Rivalry Week Tips Off with Three Matchups between Ranked Teams in Top 10 Feb. 8
ESPN’s 14th annual Rivalry Week Presented by Cisco – featuring top rivalries in men’s college basketball Monday, Feb. 8, through Monday, Feb. 15 – will tip off with three ESPN telecasts pitting teams in the top 10 of the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll against each other:
- No. 2 Villanova at No. 6 West Virginia and No. 1 Kansas at No. 10 Texas Monday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET, respectively, and No. 7 Purdue at No. 5 Michigan State Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 9 p.m. on ESPN. Also on Tuesday, Feb. 9, ESPN will televise No. 14 Tennessee at No. 20 Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. As part of ESPN Classic’s Rivalry Week coverage, the network will offer five classic games between Kansas and Texas leading up to the telecast Monday, Feb. 8, beginning at 11 a.m.
Overall, Rivalry Week will feature 48 games across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com. In addition, ESPN Classic will offer extensive encore presentations of memorable rivalry matchups throughout the week. Details:
- ESPN’s College GameDay Driven by State Farm and Saturday Primetime DIRECTV Game of the Week matchup, both on ESPN, will originate from No. 14 Tennessee at No. 3 Kentucky. Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl defeated No. 1 Memphis and then-coach John Calipari 66-62 on Feb. 23, 2008, when Pearl’s Volunteers were No. 2. College GameDay – hosted by Rece Davis with analysts Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis and Digger Phelps – will air at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- ESPNU will televise the top three teams: No. 1 Kansas against Iowa State at 8 p.m. and No. 2 Villanova against Providence at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, and No. 3 Kentucky against Alabama on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 9 p.m. ESPNU will also televise No. 13 Gonzaga against San Diego on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 10 p.m.
- No. 6 West Virginia will visit No. 21 Pittsburgh in the basketball version of the Backyard Brawl on Friday, Feb. 12, at 9 p.m. on ESPN.
- ESPN will televise one of the biggest rivalries in sports when No. 9 Duke visits North Carolina on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 9 p.m. North Carolina has won the last three meetings. ESPN Classic will offer 10 memorable games from the rivalry Sunday, Feb. 7, beginning at midnight.
- ESPN will televise Connecticut at No. 4 Syracuse on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. in the only regular-season meeting between the rivals this year. The game will mark the first meeting between the programs since Syracuse’s 127-117 victory in the six-overtime BIG EAST Championship quarterfinal thriller last year. In addition, ESPN Classic will re-air the entire game from 2009 on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 10 a.m.
- Every team in the top 10 will be televised – and 15 overall – throughout the week, including multiple appearances by each of the top six: No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Villanova, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 Syracuse, No. 5 Michigan State and No. 6 West Virginia. Other ranked teams that will be televised twice: No. 13 Gonzaga and No. 14 Tennessee.
Rivalry Week Schedule
| Date | Time | Matchup | Network |
| Mon, Feb 8 | 7 p.m. | No. 2 Villanova at No. 6 West Virginia
Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas & Bill Raftery |
ESPN / ESPN360.com |
| 7 p.m. | Maryland Eastern Shore at North Carolina A&T
Charlie Neal & Stan Lewter |
ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 1 Kansas at No. 10 Texas
Brent Musburger, Bob Knight & Holly Rowe |
ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
| 9 p.m. | Alcorn State at Grambling State
Dave Weekley & Stephen Howard |
ESPNU | |
| Tue, Feb 9 | 7 p.m. | No. 14 Tennessee at No. 20 Vanderbilt
Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes & Jeannine Edwards |
ESPN / ESPN360.com |
| 7 p.m. | No. 8 Georgetown at Providence
Jon Sciambi & Len Elmore |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 7 p.m. | Virginia Commonwealth at George Mason
John Castleberry & Mark Adams |
ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 7 Purdue at No. 5 Michigan State
Brent Musburger, Steve Lavin & Erin Andrews |
ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
| 9 p.m. | Alabama at No. 3 Kentucky
Rob Stone & Jay Williams |
ESPNU | |
| Wed, Feb 10 | 7 p.m. | Connecticut at No. 4 Syracuse
John Saunders, Fran Fraschilla & Allen Hopkins |
ESPN / ESPN360.com |
| 7 p.m. | Florida State at Clemson
Mike Patrick & Len Elmore |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 7 p.m. | Virginia at Maryland
Dan McLaughlin & Tim Welsh |
ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 9 Duke at North Carolina *
Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale & Erin Andrews |
ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 24 Baylor at Nebraska
Ron Franklin & Bill Raftery |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 9 p.m. | Virginia Tech at N.C. State
Carter Blackburn & LaPhonso Ellis |
ESPNU | |
| 11 p.m. | Nevada at Idaho
Bob Wischusen & Adrian Branch |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| Thu, Feb 11 | 7 p.m. | Michigan at Minnesota
Brent Musburger, Bob Knight & Holly Rowe |
ESPN / ESPN360.com |
| 7 p.m. | Louisville at St. John’s
Dave Pasch & Doris Burke |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 7 p.m. | Notre Dame at Seton Hall
Scott Graham & Jay Williams |
ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | Mississippi at Mississippi State
Rece Davis & Hubert Davis |
ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
| 9 p.m. | Washington at California
Dave O’Brien & Steve Lavin |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 9 p.m. | Morehead State at Eastern Illinois
Dave Weekley & Mark Adams |
ESPNU | |
| 11 p.m. | St. Mary’s (Calif.) at No. 13 Gonzaga
Bob Wischusen & Stephen Bardo |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 11 p.m. | San Diego at Portland
Steve Andress & Miles Simon |
ESPNU | |
| Fri, Feb 12 | 7 p.m. | Fairfield at Rider
Doug Sherman & Rob Kennedy |
ESPNU |
| 8 p.m. | Siena at Niagara
Lou Canellis & Tim Welsh |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 6 West Virginia at No. 21 Pittsburgh
Dave Pasch & Doris Burke |
ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
| Sat, Feb 13 | Noon | No. 5 Michigan State at Penn State
Dave O’Brien & Steve Lavin |
ESPN / ESPN360.com |
| Noon | Kent State at Buffalo
Michael Reghi & Tim O’Toole |
ESPNU | |
| 2 p.m. | Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
Ron Franklin & Fran Fraschilla |
ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
| 2 p.m. | Providence at No. 2 Villanova
Justin Kutcher & Dickey Simpkins |
ESPNU | |
| 4 p.m. | N.C. State at North Carolina
Mike Patrick & Len Elmore |
ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
| 4 p.m. | Dayton at Saint Louis
Dan McLaughlin & Mac McCausland |
ESPNU | |
| 5 p.m. | Texas A&M at Texas Tech
Jon Sciambi & LaPhonso Ellis |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 6 p.m. | Xavier at Florida
Brad Nessler & Jimmy Dykes |
ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
| 7 p.m. | Memphis at Tulsa
Bob Wischusen & Stephen Bardo |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 8 p.m. | Iowa State at No. 1 Kansas
Clay Matvick & Stephen Howard |
ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 14 Tennessee at No. 3 Kentucky
Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale & Erin Andrews |
ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
| 9 p.m. | St. Mary’s (Calif.) at Portland
Kevin Calabro & Mark Adams |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 10 p.m. | San Diego at No. 13 Gonzaga
Greg Heister & Tim McCormick |
ESPNU | |
| Sun, Feb 14 | 1 p.m. | Louisville at No. 4 Syracuse
Sean McDonough & Len Elmore |
ESPN / ESPN360.com |
| 8 p.m. | Missouri State at Wichita State
Dan McLaughlin & Mac McCausland |
ESPNU | |
| 11 p.m. | Albany State at Fort Valley State ^
Charlie Neal & Dennis Felton |
ESPNU | |
| Mon, Feb 15 | 7 p.m. | Connecticut at No. 2 Villanova
Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas & Bill Raftery |
ESPN / ESPN360.com |
| 7 p.m. | South Carolina State at Morgan State
Charlie Neal & Stan Lewter |
ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 1 Kansas at Texas A&M
Brent Musburger, Bob Knight & Holly Rowe |
ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
| 9 p.m. | Jackson State at Texas Southern
Trey Bender & Stephen Howard |
ESPNU | |
| 11 p.m. | Tuskegee at Morehouse ^
Anthony Calhoun & Sedric Toney |
ESPNU |
* Blacked out in ACC markets
^ Tape delay
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