ESPN Returns Experienced Roster for 2015-16 Men’s Basketball Coverage

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2015-16 Men’s Basketball Schedule on ESPN Networks

ESPN’s 2015-16 men’s college basketball telecasts – more than 1,900 exclusive games across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN3, ESPN College Extra, SEC Network, SEC Digital Network and Longhorn Network – will showcase a deep roster of commentators. The wealth of experience working games on ESPN networks include former Division I coaches and NBA, WNBA and collegiate players, along with versatile and veteran play-by-play voices.

Non-conference coverage of more than 750 contests get underway in world-wide fashion on Friday, Nov. 13, with the fourth annual Armed Forces Classic – this year staged from Camp Foster in Okinawa, Japan and showcasing Pittsburgh vs. No. 9 Gonzaga at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

College GameDay Covered by State Farm will make an early-season appearance on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the fifth annual State Farm Champions Classic, the neutral-site, early-season men’s doubleheader on ESPN that matches four of the winningest programs against each other: No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 5 Duke at 7:30 p.m. and No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Michigan State at 10 p.m.

ESPN will provide fans with live coverage of at least one game on an ESPN television linear network every day but eight from November 13 to March 6 (November 14, 18 and 28; December 11, 14, 24 and 26; and January 11).

Commentator Highlights

• A new pairing this season is play-by-play veteran Sean McDonough and analyst Doris Burke on the ACC Big Monday
• The trio of Brent Musburger, Fran Fraschilla and Holly Rowe return to work Big 12 Big Monday
• Analyst Jay Bilas, entering his 22^nd season at ESPN, will be paired with Dan Shulman and reporter Shannon Spake on the Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV game that host’s that day’s College GameDay Driven by State Farm.
• College GameDay returns for its 12^th season as host Rece Davis, Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams will follow the top storylines as the season develops with a schedule that features several options each week to choose from each Saturday, beginning January 23.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Dick Vitale, who enters his 37^th season calling games for the network, will join with Dave O’Brien and reporter Allison Williams each Saturday mainly for the marquee ACC matchup.
• Davis will pair with Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun on a Big Ten Thursday Night Showcase
• Mike Tirico, the voice of Monday Night Football, pairs again with analyst Dan Dakich, in addition to Williams for the weekly Big Ten Super Tuesday Dakich will also call a Saturday Big Ten contest with Bob Wischusen.
• ESPN’s weekly Super Tuesday SEC telecast will see the return of Brad Nessler, Sean Farnham and Spake. Farnham will also join Joe Tessitore on the Thursday SEC telecast.
• Analyst Kara Lawson and Mark Jones will call the Saturday SEC window, plus Lawson will make a weekly appearance in ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios on Thursday nights.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton will again have the call of Pac-12 games on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday with Dave Pasch.
• ACC games will also be covered by Wischusen and LaPhonso Ellis (Wednesday/Thursday) and on Saturdays by Mike Couzens and Cory Alexander.
• Big 12 Tuesday and Saturday games will be called by Dave Flemming and Miles Simon, in addition to a Saturday contest called by Jon Sciambi and Fraschilla.
• American games will see Mike Patrick and Len Elmore on Thursday nights and Allen Bestwick and Tim Welsh on Saturdays.
• Additional Saturday pairings include Rich Hollenberg and Mark Adams on Missouri Valley telecasts, Adam Amin and Craig Robinson working Atlantic-10 games and Beth Mowins and Brad Dougherty paired for West Coast Conference games.
• The ESPNU ACC Sunday Night Basketball series will be called by Anish Shroff and Cory Alexander.
• New to ESPNU, Ted Emrich, Alex Faust, Kevin Fitzgerald and Jenn Hildreth bring a depth of play-by-play experience, in addition to analysts Jason Capel, Antwan Jamison and Chris Spatola joining the 24-hour college sports network.
• SEC Network will present more than 120 SEC games exclusively, and will include analysts Dane Bradshaw, Barry Booker, Joe Dean, Jr., Tony Delk, Andrew DeClerq, Daymeon Fishback, John Pelphrey and Jon Sundvold, as well as play-by-play commentators Dave Baker, Tom Hart, Mike Morgan, Dave Neal and John Saunders.
• Longhorn Network will surround the network’s nine exclusive Texas men’s basketball games with studio programming that includes Game Plan with head coach Shaka Smart, as well as a simulcast of his weekly radio show. Texas GameDay will air from non-conference home games against North Carolina and UConn, in addition to select conferences games. Lowell Galindo will call play-by-play for the network with analyst Lance Blanks.

Studio Coverage
In addition to Greenberg, Lawson and Williams, ESPN and ESPN2 studio programming from Bristol will also include Dakich, Ellis, Farnham, Fraschilla, Jeff Goodman, Andy Katz and Simon.

ESPNU will rotate its studio coverage including analysts Cory Alexander, Adrian Branch and Dino Gaudio, as well as newcomers Jason Capel, Antawn Jamison and Chris Spatola. Studio hosts include Brendan Fitzgerald, Matt Schick and Anish Shroff.

ESPN Buzzer Beater
Analyst Tim McCormick will be seen on the sixth season of ESPN Buzzer Beater – which offers live cut-ins and highlights from numerous top college basketball games Saturdays from noon to 11 p.m. and Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., beginning Wednesday, Jan. 6.

ESPN.com
Katz, Goodman, Eamonn Brennan, Myron Medcalf, Dana O’Neil, C.L Brown and John Gasaway will provide reporting, analysis and original video on ESPN.com throughout the season, while Paul Biancardi, Jeff Borzello, Adam Finkelstein and Reggie Rankin will contribute to college basketball recruiting coverage. Also, Bracketologist Joe Lunardi will keep an eye on what the NCAA Championship field might look like come March.

Season Overview
Announcers across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN3, SEC Network and Longhorn Network will call games involving more than 400 teams from all 32 Division I conferences.

Commentators can also be seen during ESPN’s popular weekly series’ beginning in January – Big Monday, Super Tuesday presented by Hotels.com, Wednesday Night Hoops, Thursday Night Showcase, College GameDay Covered by State Farm, Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV and ESPNU ACC Sunday Night Basketball – plus a full slate of games throughout the season.

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