The Battle of Blood Mountain basketball doubleheader between the University of North Georgia and Young Harris College Feb. 7 has been selected to be a part of the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase that will be streamed live during the 2017-18 season on ESPN3.
The Peach Belt Conference doubleheader at the YHC Basketball Arena will tip off at 5:30 p.m. with the women's game followed by the men's contest at 7:30 p.m.
The Battle of Blood Mountain is an annual rotating cup between the two athletics departments, as they are geographically two of the closest members of the Peach Belt (only 42 miles apart) and have a natural rivalry as NCAA Division II member schools. The basketball rivalry between the cross-mountain institutions began in 2010.
The basketball showcase unveiled will initially feature 14 doubleheaders starting with California State University, Chico and Humboldt State University Nov. 18. An additional four flex doubleheaders - eight games total - will be finalized later, and the games are expected to highlight premier and pivotal matchups toward the end of the season.
"Division II's continued collaboration with ESPN provides an exciting opportunity to share the accomplishments of our student-athletes with a broad national audience," said Terri Steeb Gronau, vice president of Division II. "We are thrilled to continue to promote the efforts of men's and women's basketball student-athletes on the court, in the classroom and in their communities."
The currently scheduled games will feature 14 of the 24 basketball-sponsoring conferences in Division II and are selected from a pool of conference nominations. One conference has signed a separate broadcast agreement and will not be included this season.
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multiscreen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and streaming devices through the ESPN App. The network currently is available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.
