When it became evident that the Purdue-Arizona men’s college basketball game on Dec. 16 would feature a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2, not everyone was happy about it.

Some folks on social media cried out in frustration.

“Move this game of the year matchup on national television,” one fan posted.

But one person who was thrilled by the development was Jon Miller, the President of Acquisitions & Partnerships for NBC Sports.

The streaming service, which has traditionally been known for Olympic sports, golf and tennis coverage, will broadcast 34 Big Ten men’s basketball games this season (plus some Big Ten Tournament games) — and another 20-plus women’s games. For now, they have now struck gold with a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2.

“We were obviously very happy,” Miller said Wednesday in a phone interview. “We know that the quality of Big Ten basketball continues to improve and get stronger, but the idea to be able to have No. 1 vs. No. 2 in our first year doing men’s college basketball as part of our Big Ten package was a real bonus.”

He added: “This is clearly the biggest college basketball game that Peacock has had.”

Miller said there’s no chance the game will be flexed to regular NBC.

“We have other programming commitments already, and quite honestly we’re growing our streaming platform and that’s where it’s going to be,” he said.

The Arizona men’s basketball X account is already telling fans how they can subscribe to Peacock.

For Zach Edey and No. 1 Purdue, they will make six appearances on Peacock this season so Boilermakers fans may have to buy in if they haven’t already.

“You’ve got a real legitimate college basketball star in Zach Edey,” Miller said of the reigning Naismith Player of the Year, “so we think having him on our air is always a good thing.”

For Peacock, the Purdue-Arizona game is one of many events the service is excited about. Peacock will air an NFL regular-season game for the first time on Dec. 23 when the Buffalo Bills visit the San Diego Chargers.

Peacock will also air an NFL Wild Card game in the New Year.

“I think this NFL game and the playoff game in January are going to be game-changers,” Miller said. “And I think that’s going to be the first time that people realize, ‘OK, this stuff is here to stay and it’s only growing and getting better.”

He added: “I think what people are really find now is if you want premier live sports, Peacock is the place to get it. And there’s no other streaming service that has the quantity and the level that we have.”

With the NBA’s media rights deal coming up in 2025, Miller was asked if that was something Peacock might bid on. Amazon AMZN and Apple AAPL — along with ESPN and FOX — have already been heavily linked to the new NBA deal.

“I’m sure that at the right time if the opportunity presents itself, we would have conversations but the NBA currently has two very strong partners in Disney and Turner and they’re still under an exclusive negotiating period so it’s premature to even speculate on that,” he said.

Miller added that the leaders of all the major pro sports leagues “all know the quality and expertise that Peacock can deliver so we have conversations with all of those folks.”

He listed a slew of things that Peacock subscribers also get, including access to movies and TV shows like The Office.

Going forward, Miller pointed out that with the Big Ten expanding next season to 18 schools, including USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington, Peacock’s coverage will go from 30-some men’s games to “about 50,” Miller said.

Like it or not for Purdue — and other Big Ten basketball fans — Peacock is here to stay.