the television-exposure department.
SLU officials recently announced that eight games have been added to this season's TV schedule, bringing the number of telecasts to 18 (four of which already have taken place). But that still leaves a dozen regular-season contests off the tube, while their counterparts from Columbia and Champaign have virtually all their contests televised. And the Billikens currently are in the early stages of a month-long stretch in which just one of their games is scheduled to be televised.
All three schools have a maze of outlets that televise their contests, but SLU has the most games on channels that aren't picked up by a lot of viewers. Three Bills contests will be available only to Charter cable subscribers, one is on The Mountain Network (which in this market is available only to DirecTV customers who have premium service) and three are on CBS Sports Network, which on some systems is picked up only via a sports package that carries and additional cost.
It's not ideal for SLU fans, but at least it's on par with last season and is far more TV exposure than the Bills had five seasons ago.
SLU, a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, is hampered by a somewhat restrictive TV arrangement that league has, plus the A-10 having much less clout in TV deals than the conferences of MU and Illinois — the Big 12 and Big Ten, respectively. Other factors impacting SLU are that it doesn't have as widespread interest throughout the region as do the state schools, plus the Billikens' extremely weak nonconference schedule in December is unattractive to TV.
Between their victory over Oklahoma in the 76 Classic title game on Sunday (Nov. 27) that was on ESPN2, the Bills are televised only once until Dec. 27. SLU's next five contests are against Portland, Vermont, Illinois-Springfield, Alabama State and Arkansas State. Only the Vermont game, on Wednesday, is set to be shown. (It's on Fox Sports Midwest.)
And the Bills' big run in Anaheim went largely unnoticed by local TV viewers. According to The Nielsen Co., only 1 percent of homes in the area tuned in to ESPN2 to see SLU beat Villanova last Friday in the semifinals and only 1.3 percent saw SLU's victory Sunday night over OU for the title — the Pittsburgh-Kansas City NFL game on KSDK (Channel 5) at the same time drew nearly 10 times as many viewers.
It's a growing process for the Billikens, SLU athletics director Chris May said.
"We're encouraged by what we've got,'' May said, adding that it's his goal to eventually have all the team's games televised because it increases exposure.
He also said that a breakout season by the team could be expected to lead to more TV coverage next year.
"That's the goal,'' he said.
SIUE ON TV
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is in its fourth season playing Division I men's basketball, and like SLU is striving for more TV time.
And it will have some, as KPLR (Channel 11) and its digital component will combine to show nine games this season, albeit six of them on tape delay late at night on KPLR 11.2 — which is available only to those with over-the-air digital conversion equipment, including antennas, and subscribers to Charter cable who get Channel 153.
The schedule tips off at 2 p.m. Saturday when 11.2 shows the Cougars entertaining Cal State Fullerton.
The other live broadcasts are on KPLR — home games Dec. 31 at 3:30 p.m. against Jacksonville State, and at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 vs. Southeast Missouri State.
BORDER BOREDOM?
The much-hyped Mizzou-KU Border Battle' last Saturday, perhaps the final matchup in the storied history of that football rivalry, was a dud in the television ratings department.
According to Nielsen, only 5.4 percent of homes in the St. Louis market tuned in to FSM's telecast of the contest — by far the worst rating for the teams' last five meetings. The high point came in 2007, when both teams were ranked in the top five nationally.
The rating in St. Louis for recent MU-KU football games:
YEAR OUTLET RATING
2011 FSM 5.4
2010 FSM 8.0
2009 KDNL (30) 8.9
2008 FSM 6.7
2007 KDNL (30) 26.0
DOUBLE DUDS
ESPN doesn't have the ''flexible scheduling'' option for "Monday Night Football'' as NBC has for its Sunday night games, in which lousy matchups can be replaced by more attractive contests.
That happens this week when winless Indianapolis' contest at New England has been bounced from prime time to the afternoon and substituted with the attractive Detroit-New Orleans contest.
But ESPN has a pair of colossal duds on its schedule the next two Mondays — San Diego (4-7) at Jacksonville (3-8) is next followed by the Rams (2-9) at Seattle (5-7).
IN THE BOOTH
Rams at San Francisco, 3:15 p.m. Sunday, KTVI (2) • Chris Myers (play-by-play), Tim Ryan (analysis). Jaime Maggio (reporter).
