ESPN Breaks New Ground With 2012-2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Coverage

Courtesy: ESPN

Good news for ESPN.  The networks’ coverage of the 2012-2013 college basketball regular season was its most viewed ever.  ESPN averaged nearly 1.4 million viewers over the course of 135 games.  To be precise, it averaged 1,370,000 viewers.  That passes the network’s previous record of 1,353,000 viewers over 130 telecasts during the 2011-2012 Season.  It pulled in a 1.1 coverage rating for both seasons.  Along with this new honor, ESPN also pulled in the season’s three largest audiences for a college basketball game on the network over the course of only a month.  The first of those games was then #3 Indiana taking down #1 Michigan on February 2^nd.  The game was the best for the network.  It brought in an average of 4,035,000 viewers, a 2.9 rating and 2,867,000 households.  The second of the network’s best games was the February 19^th game in which then #1 Indiana defeated #4 Michigan State.  This game brought ESPN its second largest audience of the season, with an average of 3,733,000 viewers, a 2.7 coverage rating and 2,677,000 households.  The third of the network’s highest rated games was the March 2^nd matchup between then #3 Duke defeating #5 Miami 79-76.  The game averaged 3,416,000 viewers, a 2.5 coverage rating and 2,459,000 households. 

In all, ESPN and its network of stations averaged a total of 508,000 viewers for its full slate of 602 games throughout its 2012-2013 season.  It marked the most extensive coverage of men’s basketball on television this season and more than any other networks combined pointing out yet again why ESPN is the sports leader.

One extra interesting note:  Louisville was the highest-rated metered market for the network’s 2012-2013 regular season coverage.  It pulled in an average 4.5 rating.  Greensboro came in second for the second straight year with a 3.1 rating.  A full listing of the top rated cities is available below.

Top 25 Markets for 2012-13	Top 25 Markets for 2011-12
No. 1    Louisville: 4.5 rating	No. 1    Louisville: 4.5 rating
No. 2    Greensboro: 3.1 rating	No. 2    Greensboro: 3.5 rating
No. 3   Raleigh-Durham: 3.0 rating	No. 3   Kansas City: 2.8 rating
No. 4    Indianapolis: 2.9 rating	No. 4    Columbus: 2.7 rating
No. 5   Kansas City: 2.7 rating	Raleigh-Durham 2.7 rating
No. 6   Cincinnati: 2.1 rating	No. 6   Charlotte: 2.3 rating
Columbus: 2.1 rating	No. 7    Cincinnati: 2.1 rating
No. 8   Dayton: 2.0 rating	No. 8   Dayton: 2.0 rating
No. 9    Charlotte: 1.8 rating	No. 9    Indianapolis: 1.8 rating
No. 10  Knoxville: 1.7 rating	Knoxville: 1.8 rating
Nashville: 1.7 rating	No. 11   Memphis: 1.6 rating
No. 12  Detroit: 1.6 rating	Nashville: 1.6 rating
No. 13  Birmingham: 1.5 rating	No. 13  Greenville: 1.5 rating
No. 14  Memphis: 1.3 rating	No. 14  Cleveland: 1.4 rating
Hartford & New Haven: 1.3 rating	Birmingham: 1.4 rating
Greenville: 1.3 rating	Las Vegas: 1.4 rating
Cleveland: 1.3 rating	No. 17  Norfolk: 1.2 rating
Norfolk: 1.3 rating	Hartford and New Haven: 1.2 rating
St. Louis: 1.3 rating	St. Louis: 1.2 rating
No. 20   Richmond: 1.2 rating	No. 20   Fort Myers: 1.1 rating
Las Vegas: 1.2 rating	Atlanta: 1.1 rating
No. 22  Fort Myers: 1.1 rating	Richmond: 1.1 rating
Milwaukee: 1.1 rating	No. 23  Pittsburgh: 1.0 rating
No. 24  Baltimore: 1.0 rating	Detroit: 1.0 rating
Tulsa: 1.0 rating	Oklahoma City: 1.0 rating
Atlanta: 1.0 rating	Jacksonville: 1.0 rating
Oklahoma City: 1.0 rating	Tulsa: 1.0 rating

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ESPN Celebrating March Madness With New 30 for 30 Film

Courtesy: ESPN

March is the favorite time of year for college basketball fans.  Every March, college basketball fans across the country celebrate the annual NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, otherwise known as “March Madness.”  “March Madness” is upon us once again.  This Sunday, March 17^th marks the beginning of the “madness.”  It’s selection Sunday.  The next week is the start of the tournament.  In celebration of the annual tournament, ESPN is giving college basketball fans a little post-Selection Sunday treat.  The Sports Leader will air a very special new addition to its series of 30 for 30 film series titled, “Survive and Advance.”

“Survive and Advance” follows the unlikely story of the 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpack basketball team.  It was under the direction of then coach Jim Valvano that the team became that year’s Cinderella story.  It follows the team through the good, the great, and the ugly.  This is an excellent way to both wind down after a big day, and get even more excited for the tournament.  It opens with the members of the team—now older—getting together, remembering that incredible year.  From there, ESPN and director Jonathan Hock pull from the vaults, the games that illustrated the team’s meteoric rise that season.  The games are expertly set alongside interviews with team members and friends (including rival coaches Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski).  While the two were rivals of each other and rivals to Coach Valvano, they share their own happy memories of that tournament and of Coach Valvano.  There won’t be a dry eye in the house after hearing the memories in question.

College basketball fans will be moved by the memories shared as they are memories not just of the tournament that season, but of the man that led the Wolfpack.  For those that might not know, for all the team’s success that season, it suddenly had a Goliath of a challenge to face when it was announced that Coach Valvano had been diagnosed with cancer.  The second half of “Survive and Advance” balances the team’s highs and lows just as expertly as the mix of games and interviews in its first half.  One of the most emotional moments of the documentary’s second half is Coach Valvano’s now famous speech at the ESPY Awards.  It’s one of so many moments that will leave even the strongest of viewers moved to tears.  Whether one bleeds light blue, dark blue, red and white, purple and gold, whatever the case may be, this moment was an integral part to the overall presentation.  And it will leave any viewer moved.  Both ESPN and [Jonathan] Hock are to be commended for making sure this memory was shared.

Even through facing the challenge of cancer and later an academic scandal, fans see the determination of Coach Valvano and the entire Wolfpack squad right to the NCAA Championship and beyond in the second half of “Survive and Advance.”  Highlights of the now legendary game are included, bringing back fond memories for Wolfpack fans and college basketball fans in general of all ages.  Viewers are taken through the matchup between Houston and NC State, right to its end through both the game’s footage and interviews with members of that year’s team.  Of course the story doesn’t end there.  Viewers are also taken through the academic scandal that followed and Coach Valvano’s eventual return for the 10^th anniversary of the team’s title run and Jimmy V’s untimely passing.  In those final moments of this near two hour documentary, viewers finally see why “Survive and Advance” was a perfect choice for its title.  Just as Coach K said of him, he might have died, but his spirit didn’t.  He might not have beaten cancer, but his legacy and that of the 1983 Wolfpack squad has survived to this day.  And it will indeed advance.

“Survive and Advance” airs this Sunday night at 9pm on ESPN.  To get more information on “Survive and Advance” and any other documentary in ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, go online to http://www.facebook.com/espn30for30 and http://www.espn.com/30for30.

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ESPN Films Debuts New Film This Weekend

Courtesy: ESPN/ESPNU

ESPN Films will debut a new film in its SEC “Storied” series this weekend.  Miracle 3 will debut this Sunday, March 3^rd at 8pm EST on ESPNU.  The latest in the series focuses on the events of March 14^th, 2008.  It was on that date that an EF2 tornado touched down in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia during a matchup between Alabama and Mississippi State in the SEC tournament.  Alabama was trailing Mississippi State 59-56 in the final seconds of regulation of the first of the tournament’s quarterfinal games.  The game went into OT after Alabama guard Myka Riley hit a three-pointer to tie the game.  The irony of the shot is that not only did it keep the Crimson Tide in the game, but because it extended the game, it may have been to thank for saving thousands of lives.

Because of that shot, the thousands in attendance of the game stayed inside the Georgia Dome instead of going outside.  Had they gone outside, those thousands could have been injured or worse because only minutes after that fateful shot, a tornado touched down just outside the Georgia Dome.  Nobody inside the Georgia Dome was injured.  Though, the arena did sustain enough damage that it forced the remainder of the game to be delayed.  It also caused the last quarterfinal game of the day to be postponed.  SEC officials would end up having to find a new home for the tournament’s final games as a result of the damage to the Georgia Dome so as to finish the tournament on schedule.  The Bulldogs would end up going on to the NCAA tournament after winning three games in a 30-hour span.

The story of Miracle 3 is built around interviews with people involved in those affected by the tornado including players and coaches from teams playing in the tournament, SEC officials, referees, fans, meteorologists, and many more.  Along with airing at 8pm on ESPNU, Miracle 3 will also air earlier in the evening on March 3^rd on ESPN.  It will air at 5pm on ESPN this Sunday evening.

To get the latest news on Miracle 3 and all programming on ESPNU and ESPN, go online to http://www.facebook.com/ESPNU and http://www.facebook.com/ESPN and the official website of ESPNU and ESPN, http://espn.go.com/college-sports/ and http://espn.go.com. 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPNU Announces BracketBusters Schedule

Courtesy: ESPN/ESPNU

ESPNU has officially announced the schedule for its 11^th annual Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters.  The Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters is a two day men’s NCAA basketball series that puts possible NCAA Championship hopefuls against each other.  This year’s event will take place Friday, February 22^nd and Saturday, February 23^rd.  It will feature thirteen televised games across the ESPN family of networks and on WatchESPN and ESPN3.  ESPN2 will air no fewer than three BracketBusters games while ESPNU and ESPN3 will air four each.  There will be two extra flex games that will air either on ESPN or ESPN2.  That final decision is expected about a week before the games.  Audiences can expect the games to feature teams from thirteen different conferences including four teams from the Missouri Valley conference, three each from the MAAC, Mid-American and Ohio Valley Conference.  The full rundown of the games is listed below.

2013 Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters Schedule (All times are Eastern and subject to change)

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network(s)
Fri, Feb 22	7 p.m.	North Dakota State at Akron	ESPN2 / WatchESPN
	9 p.m.	Stephen F. Austin at Long Beach State	ESPNU / WatchESPN
Sat, Feb 23	11 a.m.	Iona at Indiana State	ESPNU / WatchESPN
	1 p.m.	Eastern Kentucky at Valparaiso	ESPNU / WatchESPN
		Canisius at Vermont	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Pacific at Western Michigan	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	Montana at Davidson	ESPNU / WatchESPN
		Northwestern State at Niagara	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Detroit at Wichita State	ESPN or ESPN2 / WatchESPN
	6 p.m.	No. 16 Creighton at Saint Mary’s (Calif.)	ESPN or ESPN2 / WatchESPN
	8 p.m.	South Dakota State at Murray State	ESPN2 / WatchESPN
		Denver at Northern Iowa	ESPN3
	10 p.m.	Ohio at Belmont	ESPN2 / WatchESPN

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ESPN Announces New Additions To 30 For 30 Series

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has announced the addition of two new films to its hit 30 for 30 film series.  Survive and Advance and Elway to Marino are the latest additions to the network’s ongoing series of documentaries.  The first of the films to debut will be Survive and Advance.  The documentary centers on the late NC State University basketball coach Jim Valvano and the Wolfpack’s legendary 1982-’83 season.  That year, the team came back from almost not making the NCAA tournament to winning nine straight games in route to winning the NCAA title that year.  The Wolfpack players took down teams whose rosters included players who would later go on to become some of the game’s biggest names.  Among those names are the likes of:  Jordan, Olajuwon, Sampson, and Drexler.  The film is directed by Jonathan Hock (Unguarded, The Best That Never Was).  It will air Sunday, March 17^th at 9pm on ESPN.

The second of the new films in the series is the football documentary, Elway to Marino.  This documentary focuses on what is considered by most to be a pivotal turning point for the NFL in the April 26, 1983 NFL Draft.  Before this draft, the NFL was in very troubled waters.  The previous season had seen a players strike.  The USFL took that as a chance to take some of the league’s top talent.  And the now late Al Davis had taken the league to court.  But it was this draft that turned the tide for the league.  The film examines the draft from the vantage point of the owners, players, managers, agents and more to explain the significance of the landmark draft.  Among the players taken in the draft were NFL legends John Elway and Dan Marino (just two of the six QBs taken that year).  It examines all the work that went into drafting players, both the good and the bad.  Elway to Marino was directed by Ken Rodgers and is being presented by both ESPN Films and NFL Films.  It will air Tuesday, April 23^rd at 9pm on ESPN.

Elway to Marino and Survive and Advance are just two more additions to the long awaited 30 for 30 Volume II which is currently slated for an October 2013 release.  Sports lovers and fans in general can keep up with the latest news about this release and others in the 30 for 30 series online at http://www.facebook.com/espn30for30 and http://www.espn.com/30for30.

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.