ESPN 3D’s College Basketball Schedule Announced

ESPN 3D will present 43 college basketball games this year, increasing the network’s coverage in its second year.  The schedule includes ESPN 3D’s first-ever women’s basketball game – Kentucky at Tennessee on February 13 — as well as the first 3D editions of College GameDay Driven by State Farm, televising four editions of the Saturday morning show during the season.

College basketball fans will see some of the best teams compete again this year when ESPN 3D televises several top matchups.  The action tips off Friday, Nov. 11, with the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic featuring Michigan State vs. North Carolina at 7 p.m. ET.  The game is the first men’s college basketball game to be played on the deck of a United States military aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson. This unique Veterans’ Day event will honor the men and women in the armed forces and will take place in the San Diego harbor.

From Nov. 24 – 27, ESPN 3D will once again televise all 12 games from the Old Spice Classic at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World. Other upcoming basketball highlights include the return of the men’s Jimmy V Classic Presented by Corona Extra on Tuesday, Dec. 6 and the BIG EAST Championship Presented by American Eagle Outfitters in March.

The ESPN 3D college basketball schedule follows (schedule subject to change; additional games may be added).

The Old Spice Classic tournament, held at the HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla., will feature Arizona State, Dayton, DePaul, Fairfield, Indiana State, Minnesota, Texas Tech and Wake Forest.

The men’s doubleheader, held at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden for the ninth consecutive year, will feature Missouri vs. Villanova  at 7 p.m. and Washington vs. Marquette at 9:30 p.m.

Now in its’ second year, ESPN 3D was the first to announce in the United States an exclusive 3D network in January 2010 which was the culmination of more than three years of testing 3D television.  ESPN has produced many 3D domestic telecasts in 2010 and 2011, including the BCS National Championship game, the Masters, X Games, multiple college football and basketball games, the State Farm Home Run Derby and more.  ESPN has developed best practices for utilizing the technology in live game applications which have provided the ability to streamline workflow operations, adjust 3D camera positioning, perform transmission tests and gauge fan reaction to a 3D telecast versus a traditional telecast.  In addition, ESPN utilizes cutting-edge technology located at the ESPN Innovation Lab in Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World to continue to develop innovative production enhancements.  ESPN 3D is available in the United States to more than 60 million households and has carriage agreements with Comcast, DIRECTV, Time Warner Cable/Bright House and Verizon FiOS.