Men’s Championship Week: 22 Conference Champions Punch Their Ticket to NCAA Tournament

ESPN’s 2014 Championship Week Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods will showcase 92 men’s college basketball conference tournament games from 23 different conferences across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 from Friday, March 7 to Sunday, March 16. ESPN’s 29th, ESPN2’s 20th and ESPNU’s ninth year of comprehensive coverage will include 22 teams earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Championship Week will tip off on Friday, March 7, with nine games from the Big South, Ohio Valley and Southern Conference tournaments on ESPNU and ESPN3. Championship Week will conclude on Sunday, March 16, with the ACC (ESPN) and Sun Belt (ESPN2) title games at 1 p.m. ET and the SEC championship at 3:15 p.m. (ESPN).

ESPN will showcase 14 conference tournament games, including 10 championships, on Saturday, March 15. The “Super Saturday” lineup across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 and ESPNU will be highlighted by the American and Big 12 title games and ACC and SEC semifinals.

ESPN3 will provide extra Championship Week coverage with the trophy presentation of all 22 conference championships on an ESPN network and special “ESPN3 Surround” applications on the ACC, American, Big 12 and SEC title games. The newest second-screen initiative, which provides an alternative viewing experience to the traditional telecast with different camera angles and audio, debuted with applications around ESPN’s telecasts of Duke at North Carolina, Syracuse at Duke and Kansas at Oklahoma State.

The ESPN3 Surround productions of the tournament games will be similar to the Syracuse at Duke and Kansas at Oklahoma State matchups, offering  multiple cameras and the natural sound inside the arena.

ESPN Buzzer Beaterwill provide live cut-ins, highlights and up-to-the-minute commentary from numerous Championship Week games from across the ESPN networks on Thursday, March 13, and Friday, March 14, from noon to 11 p.m.

Every Championship Week game on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 will also be available via WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members and on Apple TV to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

The final day of Championship Week – Selection Sunday, March 16 – will begin at noon with College Basketball Live on ESPN, followed by the ACC Championship (on ESPN) and Sun Belt Championship (on ESPN2), both at 1 p.m. Game action will conclude with ESPN’s telecast of the SEC Championship at 3:15 p.m. Extensive coverage of the men’s NCAA Championship selection will include coverage of the brackets as they are announced on SportsCenter following the conclusion of the SEC Championship, 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 eighth annual NIT Selection Show at 8:30 p.m. and a two-hour Tournament Countdown edition of The Experts at 9 p.m.

ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 documentaryRequiem For The BIG EAST will premiere on Sunday, March 16, at 9 p.m. after Bracketology on ESPN. The film, directed by Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Ezra Edelman, explores the meteoric ascension of the BIG EAST Conference and how it became the most successful college basketball sports league in America—but later found itself fighting for survival in a new era. The film is told primarily through the lens of famed BIG EAST coaches such as Jim Boeheim, Lou Carnesecca, Rick Pitino and John Thompson, former BIG EAST commissioner Mike Tranghese, and some of its most iconic players like Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin and Ed Pinckney. It chronicles the rivalries and successes that led many of them to become household names.

ESPN.com’s Championship Week index page will feature news, analysis, information and results for every conference tournament as well as previews, in-depth expert examination and key storylines for select conferences. ESPN.com’s Bubble Watch with writer Eamonn Brennan will give fans an in-depth look at teams on the bubble and the latest developments on NCAA tournament selection status. In addition, writers will file stories from several tournament sites, including the American, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Missouri Valley and SEC. ESPN.com’s Bracketologist Joe Lunardi will also update and adjust his Bracketology projections and outlook daily.

ESPN Radio’s play-by-play coverage will include the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship of the ACC Tournament (March 14-16) for the third year, and the semifinals and championship of the Big 12 Tournament (March 14-15) for the fifth straight season.

Additionally, regularly scheduled ESPN Radio programming will include previews and reviews of key games, analysis by ESPN experts, and interviews with coaches and players preparing for the NCAA Tournament.