CBS and the Big East have a new extension on the TV contract.

In a multi-year contract extension between the BIG EAST and CBS, the two entities agreed to increase the number of contests involving conference teams from a minimum of 11 to 14 each season, allowing fans to watch even more BIG EAST men’s basketball games featuring the nation’s best teams on CBS. The agreement will begin in 2007-08 and continue through 2012-13.

CBS, which holds the exclusive rights to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship through at least 2011, fueled the BIG EAST’s rapid ascent on the national college basketball scene when it began telecasting games involving conference teams in 1981-82, just the third year of existence for the league.

The 2006-07 season will be the 21st consecutive year the league has had a continuous agreement to have its games televised on CBS, and the new contract extension ensures that a strong relationship will continue to at least 27 years. The BIG EAST is proud to have the longest standing continuous relationship with CBS of any conference in the country.

“We’re very pleased to maintain our partnership with CBS,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Michael Tranghese. “BIG EAST teams have enjoyed outstanding exposure through the years on CBS. The length of this agreement guarantees that BIG EAST teams will have a high profile on national broadcast network television well into the future.”

“This agreement assures that BIG EAST basketball will remain a central component of CBS Sports’ basketball schedule, as it has been for over 25 years,” said Mike Aresco, Vice President of Programming for CBS Sports. “We are pleased to continue broadcasting BIG EAST Conference games.”

Nothing on the actual money being paid. Not sure how impressed the number of games goes from 11 to 14, especially with the overall increase in the size of the Big East. I guess that’s an okay amount considering CBS doesn’t really start airing many games until after January and only on the weekend afternoons.

The deadline to withdraw or stay in the NBA Draft is 5pm Sunday. As mentioned yesterday, Gray will do a couple workouts today and tomorrow. He and his folks are going to wait until the very end just to keep the suspense up and drive several of you crazy with the potential of more reports of nothing in the meantime.

“We’re going to take him back to Pittsburgh [tomorrow] and we’re going to sleep on it [tomorrow] and Saturday,” Michael Gray said. “We’re going to take it right up to the deadline.”

Just think, if you are getting sick of the waiting imagine how the Big East, ESPN and CBS are feeling about the wait.

Either he wants to be wanted along with all of the attention or someone whispered something in his ear. Regardless, Jared Williams has changed his mind about his early verbal to Pitt.

The 5-foot-9, 188-pound cornerback reopened his recruitment Wednesday when Irving Williams called the Panthers to tell them his son was reneging.

“My mom (Janet) and dad wanted me to go to camps, so my dad called down there,” Jared Williams said. “I de-committed, but I told them I’m still interested. I want to see what other opportunities are out there.”

No other school has offered a scholarship, but Williams said Georgia Tech, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Virginia and West Virginia are among those showing interest.

Williams was Pitt’s second recruit from the Class of 2007, and is the first to renege on his commitment. Williams chose the Panthers on May 10 while attending Joe Butler’s Metro Index camp, but he came to believe that he made his decision too quickly.

“That’s what it was,” Williams said. “It was so early. I didn’t even get out of school yet. Now, I can go through the summer and see other schools.”

He had just attended camp down in West Virginia, and wants to go to camps in Michigan and Michigan State.

Not sure how I feel. You hate to have kids back out, even if it was a bit of an early commit, especially from the City League. On the other hand, CB is not a position where Pitt is weak just from this past recruiting class with Chappel, Berry, Gary, Robinson and not to mention possible position shifts for Fields and Porter. He and his family may have started looking at the numbers and reconsidered some of his playing time options.