This is the third and final season of a three-year agreement in which FSN Ohio televises at least 10 Xavier men's basketball games. The new agreement will be extended through the 2007-08 season with the same 10-game set up.

"At the end of last season, it became obvious that both parties were very satisfied," Xavier athletic director Dawn Rogers said. "The majority of our games are on TV, and with Fox Sports, our alumni around the country can see us play."

Xavier plays 21 televised games this season, 10 of which are part of the FSN Ohio package.

The FSN Ohio Xavier broadcast team of Brad Johansen and Steve Wolf will remain intact under the new agreement. Negotiations are ongoing to add Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham as a sideline reporter for the Xavier telecasts beginning this year, but schedule conflicts have to be resolved.

Airing Xavier games on FSN Ohio does have an occasional drawback. When Columbus Blue Jackets games and Xavier games are televised on the same night, Xavier games are not shown to the northern half of the viewing audience.

Still, Rogers was happy to keep Xavier games on FSN.

"They give us tremendous exposure," Rogers said. "It's been a perfect partnership."

Dustin Dow

MISSOURI: The Tigers were placed on three years' probation Wednesday for NCAA recruiting violations but avoided a ban on postseason play.

The infractions committee took away one scholarship next year and two in 2006-07 and limited all basketball coaches to recruiting on campus until November 2005.

"We felt the off-campus ban would be a significant statement on the violations and removes the criticism of punishing current student-athletes," committee chairman Thomas Yeager said.

The committee found the Tigers violated NCAA recruiting rules from 1999-2003 and rejected the school's explanation that most of the violations were inadvertent.

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