Hilton Magic won’t be limited to Ames next season. ISU athletic director Jamie Pollard confirmed Wednesday that ABC and ESPN have decided to increase their coverage of ISU men’s basketball next season.

“I think it’s just symbolic of two things,” Pollard said. “Number one is the new Big 12 partnership with ESPN and ABC, which has increased the number of exposures for conference games, and secondly, it’s an indication of ESPN’s belief in Coach [Greg] McDermott being the right coach and the direction of the Iowa State men’s basketball program.”

The Cyclones will have 13 of their Big 12 games televised on either ABC or ESPN next season, including their Feb. 9 matchup with the Texas Longhorns at Hilton Coliseum on ABC. ESPN will broadcast Iowa State’s Jan. 23 game at Kansas and the Jayhawks’ visit to Ames on Feb. 17. Last season, the Cyclones had just seven of their conference games picked up by either networks.

Pollard said the national broadcasts at home will be a great opportunity to promote Cyclone sports. The last ABC telecast from Ames during the regular season came in 2001.

“The national broadcasts, especially the ones worked at home, are a great chance to show off the student body, Hilton Magic, the new scoreboards, ring beams and the players,” he said. “It’s great for recruiting and it’s great for our image.”

Games not scheduled to be televised on either networks will be picked up on the school’s third-tier TV package that will be announced in August. The Cyclones, who finished 15-16 in McDermott’s first season as head coach, averaged 12,489 fans per game, which ranked 25th in the nation.

“Our fans are great basketball fans, have been, are, and will continue to be,” Pollard said. “So the opportunity to showcase that on a national TV audience is great for recruiting; it’s great for Iowa State; and at the same time, ESPN and ABC have really enjoyed coming to those environments.”