May 17, 2012

Washington, Tennessee, Seton Hall and Arizona among Teams Slated for ESPN’s Exclusive Coverage of National Invitation Tournament

March 14, 2012 By

Washington, Tennessee, Seton Hall and Arizona among Teams Slated for ESPN’s Exclusive Coverage of National Invitation Tournament

Exclusive coverage of the entire 75th National Invitation Tournament begins on ESPN2, Tuesday March 13 at 7 p.m. ET, and continues across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 with coverage of all 31 games. In addition to five exclusive ESPN3 games during the first round, the broadband network will simulcast every first round, second round, quarterfinal, semifinal and final matchup. The semifinal on ESPN2 and the championship game on ESPN will also be simulcast in ESPN3D.

The 32-team field for the oldest tournament in college basketball was announced Sunday, March 11 during the ESPNU NIT Selection Show and includes teams representing 18 conferences, led by the Atlantic 10, Pac-12 and SEC with four selections each. Five teams in the 2012 field are previous NIT Champions: Dayton (1962, 1968, 2010), Minnesota (1993, 1998), La Salle (1952), Seton Hall (1953) and Stanford (1991).

Dayton is making its 24th appearance in the NIT, the most among schools in this year’s tournament; the second highest in the tournament’s history, behind St. John’s (28). St. Joseph’s is making its 15th NIT appearance and is currently tied for the fourth most NIT appearances without winning the title.

On Wednesday, March 14 during the 7 p.m. hour, Philadelphia will be the epicenter for college hoops when La Salle, Drexel and St. Joseph’s all host NIT games at home. Drexel, making its sixth appearance in the NIT, is tied with three other schools for the most NIT games without a win.

Bucknell, UCF, Northern Iowa and Savannah State are all making their first NIT appearance.

Schedule subject to change beyond first round: 

Date Time (ET)

Game / Commentators

 Network
Tue, Mar 13 7 p.m. NIT First Round: Massachusetts at Mississippi State

Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes

ESPN2
  7:15 p.m. NIT First Round: Stony Brook at Seton Hall
Mike Gleason and Tim O’Toole		 ESPN3
  7:30 p.m. NIT First Round: Dayton at Iowa

Bob Wischusen and Dan Dakich

ESPN
  8 p.m. NIT First Round: Savannah State at Tennessee
Mike Crispino and Bob Valvano		 ESPNU
  9 p.m. NIT First Round: Akron at Northwestern
Mike Patrick and Fran Fraschilla		 ESPN2
  9:15 p.m. NIT First Round: Marshall at Middle Tennessee State
Adam Amin and Brooke Weisbrod		 ESPN3
  9:30 p.m. NIT First Round: LSU at Oregon

Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham

 ESPN
  10 p.m. NIT First Round: UT Arlington at Washington
Justin Kutcher and Tim McCormick		 ESPNU
  11 p.m. NIT First Round: Cleveland State at Stanford
Roxy Bernstein and Mark Adams		 ESPN2
Wed, Mar 14 7 p.m. NIT First Round: Minnesota at La Salle
John Saunders and Stephen Bardo 		ESPN2
  7:15 p.m. NIT First Round: UCF at Drexel
Mike Gleason and Paul Biancardi		 ESPN3
  7:15 p.m. NIT First Round: Northern Iowa at St. Joseph’s
Noah Coslov and Rob Kennedy		 ESPN3
  7:30 p.m. NIT First Round: Valparaiso at Miami
Mark Jones and Tim Welsh		 ESPNU
  9 p.m. NIT First Round: Bucknell at Arizona
Carter Blackburn and Miles Simon 		ESPN2
  9:15 p.m. NIT First Round: Nevada at Oral Roberts
Mitch Holthus and Doc Sadler		 ESPN3
  9:30 p.m. NIT First Round: Illinois State at Ole Miss
Clay Matvick and Joe Dean		 ESPNU
Fri, Mar 16 9:30 p.m. NIT Second Round: TBD ESPNU
Sat, Mar 17 11 a.m. NIT Second Round: TBD ESPN
Sun, Mar 18 11 a.m. NIT Second Round: TBD ESPN
  3 p.m. NIT Second Round: TBD ESPNU
  5 p.m. NIT Second Round: TBD ESPNU
Mon, Mar 19 7 p.m. NIT Second Round: TBD ESPN2
  9 p.m. NIT Second Round: TBD ESPN2
  11 p.m. NIT Second Round: TBD ESPN2
Tue, Mar 20 7 p.m. NIT Quarterfinal: TBD ESPN2
  9 p.m. NIT Quarterfinal: TBD ESPN2
Wed, Mar 21 7 p.m. NIT Quarterfinal: TBD ESPN2
9 p.m. NIT Quarterfinal: TBD ESPN2
Thu, Mar 27 7 p.m. NIT SEMIFINAL: TBD

Mike Patrick, Fran Fraschilla and Bill Raftery

 ESPN2/
ESPN3D
9:30 p.m. NIT SEMIFINAL: TBD

Mike Patrick, Fran Fraschilla and Bill Raftery

 ESPN2/
ESPN3D
Fri, Mar 29 7 p.m. NIT CHAMPIONSHIP: TBD

Mike Patrick, Fran Fraschilla and Bill Raftery

 ESPN/
ESPN3D

*All games will be simulcast on ESPN3;

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Filed Under: ESPN, NCAA Basketball

Notes from tonight’s Turner Sports and CBS Sports Selection Sunday Conference Call – Sunday, March 11, 2012

March 14, 2012 By

Notes from tonight’s Turner Sports and CBS Sports

Selection Sunday Conference Call

 

Sunday, March 11, 2012

 

 

Participants:

Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller, Turner Sports analysts; Clark Kellogg and Bill Raftery, CBS Sports analysts

 

Kellogg on Kentucky’s ‘Road to the Final Four’ through the South Region: “I certainly think there is some pretty good Final Four and championship royalty there when you consider Duke is in that particular region. Kentucky has been the No.1 team for most of the season by a decent amount compared to other teams. I don’t see it [the South Region] being a real ‘resistant’ region. UConn has struggled a bit. Baylor is extremely talented and Duke has played at a pretty good level for most of the year. Kentucky is still clearly the favorite there.”

 

Miller on the Big Ten and teams from that conference having a chance to win it all: “The way they beat up one another in the regular season and championship series, every team is physical, every team likes to bang, every team likes to hold. This year will be different because they do have the best conference and they have a lot of the best players. I have some of the teams from the Big Ten going pretty far in the tournament just for the fact that each and every night they are well coached and well prepared and in every game because of that.”

 

Kerr on the Big Ten and teams from that conference having a chance to win it all: “Big Ten teams are most used to the physical play. The problem is you have officiating crews from all over the country and you don’t know what you’re going to get in the tournament. So, you really have to adapt. It will be very interesting…if teams like Michigan State and Ohio State get a different crew that calls more fouls, to see how they react to that.”

 

Kellogg on what Big Ten team is likely to go the deepest in the tournament: “Michigan State offers the best chance to go the deepest from the Big Ten. They have versatility at both ends of the floor. They execute pretty well in the half court. They rebound the ball fairly well. They’ve got the best chance to advance the farthest. Looking at Ohio State, when [Jared] Sullinger is a factor, he’s such a key to what Ohio State does. Wisconsin is an interesting team. To me, Vanderbilt is the sleeper team in that quadrant.”

 

Kellogg on Florida’s seeding: “Clearly if you stumble late it can have an impact on your seeding as much as you can move forward when you get on a roll late. If you look at it just from a pure numbers standpoint…seven [seed] was probably right in my mind.”

 

Raftery on Mississippi State not making the tournament and why they fell short: “They just never got it going. It’s one of those teams that never got on a roll. We thought they could do better but they never did.”

 

Kerr on Mississippi State: “Mississippi State was very impressive early. They just collapsed late. I don’t think it helps when you lose six out of your last eight. You have to, at some level, take some momentum going into the tournament…and they just looked like they were heading south.”

 

Kellogg on the No. 7/10 game – Gonzaga vs. West Virginia – in the East Region on the possibility of facing Ohio State in the next game: “That’s a real intriguing matchup. In West Virginia and Gonzaga, you have that potential along the front line [to negate the play of Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger]. Either one of those teams would be a real stiff test for Ohio State.”

 

Kellogg on Louisville’s first round opponent Davidson: “That is a good team [Davidson]. They are well coached. They will be well prepared. One of the things they do that can equalize or negate whatever disadvantages they may have in overall team speed or size, is their ability to space the floor and shoot the basketball. They do that as well as any team in the country year in and year out.”

 

Kerr on how Louisville matches up with Davidson: “They run their stuff [offense] beautifully. Any time you get a team like that, that executes and takes care of the ball, and shoots threes, you’ve got your hands full. That’s the challenge for Louisville. Louisville has to have a ton of confidence right now coming off the BIG EAST tournament.”

 

Kellogg on Louisville’s Peyton Siva and his play in theBIG EAST tournament: “He is outstanding [in getting into the lane]. When he takes perimeter shots, he’s much better right now off the catch. He does a really good job of keeping pressure on the opposing team defensively, too. I like the chemistry of this team [Louisville] and the fact that they stay together and fight you. They’ve gotten better and a lot of it has to do with the play of Siva.”

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Follow us on Twitter: @MarchMadnessTV


Filed Under: CBS, NCAA Basketball, Turner

Turner Sports & CBS Sports Announce Tip Times for First Four & Second Round

March 12, 2012 By

TURNER SPORTS’ AND CBS SPORTS’ EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF

2012 NCAA® DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TIPS-OFF MARCH 13

Announce and Production Teams Assigned for NCAA First Four® and Second Round Coverage

CBS Sports’ and Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tips off with first round coverage of the NCAA First Four on Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 14 (6:00 PM, ET; both days) on truTV. Second-round coverage begins Thursday, March 15 and Friday, March 16 (11:00 AM-12:00 AM, ET; both days), with all games available live in their entirety across four national television networks: TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.

Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr will call the action, with Tracy Wolfson courtside for the two First Four games on Tuesday. Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, along with courtside reporter Lewis Johnson, will handle the call for the games on Wednesday. The studio coverage for Tuesday’s First Four games will include Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony, Kenny Smith and Seth Davis. On Wednesday, Matt Winer, Steve Smith and Davis offer analysis in the studio (6:00 PM, ET; both days).

Following are the tip times for the First Four games, as well as the announce and production team assignments for the second round games.  Tip times for the third round games on Saturday will be announced on Thursday after the conclusion of the day’s games. Sunday’s tip times will be released after the conclusion of play on Friday.  For a complete channel guide click on MyChannels at NCAA.com/MyChannels.

NCAA March Madness® Live will provide a robust suite of products including live streaming video of all 67 games from the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; personal channel lineup (MyChannel) features and schedule updates; social media integration; and real-time brackets, scores and stats across online and mobile platforms.

 

FIRST ROUND GAMES

TUESDAY, MARCH 13

 

                                                                                                                         Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter

Tip (ET)         Network         Site                  Game                                      Producer//Director                           

6:40 PM          truTV              Dayton I          Mississippi Valley St. vs.        Nantz/Kellogg/Kerr//Wolfson

                                                                        Western Kentucky                  Ken Mack/Jim Cornell

 

after conc. I     truTV              Dayton II        BYU vs. Iona                          Nantz/Kellogg/Kerr//Wolfson

                                                                                                                        Mack/Cornell

 

FIRST ROUND GAMES

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14

 

6:40 PM          truTV              Dayton I          Lamar vs. Vermont                 Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel//

                                                                                                                        Lewis Johnson

                                                                                                                        Mack/Cornell

 

after conc. I     truTV              Dayton II        California vs. South Florida    Eagle/Spanarkel//Johnson

                                                                                                                        Mack/Cornell

 

                                                                 

SECOND ROUND GAMES

THURSDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 15 (12:00 NOON-5:00 PM, ET)

 

                                                                                                                         Play-by-Play/Analyst//

                                                                                                                        Reporter

Tip (ET)         Network         Site                  Game                                      Producer//Director   

 

12:15 PM        CBS                Louisville I      Murray State vs.                      Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//

                                                                        Colorado State                        Lesley Visser

Mark Wolff/Suzanne Smith

 

 

12:40 PM        truTV              Pittsburgh I     Kansas State vs.                      Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//

                                                                        Southern Miss                         Marty Snider

Steve Scheer/Mike Arnold

 

 

1:40 PM          TBS                 Portland I        Louisville vs. Davidson          Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//

                                                                                                                        Jenn Hildreth

                                                                                                                        Craig Silver/Renardo Lowe

 

                                                                                                                                               

2:10 PM          TNT                 Albuquerque I Wisconsin vs. Montana          Spero Dedes/Bob Wenzel//

Jamie Maggio

Vic Frank/Mark Grant

 

 

after conc. I     CBS                Louisville II    Marquette vs. BYU/Iona        Lundquist/Raftery//Visser

                                                                                                                        Wolff/Smith               

 

                                   

after conc. I     truTV              Pittsburgh II    Syracuse vs. UNC Asheville   Harlan/Elmore/Miller//Snider

                                                                                                                        Scheer/Arnold

                                                                                                                       

 

after conc. I     TBS                 Portland II      New Mexico vs.                      Anderson/Bonner//Hildreth

                                                                        Long Beach St.                       Silver/Lowe    

 

after conc. I     TNT                 Albuquerque II  Vanderbilt vs. Harvard        Dedes/ Wenzel//Maggio

                                                                                                                        Frank/Grant

 

 

SECOND ROUND GAMES

THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 15 (6:30 PM-12:00 AM, ET)

(Announce and Production teams same as day games)

 

 

6:50 PM          TBS                 Louisville III   Kentucky vs. Mississippi Valley State/Western Kentucky

 

 

7:15 PM          CBS                Portland III     Wichita State vs. VCU

 

 

7:20 PM          TNT                 Pittsburgh III  Gonzaga vs. West Virginia

 

 

7:27 PM          truTV              Albuquerque III Baylor vs. South Dakota State                   

 

 

after conc. III  TBS                 Louisville IV   Iowa State vs. Connecticut

 

 

after conc. III  CBS                Portland IV     Indiana vs. New Mexico State

 

 

after conc. III  TNT                 Pittsburgh IV  Ohio State vs. Loyola Maryland

 

 

after conc. III  truTV              Albuquerque IV  UNLV vs. Colorado          

 

 

 

SECOND ROUND GAMES

FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 16 (12:00 NOON-5:00 PM, ET)

                                                                          

                                                                                                                        Play-by-Play/Analyst//

                                                                                                                        Reporter

Tip (ET)         Network         Site                  Game                                      Producer//Director   

 

12:15 PM        CBS                Nashville I       Cincinnati vs. Texas                Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel//

                                                                                                                        Lewis Johnson

                                                                                                                        Bob Mansbach/Chris Svendsen

 

 

12:40 PM        truTV              Columbus I     San Diego St. vs. NC State    Tim Brando/Mike Gminski//

                                                                                                                        Otis Livingston

Ross Schneiderman/Bryan Lilley/Andy Goldberg

 

                                                                       

1:40 PM          TBS                 Greensboro I   Creighton vs. Alabama           Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg/

                                                                                                                        Tracy Wolfson

                                                                                                                        Bob Dekas/Bob Fishman

                                                                                                                       

                       

2:10 PM          TNT                 Omaha I          Florida vs. Virginia                 Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager

                                                                                                                        Scott Cockerill/Lonnie Dale

 

 

after conc. I     CBS                Nashville II     Florida State vs.                      Eagle/Spanarkel//Johnson

                                                                        St. Bonaventure                      Mansbach/Svendsen  

 

                                   

after conc. I     truTV              Columbus II    Georgetown vs. Belmont        Brando/Gminski//Livingston

                                                                                                                        Schneiderman/Lilley/Goldberg

 

after conc. I     TBS                 Greensboro II  North Carolina vs.                   Nantz/Kellogg/ Wolfson

                                                                        Lamar/Vermont                       Dekas/Fishman

 

 

after conc. I     TNT                 Omaha II         Missouri vs. Norfolk St.          Albert/Kerr/Sager

                                                                                                                        Cockerill/Dale

 

                                                                       

 

SECOND ROUND GAMES

FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 16 (6:30 PM-12:00 AM, ET)

(Announce and Production teams same as day games)

 

6:50 PM          TBS                 Columbus III  Memphis vs. Saint Louis

 

 

7:15 PM          CBS                Greensboro III Duke vs. Lehigh

 

 

7:20 PM          TNT                 Nashville III    Michigan vs. Ohio

 

 

7:27 PM          truTV              Omaha III       St. Mary’s (CA) vs. Purdue               

 

 

after conc. III  TBS                 Columbus IV  Michigan State  vs. LIU Brooklyn

 

 

after conc. III  CBS                Greensboro IV Notre Dame  vs. Xavier

 

 

after conc. III  TNT                 Nashville IV    Temple vs. California/South Florida

 

 

after conc. III  truTV              Omaha IV       Kansas vs. Detroit

 

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Filed Under: CBS, NCAA Basketball, Turner

Notes From truTV’s Infiniti NCAA Hardcore Brackets – March 11, 2012

March 12, 2012 By

2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship begins Tuesday, March 13, and Wednesday, March 14, with NCAA First Four™ on truTV presented by Northwestern Mutual

 

 

**********

Talent: Host Greg Gumble, Analysts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Greg Anthony and Seth Davis and Division I Men’s Basketball Committee Chairman Jeff Hathaway and Mike Bobinski, who will become committee chair for the 2012-13 season

 

Barkley on any surprises tied to the No. 1 selections: “No, I thought Carolina was a lock the whole time. I didn’t think Ohio State was a No. 1. I thought it was between (University of) Missouri and Michigan State.”

Barkley on his sleeper in the West region: “Memphis is my sleeper in this region. They are terrific across the board.”

Hathaway on the strength of Missouri’s schedule earning them a No. 2 seed:  “From the committee standpoint, that is a determining factor. We have tremendous respect for Missouri and what they did but the fact of the matter is that they didn’t stretch themselves very much on non-conference scheduling.”

Bobinski on Missouri’s seeding: “We talked about Missouri at great length, tremendous year, great team. We did not ever envision them as a No. 3 seed. They have clearly achieved at that level (of a No. 2 seed). At that point, strength of schedule becomes a distinguishing point.”

Bobinski on his criteria for selecting teams: “Road wins are a big thing for me. I like to see teams that are willing to challenge themselves away from home. Teams that would take a chance really make a difference.”

Bobinksi on what differentiated Iona from other teams: “At the end of the day, we felt Iona made a strong effort to schedule aggressively; they performed well against that schedule. In their league, they were a dominant team throughout, they were aggressive. In general, they were a very good team during the course of the year. I think they are going to hold up pretty well in the tournament.”

Hathaway on Seton Hall not being selected for this year’s tournament: “Seton Hall had a very solid year; they had a tough stretch at the end of the year. At the end of the day, they were a quality team but we knew some quality teams weren’t going to be a part of the 37.”

Bobinski on Western Kentucky being selected as No. 68: “When you talk about a team like Western Kentucky, we have a committee that takes a look at teams on that last seed line. We met Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning to make sure we had those teams [on the last seed line] as right as we possibly could. Getting the seed right is really a critical effort. We spend a lot of time and effort making sure to put those teams in the right place.”

Hathaway on selecting North Carolina State for the tournament: “They had some good wins, they beat Miami twice. They got better as the season went on and continued that into the (conference tournament).”

Hathaway on transitioning teams from the seed list to the brackets: “There is a lot to be said about the seed list. The first thing to keep in mind is that we operate off a true seed list. When we get to bracketing, particularly in the first four lines, there is movement in the seed list. We try to minimize it, but there are a wide range of bracket principles that affect how those teams go into the bracket.”

Hathaway on what teams seeded 17-33 could do to move up in the future: “You have to be more aggressive in the scheduling. A wide range of schools are reaching out and they schedule very aggressively. Keep in mind; coaches have to figure out what’s best for their program given the talent that they have and what they can face.”

Bobinski on how to schedule effectively: “There is a fine line between scheduling aggressively and scheduling over your head. You have to be smart and creative; finding your way into preseason events that you wouldn’t get on your campus. You will see a lot of schools have chosen that way to find quality games.”

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Filed Under: NCAA Basketball, truTV

ESPN Analysts React to Selection Sunday, Make Picks

March 12, 2012 By

ESPN capped 13 hours of extensive, multiplatform coverage of Selection Sunday with Bracketology Presented by STAPLES tonight. During the two-hour show (7-9 p.m. ET) hosted by Rece Davis, analysts Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis, Doug Gottlieb, Digger Phelps and Dick Vitale made their upset picks and championship predictions, and noted a variety of key matchups for the 68 teams selected to this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. In addition, for the first time, Gottlieb gave his second-round pairings picks.

On overall selections:

Bilas: “It seems like a victory for ‘the eye test’.”

Davis: “I said before, I thought all the bubble teams were average. The only two teams that it’s unfortunate they won’t play in the NCAA tournament are Drexel and Washington.”

Gottlieb: “My beefs are… One – I don’t understand why they selected their teams before Sunday. I don’t understand why Xavier is automatically in the field. Who exactly did they beat – they beat Dayton twice, really, after the brawl. That is really all that they did. I liked Xavier and what they did earlier in the season, but they are a completely different team.”

“I think we hold the mid-majors to a ridiculously high standard. You are talking about leaving out Oral Roberts, 27 wins, Middle Tennessee State, 25 wins and Drexel, who wins 25-of-27 down the stretch. I think those teams belonged in.”

Vitale: “I think the committee did really a very fair job..and has put together a field that the Goliaths will really prevail.”

Semifinal and Championship Predictions

Analyst Semifinal Picks Championship Winner
Jay Bilas Kentucky/Michigan State, Syracuse/UNC Kentucky v Syracuse Kentucky
Hubert Davis Kentucky/Michigan State, Syracuse/UNC Michigan State v. UNC UNC
Digger Phelps Kentucky/Michigan State, Florida State/Kansas Michigan State v Florida State Michigan State
Dick Vitale Kentucky/Missouri, Florida State/UNC Kentucky v UNC Kentucky

 

Reactions:

 

Bilas:

“The South appears to me to be the toughest region among the top four seeds. The East is second and then maybe the toughest overall.”

On Vanderbilt:  “They’re going in [to the tournament] with a free mind as an older team.”

On Missouri:  “If I were [Missouri], I wouldn’t want to play Marquette. Marquette’s the team that would scare me the most.”

Davis: 

On Syracuse: “They’re going to have to do a couple things…finish defensive possessions with a rebound…and it cannot just be Dion Waiters on the offensive end.”

Gottlieb:

 “Don’t sleep on Norfolk State. Remember, we talked about how good Drexel is? Norfolk State beat Drexel, at Drexel.”

“Kansas State is massively under seeded at the eight seed. This is a great story for Larry Eustachy personally to come back from his demons, going back to the Iowa State days, and taking Southern Miss to the tournament.”

 

Phelps: 

“Missouri is the best team out there. They can attack every way, every angle, every part of that basketball court.”

 

Vitale:

“I see a big stumbling block [for Kentucky]:  I see Connecticut.”

“If you’re a ‘Cuse fan, I think you’re in trouble.”

 

Gottlieb’s Picks for Second-Round Matchups

  • Kentucky vs. Iowa State
  • Wichita State vs. New Mexico State
  • UNLV vs. Baylor
  • Xavier vs. Duke
  • Michigan State vs. St. Louis
  • New Mexico vs. Davidson
  • Murray State vs. Marquette
  • Florida vs. Missouri
  • Syracuse vs. Kansas State
  • Vanderbilt vs. Montana
  • Cincinnati vs. Florida State
  • Gonzaga vs. Ohio State
  • North Carolina vs. Creighton
  • Cal/USF vs. Ohio
  • NC State vs. Belmont
  • Saint Mary’s vs. Kansas

 

First-round upsets:

Bilas: “West and East I don’t see a ton of upsets. I like New Mexico State over Long Beach State, Louisville over Davidson, Gonzaga over West Virginia and Vandy gets by Harvard.”

Davis: “Virginia over Florida.”

Phelps: “Long Beach State over New Mexico, West Virginia over Gonzaga.”

 

Under-seeded teams according to ESPN’s BPI:

Memphis, Saint Louis, Belmont, Texas and California

 

Over-seeded teams according to ESPN’s BPI:

Notre Dame, Xavier, Colorado State, Florida State, Michigan and San Diego State

Additional coverage

ESPNU will televise more than 60 hours of comprehensive Tournament Countdown studio programming beginning Selection Sunday night and extending past the last dribble of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships on Tuesday, April 3.

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Filed Under: ESPN, NCAA Basketball

NCAA Women’s Championship Bracket Revealed Exclusively on ESPN Selection Monday Specials

March 9, 2012 By

ESPN will unveil the 64-team NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship field exclusively during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Special Presented by Capital One Monday, March 12, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN3. Trey Wingo will host the bracket special with analysts Kara Lawson, Carolyn Peck, Doris Burke and Rebecca Lobo.

The discussion will continue at 8 p.m. on ESPNU with the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Special Extended Coverage Presented by Capital One when Wingo, Lawson, Peck and Lobo are joined by ESPN’s Jemele Hill. The ESPNU show will include an exclusive interview with Greg Christopher, the chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee.

The two-hours of programming during Selection Monday will tipoff ESPN’s extensive coverage of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship March 17-April 3, on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN FULL COURT. In addition, ESPN will feature additional NCAA Championship content across its platforms, including SportsCenter, espnW, ESPN.com, ESPNEWS, WatchESPN and ESPN International.

Both hours will include insight into the bracket with analysis of each region, team and players to watch as they vie for a Final Four spot in Denver. Flip-cam footage and still photos will be sent in from schools around the nation with their reactions to receiving an NCAA Championship invite, featuring tournament hopefuls Iowa, Kansas State, Nebraska, St. John’s and Tennessee.

NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Special Presented by Capital One – Monday, March 12, 7 p.m. on ESPN HD & ESPN3

* Live look-ins at Baylor and Delaware – as the teams await seeding for the championship

* Burke and Lobo giving an in-depth look at teams that are not top-seeds and have the potential to make a run to Denver

* A feature on Baylor’s run for a perfect season focusing on the breakdown of Brittney Griner’s game – what game plans opponents have used when facing her and their successes

* Taking from experience at the U.S. Women’s National Team tryouts, Lawson puts herself on the court against Griner and explains what surprised her and how different it is to actually play against her

* NBA stars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant offer remarks from the NBA All-Star Game on the talents and ability of Griner

* Opening tease to the show featuring the Emmy-nominated show Glee, and the song Light Up the World

NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Special Extended Coverage Presented by Capital One – Monday, March 12, 8 p.m. on ESPNU HD & ESPN3

* An exclusive interview with Greg Christopher, chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee

* Hill joins the crew to provide her thoughts and debate the placement of the teams in the bracket

* Interviews with Baylor’s Kim Mulkey and Griner, along with Delaware’s Tina Martin and Elena Delle Donne

College Basketball Live: NCAA Women’s Special – Tuesday, March 13, 1 p.m. on ESPNU HD
Host Beth Mowins, along with analysts Cara Capuano and Abby Waner, will take part in the four-hour ESPNU special. The trio will get reaction from the basketball community and conduct interviews with all 64 head coaches participating in the NCAA Championship.

espnW

espnW.com will provide fans with extensive coverage of Selection Monday from its team of analysts and experts. Highlights:

* Columnist Mechelle Voepel selects her tournament favorites, including a look at Baylor’s undefeated season and chances of reaching the Final Four in Denver

* Voepel, along with Charlie Creme, Kate Fagan, Graham Hays and Michelle Smith, gives Selection Monday quick picks including toughest regional, favorite early matchups, best first-round game, biggest bracket snub/surprise, Cinderella team and Final Four picks

* Hays answers five crucial questions viewers want to know about the bracket

* Creme provides a summary of the NCAA Championship field

* Michelle Smith with be at Stanford when the bracket is revealed – talking to the players to get their reaction on seeding and site placement

* Lobo providing updates throughout the day with a behind-the-scenes look at Selection Monday

* SportsNation conducting a chat with Voepel, Hays and Creme, along with Christopher, the NCAA Chair

* The start of the blogger series featuring student-athletes competing in the NCAA Championship with Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame), Chelsea Gray (Duke) and Samantha Prahalis (Ohio State)

ESPN Women’s Tournament Challenge

The games return for their 15th season on the digital hard court and will once again be free for entrants to submit up to 10 entries on ESPN.com. Fans complete and submit a bracket of forecasted tournament game outcomes and points are awarded for each correct pick, with point values increasing as the Tournaments progress. In the Women’s Tournament Challenge, entries that finish in the top one percent are entered in a random drawing for a $5,000 Best Buy Gift Card. The Women’s Tournament Challenge will accept registration until just prior to tip-off of the first game on Saturday, March 17.

ESPN to Air All 63 NCAA Championship Games

ESPN networks will air all 63 games of the 2012 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship for the 10th consecutive year – beginning Saturday, March 17 and running through the NCAA National Championship game on Tuesday, April 3. During the first two rounds, ESPN2 will present 48 games within 12 telecast windows in a whip-around format with home market protection. ESPN FULL COURT, the pay-per-view package, will offer complete games as a supplement to ESPN2′s coverage. The final 15 games, beginning with the Regional Semifinals, will have national telecast windows on ESPN or ESPN2.

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Filed Under: ESPN, NCAA Basketball

SiriusXM Offers Every Game Of The 2012 NCAAR Division I Men’s Basketball Championship

March 9, 2012 By

Subscribers nationwide get every minute of every game

SiriusXM College Sports Nation and Mad Dog Radio channels offer daily analysis, interviews with coaches and players, and fan reactions

NEW YORK – March 8, 2012 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) will broadcast every game of the 2012 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, offering subscribers nationwide uninterrupted access to play-by-play of every match-up from the First Four® on March 13 and 14 through the Final Four® and National Championship game in New Orleans on March 31 and April 2.

 

All tournament games will be available to SiriusXM listeners in their entirety, with no blackouts, on Sirius channels 91, 92, 93, 94 and 85 and XM channels 91, 190, 191, 192 and 193. Tournament match-ups and Sirius and XM channel assignments will be available at www.siriusxm.com/collegesports starting Monday, March 12.

On Selection Sunday, March 11, SiriusXM will offer an evening of selection show specials that will give listeners live updates as tournament teams and match-ups are announced.  Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Steve Torre will host live from 5:00 to 9:00 pm ET on Mad Dog Radio (channel 86).  Then from 9:00 pm to midnight ET, listeners can tune into continued coverage on SiriusXM College Sports Nation (channel 91).  The shows will feature interviews with special guests, including team coaches and selection committee chair Jeff Hathaway, and give fans a place to call in and share their reactions and opinions as the field is revealed.

Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the Duke Blue Devils, will continue to host his weekly talk show, Basketball and Beyond with Coach K, throughout the tournament.  Listeners can hear the show Wednesdays (7:00 pm ET) on Mad Dog Radio with replays on SiriusXM College Sports Nation.

Fans can also follow everything happening throughout the tournament on SiriusXM College Sports Nation, SiriusXM’s all-college sports channel.  Listeners will hear live play-by-play of tournament games plus daily talk and analysis from a roster of hosts that includes former Villanova University and University of Massachusetts coach Steve Lappas, former University of Vermont coach Tom Brennan, 1992 UPI Player of the Year Jimmy Jackson, and college basketball experts Mark Packer, Jeff Goodman, Jon Rothstein, Jason Horowitz and Chris Childers.

SiriusXM College Sports Nation hosts will be in New Orleans broadcasting live from Friday, March 30, through Tuesday, April 3, delivering fans all the latest news and talk from the Final Four.

SiriusXM will also offer coverage of the NCAA® Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, providing listeners from coast to coast with full coverage of every regional final, the Women’s Final Four® and championship game.

All NCAA Tournament broadcasts are provided to SiriusXM by Dial Global.

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Filed Under: NCAA Basketball, Sirius/XM

60 Hours of Tournament Countdown Coverage Surrounding NCAA Basketball Championships on ESPNU

March 7, 2012 By

Your homecourt for college hoops, ESPNU will televise more than 60 hours of comprehensive Tournament Countdown studio programming beginning Selection Sunday, March 11 at 8 p.m. and extending past the last dribble of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships on Tuesday, April 3.

On March 11, ESPN platforms will offer more than 13 hours of Selection Sunday programming (full details).

2012 ESPNU Tournament Countdown programming highlights:

  • Tournament Countdown: College Basketball Live Special – Seasoned basketball reporter Andy Katz will once again preview the upcoming madness by interviewing all 68 men’s coaches in a five-hour special to tip off the basketball post-season.
  • Tournament Countdown: The Experts – After selections are made on Sunday, ESPNU’s panel of experts will breakdown each first and second round game, providing viewers insight into filling out their own brackets. They will also educate fans on the sleepers and the names you need to know. On Monday The Experts will walk through each round of the tournament and explain who viewers should expect to be cutting down the nets in New Orleans.
  • Tournament Countdown: Road to the Championship – A look back in separate 30-minute specials at the journey each final four team took to reach the top tier of the national bracket with features and analysis.
  • Tournament Countdown: ESPNU College Basketball WhipAround – ESPNU host Dari Nowkhah takes viewers around the country and into the press room to preview and review every second round game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
  • SportsCenterU – Gets extra playing time at the end of the night to breakdown all of the college basketball action around the county during ESPNU Tournament Countdown coverage.
  • Crunch Time: Champ Week Edition – Captures every crucial moment from ESPN’s 137 Championship Week games.
  • Tournament Countdown: ESPNU Film Room – ESPNU’s roster of former coaches single out the X’s & O’s viewers need to understand when their team takes to the court in the final four matchups.
  • 2012 NIT Selection Show – In advance of the network’s coverage the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), the nation’s oldest post-season college basketball tournament, Nowkhah and analyst Dino Gaudio will announce the 32-team field live on ESPNU.
  • Tournament Countdown will once again include extensive NCAA women’s basketball coverage from the court and in the studio. Full details to be released later this week. (ESPNU studio elements included in the schedule below).
Date Time (ET) Program
Sun, Mar 11 8 p.m. Crunch Time: Champ Week Edition
  9 p.m. 2012 NIT Selection Show
  9:30 p.m. Tournament Countdown: The Experts
Mon, Mar 12 1 p.m. Tournament Countdown: College Basketball Live Special
  6 p.m. Tournament Countdown: College Basketball Live
  8 p.m. NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Show Extended Coverage
  9 p.m. Tournament Countdown: The Experts
Tue, Mar 13 1 p.m. College Basketball Live: NCAA Women’s Special
  5 p.m. Tournament Countdown: College Basketball Live
  11 p.m. SportsCenterU
Wed, Mar 14 1 p.m. Tournament Countdown: ESPNU College Basketball WhipAround
  11:59 p.m. SportsCenterU
Thu, Mar 15 1 p.m. Tournament Countdown: ESPNU College Basketball WhipAround
  11:59 p.m. SportsCenterU
Fri, Mar 16 2 p.m. Tournament Countdown: ESPNU College Basketball WhipAround
  11:59 p.m SportsCenterU
Sat, Mar 17 11:59 p.m. SportsCenterU
Sun, Mar 18 11:59 p.m. SportsCenterU
Mon, Mar 29 1 p.m. Tournament Countdown: The Experts
Mon, Mar 26 1 p.m. Tournament Countdown: The Experts
Thu, Mar 19 11 p.m. Tournament Countdown: ESPNU Film Room
Fri, Mar 30 11 a.m. Tournament Countdown: Road to the Championship
  11:30 a.m. Tournament Countdown: Road to the Championship
  Noon Tournament Countdown: Road to the Championship
  12:30 p.m. Tournament Countdown: Road to the Championship
  1 p.m. SportsCenterU
Sat, Mar 31 11 p.m. SportsCenterU
Mon, Apr 2 1 p.m. Tournament Countdown: The Experts
  4 p.m. Tournament Countdown: Road to the Championship
  4:30 p.m. Tournament Countdown: Road to the Championship
  5 p.m. Tournament Countdown: College Basketball Live
  11:59 p.m. SportsCenterU
Tue, Apr 3 1 p.m. The Experts
  3 p.m. Crunch Time: NCAA Women’s Tournament
  5 p.m. The Experts: NCAA Women’s Championship
  6 p.m. College Basketball Live: NCAA Women’s Championship

ESPNU
The 24-hour college sports television network airs more than 650 live events annually and offers over 600 original studio shows. ESPNU has seen a steady increase since its inception on March 4, 2005 and is now in over 73 million households. The brand is also available in high definition on ESPNUHD, now in over 20 million homes. The network has long-term carriage agreements with all 10 of the top multichannel TV providers – Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV (Channel 208), DISH Network (Channel 141), Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV and AT&T U-verse.

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Filed Under: ESPN, NCAA Basketball

Turner Sports And CBS Sports Begin “Road To The Final Four” With “NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show” On Sunday, March 11 On CBS

March 7, 2012 By

INFINITI NCAA HARDCORE BRACKETS SHOW ON truTV FOLLOWS WITH FIRST-EVER REVEAL OF THE NCAA SELECTION COMMITTEE’S TEAM RANKINGS FROM 1 TO 68

CBS Sports Broadcasts Exclusive, Live Announcement of

2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Field of 68

CBS Sports and Turner Sports begin the ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR as CBS Sports broadcasts the exclusive, live first-time announcement of the pairings for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 11 (6:00-7:00 PM, ET) during the NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW.

CBS Sports’ Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony and Seth Davis host the NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York.  Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Turner Sports’ Steve Kerr join Gumbel, Anthony and Davis via satellite from the site of the Big Ten Championship at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.  In addition, Jeff Hathaway, Chairman of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, joins live from Indianapolis, Ind. to provide an in-depth look into the selection process.

Immediately following the Selection Show, truTV will air INFINITI NCAA HARDCORE BRACKETS (7:00-8:00 PM, ET), a new one-hour show providing in-depth analysis, including the public release of the Selection Committee’s 1 to 68 team rankings for the first time in NCAA Championship history. Gumbel hosts and is joined by Turner Sports’ Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith as well as Anthony and Davis.  Hathaway and Mike Bobinski, Vice Chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee for the 2012-13 season, will join the show to discuss the bracket and provide exclusive details regarding the committee’s deliberations throughout the weekend. The show is part of the NCAA’s expanded educational initiative to enhance understanding of the championship selection process.

Additionally, the NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW will be available online and mobile via NCAA® March Madness® Live, which can be launched from NCAA.com, CBSSports.com and SI.com.

            Game coverage for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship begins on Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 14 with the NCAA FIRST FOUR™ on truTV presented by Northwestern Mutual, and the tournament concludes with the National Championship game Monday, April 2 on CBS.

Follow us on Twitter: @MarchMadnessTV

 

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Filed Under: CBS, NCAA Basketball

ESPN/ABC – More than 13 Hours of Hoops Coverage for Selection Sunday

March 7, 2012 By
Top experts: Bilas, Dakich, Davis, Fraschilla, Gottlieb, Lunardi, Phelps, Vitale and more; Magic Johnson Documentary The Announcement Debuts
 
ESPN’s extensive multiplatform coverage of Selection Sunday, March 11 – the day the 68-team field for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament is announced – will be highlighted by more than 13 hours of television programming across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
 
Many of the top men’s college basketball experts will contribute throughout the day, including Jay Bilas, Adrian Branch, Dan Dakich, LaPhonso Ellis, Hubert Davis, Jimmy Dykes, Fran Fraschilla, Dino Gaudio, Doug Gottlieb, Andy Katz, Joe Lunardi, Digger Phelps, Miles Simon, Bob Valvano, Dick Vitale, Tim Welsh and Jay Williams.
 
The day will tip off with a two-hour College GameDay Covered by State Farm beginning at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and continuing on ESPN at noon. The show will review Championship Week action and provide a preview of the ACC and SEC championship games at 1 p.m. on ESPN and ABC, respectively.
 
ESPN’s studio coverage will include two Bracketology Presented by Staples programs – a three-hour edition at 3 p.m. and a two-hour show at 7 p.m. – as well as a special SportsCenter at 6 p.m. that will give a thorough preview and review of all Tournament-bound teams. ESPNU’s lineup will include a one-hour Crunch Time: Championship Week Special at 8 p.m. followed by the NIT Selection Show at 9 p.m. and a three-hour special Tournament Countdown: The Experts at 9:30 p.m.
 
Overall, ESPNU will provide more than 60-hours of Tournament Countdown studio programming extending past the last dribble of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Monday, April 2. The network will interview all 68 men’s head coaches, in addition to hosting multiple expert panels, regular SportsCenterU highlight packages and 30-minute features on each final four team. A releasewith information on every ESPNU Selection Sunday show and the ESPNU Tournament Countdown schedule was issued today.
 
Details of Selection Sunday studio programming:
 
Bracketology Presented by Staples at 3 p.m. on ESPN
ESPN will provide extensive, in-depth analysis with a three-hour Bracketology Presented by Staples at 3 p.m. Host Ryan Burr, analysts Dakich, Fraschilla, Gottlieb and Williams, Lunardi, and reporter Andy Katz will discuss their predictions for No. 1 seeds, the last teams in and out, interview coaches of teams on the bubble and more. In addition, the GameDay crew of host Rece Davis and analysts Bilas, Hubert Davis and Phelps will provide insights from the “war room” where monitors show feeds from all concluding conference championships.
 
The program will include interviews with coaches and players throughout the three hours.
 
SportsCenter at 6 p.m. on ESPN
In addition to reporting on the latest sports news, the 6 p.m. SportsCenter will provide up-to-the-minute updates of the Tournament selections with GameDay host Rece Davis and analysts Bilas, Hubert Davis and Phelps evaluating the brackets shortly after they are announced.
 
Bracketology Presented by Staples at 7 p.m. on ESPN
The two-hour special will include extensive, in-depth analysis of the bracket in each region. Host Rece Davis will be joined by Bilas, Hubert Davis, Gottlieb and Phelps in studio with Vitale (via satellite) to discuss multiple Tournament topics and reveal their Elite Eight, Final Four and Championship teams.
 
A new interactive element to the show will offer fans an opportunity to ask questions that could be answered on air by the analysts. Twitter users can tweet a question or express their bracket concerns with the #ASKBILAS and select posts will be answered or weaved into the discussion.
 
Tournament Countdown: The Experts at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU
After the selections are announced, ESPNU’s panel of experts will breakdown each first and second round game, providing viewers insight into filling out their own brackets. Anish Shroff will host with analysts Dino Gaudio, Adrian Branch, LaPhonso Ellis, Tim Welsh, Miles Simon and Bob Valvano.
 
ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN2’s Selection Sunday and Tournament Countdown Schedule
Date Time (ET) Show Network
Sun, Mar 11 11 a.m. College GameDay Covered by State Farm ESPN2
  noon College GameDay Covered by State Farm ESPN
  1 p.m. ACC Championship ESPN
  1 p.m. SEC Championship ABC
  3 p.m. Bracketology Presented by Staples ESPN
  6 p.m. SportsCenter ESPN
  7 p.m. Bracketology Presented by Staples ESPN
  8 p.m. Crunch Time: Championship Week Special ESPNU
  9 p.m. NIT Selection Show ESPNU
  9:30 p.m. Tournament Countdown: The Experts ESPNU
 
The Announcement
On November 7, 1991, Earvin “Magic” Johnson stunned the world by announcing that he was HIV-Positive. Now, more than 20 years later, acclaimed filmmaker Nelson George gets to the core of Magic’s incredible emotional journey in the new ESPN Films documentary, The Announcement, airing Sunday, March 11, at 9 pm ET on ESPN.
 
Narrated by Magic himself, The Announcement tells Magic’s story in his own words along with insights from the people closest to him including his wife Cookie, his son Andre, longtime rival and friend Larry Bird, former coach Pat Riley, Los Angeles Lakers teammates James Worthy and Kurt Rambis, former NBA star Karl Malone and close friends Chris Rock and Arsenio Hall.
 
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Filed Under: ABC, ESPN, NCAA Basketball
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