Men’s Championship Week: 20 Conference Champions Punch Their Ticket to NCAA Tournament

Downloadable ESPN Images: http://bit.ly/1Pq120H

• Record 148 Exclusive Games Over 12 Days of Conference Tournaments Coverage
• Week Concludes with Extensive Day-Long Coverage on Selection Sunday, March 13
• ‘ESPN Virtual 3’ to Debut at on College Telecast at ACC Tournament

ESPN’s 2016 Championship Week Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will feature exclusive coverage of an industry-leading 148 men’s college basketball conference tournament games from 23 Division I conferences across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network and ESPN3 from Tuesday, March 2 to Sunday, March 13. ESPN’s 31st, ESPN2’s 22nd and ESPNU’s 11th year of a comprehensive lineup of matchups will be highlighted by 20 Division I teams earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Highlights:

• The action will tip off on Tuesday, March 1, with four Atlantic Sun quarterfinal matchups on ESPN3 and conclude Sunday, March 13, with the SEC, Sun Belt and American title games.
• ESPN’s Saturday night lineup on March 12 will showcase a doubleheader of marquee title games: the Big 12 at 6 p.m. and the ACC at 9 p.m.
• ESPN platforms will combine to carry every game from these conferences: ACC (13), America East (7); American (9); Atlantic Sun (7); Big South (7); Southland (7); Big 12 (9); Horizon (9); MEAC (11); SEC (13); Southern (9) and Sun Belt (7).
• ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 will carry 18 conference tournament games, including 10 championships, on Saturday, March 12.

All Champ Week telecasts will be streamed live on WatchESPN, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

The Champ Week schedule includes a total of 333 men’s and women’s basketball games – including 289 exclusive contests – across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, SEC Network and ESPN3 from 26 conferences.

Technology
‘ESPN Virtual 3’ – an innovative technology which illuminates the 3-point line for every 3-point shot attempt – will debut on a college telecast from the New York Life ACC Basketball Tournament in Washington, D.C. beginning on Tuesday, March 8. The technology has previously been used for all NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC broadcasts this season.

On-Site Studio Coverage
ESPN will provide on-site studio coverage from the ACC, Big 12 and SEC tournaments, including College GameDay Covered by State Farm originating from the New York Life ACC Basketball Tournament title game in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, March 12. College GameDay will air at noon on ESPN.

Rece Davis and analysts Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams will provide segments from Washington, D.C., Thursday, March 10, through the ACC title game. Host Karl Ravech and analyst Miles Simon will deliver coverage on Friday and Saturday from the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Basketball Tournament in Kansas City and John Saunders, Dick Vitale and Sean Farnham will be at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. on Saturday and Sunday.

ESPN3 Surround
ESPN3 will provide extra Champ Week coverage with five special “ESPN3 Surround” applications – a second-screen initiative, which provides an alternative viewing experience to the traditional telecast with different camera angles and audio – on the ACC, American, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC title games.

SEC Network Coverage
SEC Now will be live from Nashville on a courtside perch at the Bridgestone Arena. Dari Nowkhah and analysts Dane Bradshaw, Tony Delk and Daymeon Fishback will provide pre- and post-game coverage on SEC Network throughout the tournament.

Champ Week Music
In addition to commercial music selection from last year’s Champ Week – “Glitter & Gold” by Rebecca Ferguson – additional music includes “Get Up” by Dorothy, “Victorious” by Panic! At the Disco and “Golden” by Travie McCoy ft. Sia.

Week Concludes with Extensive Day-Long Coverage
The final day of Champ Week – Selection Sunday, March 13 – will begin with a two-hour College Basketball Live at 11 a.m. on ESPN2 and continuing at noon on ESPN, followed by the SEC Championship (ESPN) and Sun Belt Championship (ESPN2), both at 1 p.m. Game action will conclude with ESPN’s telecast of the American Athletic Championship at 3:15 p.m. The studio coverage will continue on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. with a two-hour Bubble Watch program. ESPN’s SportsCenter program at the conclusion of the American telecast will include extensive coverage of the Men’s Basketball NCAA Championship selections as they are announced, followed by a two-hour Bracketology Presented by Staples at 7 p.m. on ESPN and another two-hour Bracketology Presented by Staples at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. ESPNU will televise the ninth annual NIT Selection Show at 8:30 p.m. and a three-hour Tournament Countdown edition of The Experts at 9 p.m.

Additional production and programming information will be announced during Champ Week.

2016 Men’s College Basketball Champ Week Schedule (subject to change)

^ – tape delayed on Saturday, March 12 (ESPNU, 2 a.m.)

-30-