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

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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