Penn basketball fans who can’t make it to The Palestra to see a game in person can soon catch the Quakers live on national television.

Three of the men’s basketball team’s games will be televised on the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) beginning on Saturday, Dec. 8, when Penn hosts Big 5 foe Villanova at 8 p.m.

“It's definitely exciting for Penn and the Ivy League to be seen by a larger audience,” says Mike Mahoney, director of communications at Penn Athletics.

The national exposure for the 25-time Ivy League Champion Quakers is part of an agreement between the Ivy League and the NBC and CBS sports networks to air select basketball games of all eight Ivy League universities.

Mahoney says it’s an opportunity to showcase the men’s basketball team’s talent, and also to give a national audience a glimpse of Penn’s animated and passionate fans.

Ivy League football has had contracts to air on national television for several years, and some Ivy League basketball games have had one-shot television deals nationally. However, this two-year agreement with the sports networks is the first time the Ivies have had a television contract for multiple games.

The two other Penn games airing on the NBC Sports Network will be the Jan. 12 matchup at archrival Princeton, and the March 2 battle versus Harvard at The Palestra.

A total of 13 Ivy League games will be aired nationally during the 2012-2013 college basketball season.

“It is an exciting opportunity to promote the Ivy League and our sports,” says Scottie Rodgers, associate executive director of communications for Ivy League Sports, who negotiated the contract. “It's really a vehicle to promote the entire league.”

For the full Ivy League schedule on NBC Sports Network and the one game on CBS Sports Network, visit the Ivy League website.