ESPN Announces Early Broadcast Schedule For 2020-21 College Basketball Season

Courtesy: ESPN

College basketball is back!

The ESPN networks will kick off the 2020-2021 college basketball season at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The season opens with Illinois on the road against No. 23 Ohio State on ESPN and Kansas State hosting Drake on ESPNU. Memphis and St. Mary’s will face off in the Quarterfinal #2 of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic on ESPN2.

Play continues at 4 p.m. ET as Louisville hosts Evansville on the ACC Network. Quarterfinal #1, featuring a matchup of Northern Iowa and Western Kentucky follows at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. No. 10 Kentucky will host Morehead State at 6 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

Over on ESPN+, Northwestern State will visit No. 14 Texas Tech. That game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. An hour later at 8 p.m. ET No. 19 Texas will host UT Rio Grande Valley on The Longhorn Network.

The opening day of ESPN’s college basketball opening day winds down at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Quarterfinal #4 of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, featuring a matchup of VCU and Utah State, finishes the day.

The full broadcast schedule for the ESPN networks’ first two weeks of the 2020-2021 college basketball season is noted below.

ESPN Networks Television Schedule (subject to change)
Please note: Due to the ongoing changes related to the college basketball season, ESPN will unveil TV and digital schedules on a week-to-week basis. Schedule changes will be reflected here, as well as @ESPNPR.

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup/Commentators	Network
Feast Week Presented by Lowe’s (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU)
Wed, Nov 25	2 p.m.	Illinois State at No. 23 Ohio State Anish Shroff, Cory Alexander	ESPN
		Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic Quarterfinal #2 Memphis vs. St. Mary’s Rich Hollenberg, Dan Dakich	ESPN2
		Drake at Kansas State Chuckie Kempf, Tim Welsh	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	Oklahoma State at UT Arlington Mark Neely, Fran Fraschilla	ESPN
		Bowling Green at No. 25 Michigan Jason Benetti, Robbie Hummel	ESPN2
		Evansville at Louisville Mike Couzens, David Padgett	ACCN
	4:30 p.m.	Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic Quarterfinal #1 Northern Iowa vs. Western Kentucky Rich Hollenberg, Dan Dakich	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	College of Charleston at No. 16 North Carolina Jay Alter, Malcolm Huckaby	ACCN
		Morehead State vs. No. 10 Kentucky Paul Sunderland, Jimmy Dykes	SEC Network
	7 p.m.	2K Empire Classic Semifinal #1 No. 18 Arizona State vs. Rhode Island Jon Sciambi, Jay Bilas	ESPN
		Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic Quarterfinal #3 South Dakota State vs. No. 15 West Virginia Doug Sherman, Chris Spatola	ESPN2
		Northwestern State at No. 14 Texas Tech	ESPN+
	8 p.m.	Jacksonville State at Alabama Richard Cross, Mark Wise	SEC Network
		UT Rio Grande Valley at No. 19 Texas Lowell Galindo, Lance Blanks	Longhorn Network
		Charleston Southern vs. NC State	ACCN
		Houston Baptist at TCU	ESPN+
	9:30 p.m.	2K Empire Classic  Semifinal #2 No. 3 Villanova vs. Boston College Jon Sciambi, Jay Bilas	ESPN
		Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic  Quarterfinal #4 VCU vs. Utah State Doug Sherman, Chris Spatola	ESPN2
Thu, Nov. 26	Noon	Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic  Semifinal #1 Rich Hollenberg, Dan Dakich	ESPN
	2:30 p.m.	Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic  Semifinal #2 Rich Hollenberg, Dan Dakich	ESPN
	5 p.m.	Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic  Consolation Game Doug Sherman, Chris Spatola	ESPN or ESPN2
	7 p.m.	2K Empire Classic  Third Place Game Jon Sciambi, Jay Bilas	ESPN
	7:30 p.m.	Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic  Consolation Game Doug Sherman, Chris Spatola	ESPN2
	9:30 p.m.	2K Empire Classic  Championship Jon Sciambi, Jay Bilas	ESPN
Fri, Nov. 27	11:30 a.m.	HomeLight Classic	ESPN
	1:30 p.m.	Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic  Championship Rich Hollenberg, Dan Dakich	ESPN
		Sam Houston State vs. No. 14 Texas Tech Mark Neely, TBD	ESPNU
	3 p.m.	Bryant at Syracuse Jay Alter, Malcolm Huckaby	ACCN
	4 p.m.	Seton Hall at Louisville Mike Couzens, Fran Fraschilla	ESPN2
		Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic Seventh Place Game Rich Hollenberg, Dan Dakich	ESPNU
	6:30 p.m.	Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic Fifth Place Game Doug Sherman, Chris Spatola	ESPN2
	7 p.m.	Valparaiso at Vanderbilt	SEC Network
		Longwood at Wake Forest	ACCN
	8:30 p.m.	Colorado at Kansas State Chuckie Kempf, Tim Welsh	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic Third Place Game Doug Sherman, Chris Spatola	ESPN2
Sat, Nov. 28	4 p.m.	Hall of Fame Classic Powered by ShotTracker  Semifinal #1 South Carolina vs. Liberty Chuckie Kempf, Mark Adams	ESPNEWS
	5:30 p.m.	Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic  Rhode Island vs. South Florida Kevin Brown, Jon Crispin	ESPN3
	7:30 p.m.	Hall of Fame Classic Powered by ShotTracker Semifinal #2 Tulsa vs. TCU Chuckie Kempf, Mark Adams	ESPN3
		Texas Southern vs. Oklahoma State	ESPN+
	8 p.m.	Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic  Virginia Tech vs. Temple Kevin Brown, Jon Crispin	ESPNEWS
Sun, Nov. 29	1 p.m.	Richmond vs. No. 10 Kentucky Dan Shulman, Jimmy Dykes	ESPN
		Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Iowa State	ESPN+
		Hall of Fame Classic Powered by ShotTracker  Third Place Game Chuckie Kempf, Mark Adams	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	Hall of Fame Classic Powered by ShotTracker  Championship Chuckie Kempf, Mark Adams	ESPN2
	5:30 p.m.	No. 17 Houston vs. No. 14 Texas Tech Mark Neely, Fran Fraschilla	ESPN2
		Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic   Jon Sciambi, Jon Crispin	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	North Florida at Miami Dave O’Brien, Jordan Cornette	ACCN
	8 p.m.	Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic   South Florida vs. Virginia Tech Jon Sciambi, Jon Crispin	ESPN2
Mon, Nov. 30	Noon	Camping World Maui Invitational  Quarterfinal #1 No. 19 Texas vs. Davidson	ESPN2
	2:30 p.m.	Camping World Maui Invitational  Quarterfinal #2 Indiana vs. Providence	ESPN2
	6 p.m.	Bubbleville   St. John’s vs. Boston College	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	Camping World Maui Invitational  Quarterfinal #3 No. 16 North Carolina vs. UNLV	ESPN2
		William & Mary at NC State	ACCN
	8 p.m.	UM Kansas City vs. Kansas State	ESPNU
		Texas State at Mississippi State	SEC Network
	9:30 p.m.	Camping World Maui Invitational  Quarterfinal #4 Stanford vs. Alabama	ESPN2
Tue, Dec. 1	1:30 p.m.	Camping World Maui Invitational  Semifinal #1	ESPN
	2:30 p.m.	Roman Legends Classic Semifinal #1 USC vs. BYU	ESPN2
	4 p.m.	Camping World Maui Invitational  Semifinal #2	ESPN
		Saint Francis at No. 4 Virginia	ACCN
	5 p.m.	Roman Legends Classic  Semifinal #2 UConn vs. Vanderbilt	ESPN2
	6 p.m.	Western Kentucky at Louisville	ACCN
	7 p.m.	Camping World Maui Invitational  Consolation Game	ESPN2
	7:30 p.m.	State Farm Champions Classic   No. 13 Michigan State vs. No. 9 Duke	ESPN
	9:30 p.m.	State Farm Champions Classic   No. 6 Kansas vs. No. 10 Kentucky	ESPN
		Camping World Maui Invitational  Consolation Game	ESPN2
Wed, Dec. 2	1:30 p.m.	Camping World Maui Invitational Third Place Game	ESPN
	4 p.m.	Camping World Maui Invitational  Championship	ESPN
		Troy at Wake Forest	ACCN
	5 p.m.	Florida vs. Oklahoma	ESPN2
	6 p.m.	South Carolina State at Clemson	ACCN
	7 p.m.	Jimmy V Men’s Classic Presented by Corona   No. 12 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Gonzaga	ESPN
		Camping World Maui Invitational  Fifth Place Game	ESPN2
		Tarleton State at Texas A&M	SEC Network
	8 p.m.	North Florida at No. 21 Florida State	ACCN
	9 p.m.	UT Arlington at Arkansas	SEC Network
	9:30 p.m.	Camping World Maui Invitational  Seventh Place Game	ESPN2
	10 p.m.	Jimmy V Men’s Classic Presented by Corona  No. 8 Illinois vs. No. 2 Baylor	ESPN
	7 p.m.	South Dakota State vs. Iowa State	ESPN+
		Youngstown State vs. No. 15 West Virginia	ESPN+
Thu, Dec. 3	7 p.m.	Roman Legends Classic  Championship	ESPN
	9 p.m.	St. John‘s vs. No. 14 Texas Tech	ESPN
	9:30 p.m.	Roman Legends Classic  Third Place Game	ESPN2
	8 p.m.	VMI vs. Virginia Tech	ACCN
		Northwestern State vs. TCU	ESPN+
Fri, Dec. 4	2 p.m.	UNCG at Louisville	ACCN
	4 p.m.	Rhode Island at Boston College	ACCN
	6 p.m.	Kent State at No. 4 Virginia	ACCN
	7 p.m.	Jacksonville at Georgia	SEC Network
	8 p.m.	No. 12 Tennessee at Notre Dame	ACCN
	9 p.m.	South Alabama at Auburn	SEC Network
Sat, Dec. 5	Noon	Bubbleville NC State vs. UConn	ESPNU
	TBD	Oakland vs. Oklahoma State	ESPN+
	8 p.m.	UNLV vs. Kansas State	ESPN+
Sun, Dec. 6	Noon	Elon at No. 9 Duke	ACCN
	1 p.m.	No. 3 Villanova at No. 19 Texas	ESPN
	2 p.m.	Missouri at Wichita State	ESPN2
		Grambling State at No. 14 Texas Tech	ESPNU
		Stetson at Florida	SEC Network
	3 p.m.	Xavier at Cincinnati	ESPN
	4 p.m.	Oklahoma at TCU	ESPN2
		UTRGV at Texas A&M	SEC Network
	5 p.m.	Hoopsgiving   No. 10 Kentucky at Georgia Tech	ESPN
	6 p.m.	DePaul at Iowa State	ESPNU
		Louisiana Tech at LSU	SEC Network
	8 p.m.	Oklahoma at TCU	ESPN+

ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by Continental Tire

Date	Time	Matchup	Network
Tue, Dec. 8	5 p.m.	Purdue at Miami	ESPN2
	7 p.m.	Boston College at Minnesota	ESPNU
	7:30 p.m.	North Carolina at Iowa	ESPN
		Ohio State at Notre Dame	ESPN2
	9 p.m.	Penn State at Virginia Tech	ESPNU
	9:30 p.m.	Illinois at Duke	ESPN
		Syracuse at Rutgers	ESPN2
Wed, Dec. 9	5 p.m.	Maryland at Clemson	ESPN2
	7:15 p.m.	Louisville at Wisconsin	ESPN
		NC State at Michigan	ESPN2
		Georgia Tech at Nebraska	ESPNU
	9:15 p.m.	Michigan State at Virginia	ESPN
		Indiana at Florida State	ESPN2
		Pittsburgh at Northwestern	ESPNU

More information on the ESPN networks’ men’s college basketball coverage is available online now along with all of the latest men’s college basketball headlines at:

Website: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNCBB

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Launches 15th Season of ‘CGD’ Next Week At Duke

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm launches its 15th season next week.

The network’s flagship college basketball program is scheduled to premiere at 11 a.m. on Jan. 19 with coverage of the Duke Blue Devils and the No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers.  Live coverage of the game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Rece Davis will anchor the morning broadcast.  He will be joined by analysts Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams for additional commentary.  The program will broadcast live from Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Next week’s season debut of College GameDay Covered by State Farm will mark the ninth time that the program will have aired live from the venue.  That surpasses the program’s record, set at Kansas’ Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

Duke’s 2018 recruiting class features the top three-ranked players in the class, according to ESPN.  Two of those players — Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett — currently sit fisrt and second in the 2019 mock NBA draft on ESPN.com.

Virginia comes into next weeks’ matchup with its own strengths. Three of the team’s top four scorers from last season are back this season, including All-ACC player Kyle Guy.

More information on ESPN’s coverage of next week’s game is available online now along with all of the latest college basketball headlines at:

 

Website: http://www.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNCBB

 

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Announces Broadcast Site For Feb. 4 ‘CGD’ Broadcast

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm will air live from Gainesville, Fla next Saturday.

The program will air live at 11 a.m. on ESPN from the site of the Saturday Primetime presented by AT&T matchup pitting No. 4 Kentucky against No. 25 Florida.  Game coverage begins at 8:15 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Saturday night’s Top 25 showdown will be preceded by a late edition of College GameDay Covered by State Farm at 8 p.m. EST.  Rece Davis will anchor the broadcast and will be joined at the desk by analysts Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams.

Bilas will be part of the broadcast team for the Wildcats/Gators game. He will join Dan Shulman and reporter Maria Taylor for the call of the game.

More information on ESPN’s college basketball coverage is available online now along with all of the latest college basketball headlines at:

 

 

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNCBB

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPNCBB

 

 

 

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Networks To Carry UT’s Celebration Of Pat Summit’s Life Live

Courtesy: ESPN

Officials with ESPN announced a special programming update today for two of its networks.  The programming is in relation to the upcoming memorial service to pay tribute to legendary basketball coach Pat Summit.

This Thursday the University of Tennessee will hold a memorial service to pay tribute to legendary basketball coach Pat Summit.  The service will be held July 14^th at 7pm.  It will be carried live on ESPN2 and the SEC Network.  Coverage of the service will be hosted by ESPN’s Maria Taylor.  Live from Thompson-Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  Ryan McGee, co-host of ESPN Radio’s Marty and McGee, will host ESPN Radio’s coverage of the service live from 7pm to 9pm.

Summit passed away two weeks ago after an ongoing battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.  She was originally diagnosed with the disease in 2011.  During her thirty-eight years at The University of Tennessee Summit won 1,098 games and brought the university eight national championships making her the most successful coach in major college basketball history.

More information on Thursday’s coverage of The University of Tennessee’s memorial service is available online along with all of the latest women’s college basketball headlines at:

 

 

 

Website: http://espnW.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/espnW

Twitter: http://twitter.com/espnW

 

 

 

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.

ESPN Networks To Carry Extensive Coverage Of NCAA Div. I Women’s Basketball Tournament

Courtesy: ESPN
L – R: Kevin Neghandi, Kara Lawson, Rebecca Lobo

March 13th, 2016 is one of the biggest nights in the 2015 – 2016 college basketball season.  That is because it is selection Sunday.  It is just one of the college basketball world’s big days.  On Monday, March 14th, ESPN will have exclusive coverage of “Selection Monday.”

The full 64-team field for the Women’s NCAA Division I college basketball tournament will be revealed on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Special Presented by Capitol One will air March 14^th at 7pm ET on ESPN.  Kevin Neghandi will anchor the broadcast.  He will be joined by veteran analysts Kara Lawson and Rebecca Lobo for additional commentary.  Coverage doesn’t end after the last team is announced, either.  ESPNU will pick up coverage at 8pm ET with the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Special Extended Coverage Presented by Capitol One.  Both shows will include special features and interviews and an exclusive interview with Chris Dawson during ESPN’s coverage during the 7pm hour.  Dawson is Chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee.

As an added bonus, ESPN will once again carry all 63 games in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Capitol One.  It all leads up to the NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four from Indianapolis, IN on April 3^rd and 5^th.  2016 marks the eleventh consecutive year that ESPN has carried complete coverage of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.  ESPN and ESPN2 will carry coverage of regionalized telecasts with home protection through the tournament’s first two rounds.  ESPN3 and ESPN Full Court, ESPN’s pay-per-view service, will offer complete first and second round coverage as a supplement to the coverage offered by ESPN and ESPN2.  The tournament’s final 15 games, beginning with the Regional Semifinals, will have national telecast windows on ESPN and ESPN2.

Those wanting even more coverage of the 2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship can go online to espnW.com and ESPN.com as well as the SEC Network.  More information on this year’s coverage of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship is available online now at:

 

Website: http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball

http://espn.go.com/espnw

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/espnW

Twitter: http://twitter.com/espnw

 

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN’s College GameDay To Make First-Ever Visit To Texas A&M Saturday

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm will make its first ever trip to the campus of Texas A&M this coming Saturday.

College GameDay Covered by State Farm will broadcast live from the campus of Texas A&M for the first time ever on Saturday, February 20th. The broadcast is for the Aggies’ matchup against the #22 Kentucky Wildcats. The program will air live at 6:30pm ET on ESPN ahead of Saturday night’s broadcast of Saturday Primetime presented by DIRECTV. There will also be a morning edition of College GameDay Covered by State Farm that will air live at 11am ET on ESPN.

Saturday’s matchup between the Wildcats and Aggies marks the second time this season that Kentucky has been the road team at a GameDay site and seventh time overall that it has played the part of visitor. The last time that Kentucky was the visiting team at a GameDay broadcast was January 30th when the Wildcats were on the road against Kansas.

In addition to Saturday night’s broadcast of GameDay and the game between the Wildcats and Aggies there are other updates that should be noted for upcoming games. There are new times for the previously announced netflex matchups. They are as follows: Duke at No. 13 Louisville (ESPN, Noon); Georgia at Vanderbilt (ESPN2, Noon); No. 21 Baylor at No. 24 Texas (ESPN, 2 p.m.); Pittsburgh at Syracuse (ESPN2, 2 p.m.); No. 3 Oklahoma at No. 10 West Virginia (ESPN, 4 p.m.); UConn at Cincinnati (ESPN2, 4 p.m.) and No. 18 Purdue at Indiana (ESPN, 8:30 p.m.).

Sites for College GameDay Covered by State Farm will each be announced one week ahead of broadcast. This allows for visits to sites for top storylines from around the college basketball world and games appearing on ESPN networks each week. More information on Saturday’s matchup between Kentucky and Texas A&M is available online now along with all of the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews online at:

Website: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball

http://espn.go.com/womens-basketball

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNCBB

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Vitale Sticking With ESPN Through 2017 – 2018 Season

Courtesy: ESPN

Good news for basketball fans everywhere. Dick Vitale has signed a new contract with the worldwide leader in sports.

Officials with ESPN announced today that basketball Hall of Famer Dick Vitale has come to terms with the network on a new deal. The deal in question will keep Vitale with ESPN at least through the 2017 – 2018 basketball season. It will mark Vitale’s 39^th season with ESPN. It also means that Vitale will continue to call some of the ESPN networks’ biggest basketball matchups for the foreseeable future. This includes regular-season games on ESPN and ESPN2, and the men’s Final Four on ESPN International.

John Wildhack, Executive VP of Production and Programming for ESPN noted Vitale’s love for basketball, his standout personality and his ability to connect with basketball fans thanks to both factors in signing the new deal saying, “Dick continues to connect with fans by demonstrating an incredibly successful combination of exuberance for and knowledge of the game he loves. He is a one-of-a-kind personality and the passion he brings to everything he is involved with continues to have an enormous impact.”

The deal having been completely finalized, Vitale shared his thoughts about being with the network over the years and what being part of the Worldwide Leader in Sports means to him, saying, “I am so proud to be part of the ESPN team. They have become my second family and have been a vital part of my life. It has been nothing but pure happiness working with the beautiful people at ESPN and I can’t thank them enough as they’ve been responsible for so many of the glorious days I’ve had in my life.”

Over the course of his time at ESPN, Vitale has earned quite the positive reputation. He was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. He has also been awarded for his efforts with the American Cancer Society, The National Association of Basketball Coaches (Court of Honor Award), and Seton Hall University (Humanitarian Award). His work as a board member on The V Foundation for Cancer Research has garnered him respect among his counterparts throughout the sports world as have his efforts with the Boys & Girls Club, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and many other organizations.

Vitale’s debut season on ESPN was the 1979 – 1980 season. That was just after ESPN’s debut season. From there, he went on to call ESPN’s first-ever NCAA basketball game. Wisconsin and DePaul faced off in that game with DePaul defeating Wisconsin 90 – 77. Throughout the years his play calling has become just part of why audiences have come to love him. His catch phrases (E.g. “Awesome, baby!,” “Get a TO, Baby!,” “PTP’er”) have become a part of his legacy. Off the court, Vitale has authored nine books and selected for nine halls of fame. Before joining ESPN, Vitale started his professional career teaching at Mark Twain Elementary School in Garfield, New Jersey and coaching middle school football and basketball. He coached at the high school level for eight years beginning in 1963. In 1970 he moved to the college ranks, working at both Rutgers and The University of Detroit. In May of 1978 he took the helm of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. It was from there that he eventually moved on to join ESPN in 1979.

More information on Vitale’s new deal is available online now along with all of the latest basketball news at:

Website: http://espn.go.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPN

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN’s College GameDay Covered By State Farm Opens 2015 Season In Iowa

Courtesy: ESPN

Officials with ESPN have announced the site of the network’s first broadcast in its 2015 college basketball broadcast season.

ESPN will open the 2015 season of College GameDay covered by State Farm on Saturday, January 17^th in Ames, Iowa. The first in the network’s eight-week season, the broadcast will come ahead of the Saturday Primetime presented by DirecTV matchup between #17 Iowa State and #12 Kansas. Tipoff for the Big 12 contest is scheduled for 9pm ET. College GameDay covered by State Farm will cover not only the matchup between Iowa State and Kansas but all of the day’s games. It all starts at 10am ET on ESPNU. ESPN picks up coverage at 11am ET and then offers another edition at 8pm ET.

Audiences will see some new faces throughout this season of ESPN’s College GameDay covered by State Farm. Analysts Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams join the returning team of host Rece Davis and analyst Jay Bilas. Dan Shulman will also be back along with reporter Shannon Spake. They will be joined by Jay Bilas for full coverage of the matchup between the Hawkeyes and Jayhawks.

Over on ESPN, #14 West Virginia will be on the road against #10 Texas the same day. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 6:15pm ET. Dave Flemming and Fran Fraschilla will have the call for the game.  The site for each week’s broadcast of College GameDay covered by State Farm will be announced a week ahead of those games within the show’s broadcast. More information on the ESPN family of networks’ college basketball coverage is available online at:

Website: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNCBB

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Announces Details For 2015, 2016 Armed Forces Classic

Courtesy: ESPN

The NCAA has officially released the details for the 2015 and 2016 Armed Forces Classic.

The NCAA announced the teams, locations and dates for the 2015 and 2016 Armed Forces Classic today.  Today’s announcement revealed that next year’s Armed Forces Classic–a matchup of two NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball teams that is held on a rotating list of military bases around the world each year—will see powerhouses Gonzaga and Pittsburgh face off against each other aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Snedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan.  That game is scheduled to be played on Friday, November 13^th, 2015.  The teams’ matchup will mark the first time that the powerhouses have faced each other in the Armed Forces Classic.

In 2016, the game will move to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, HI.  The game is scheduled to be played Friday, November 11^th, 2016.  That year, four teams will face off against each other.  Indiana will take on Kansas in one of that year’s games.  The last time that the Hoosiers and Jayhawks faced each other in the series was in 1995.  Currently, Kansas leads Indiana 7 – 6 in the teams’ previous AFC series matchups.  The other game scheduled for the 2016 AFC is a matchup of Arizona and Michigan State.  The Wildcats lead the Spartans 4 – 2 over the course of their meetings in the AFC.  The last time that the two teams met was in 2005.  All four programs together have combined for a total of eleven NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball titles.  They have collectively advanced to the Men’s Final Four thirty-four times.

The 2016 installment of the Armed Forces Classic will be an especially significant game.  That is because not only of its location, but for its date.  It will be played on Veterans Day in 2016.  November 11^th, 2016 is also just one month shy of the 75^th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Each of the games announced for the Armed Forces Classic will air on ESPN.  They will run as part of the network’s America’s Heroes initiative.  The America’s Heroes initiative honors America’s men and women in uniform around the world.

This year’s AFC will come live from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen in Puerto Rico.  It will feature #8 Louisville taking on Minnesota.

More information on ESPN’s coverage of the Armed Forces Classic is available online at:

Website: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNCollegeBasketball

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 https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Announces Women’s College Basketball Broadcast Schedule For 2014 – 2015 Season

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN announced its broadcast schedule for the upcoming 2014 – 2015 Women’s College Basketball season over the weekend.

ESPN and its family of networks will cover a total of 131 games in the upcoming 2014 – 2015 Women’s College Basketball season. Coverage on the women’s side includes coverage on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, the SEC Network and Longhorn Network. Audiences will also be able to catch a number of those games online via ESPN3 and via Satellite on ESPN Full Court. Fans can also catch games online via WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com via the WatchESPN app. The breakdown of the upcoming season’s coverage is as follows:

ESPN will carry coverage of the annual Jimmy V. Women’s Classic presented by Corona on Saturday, December 6^th. The lady Huskies will take on Number 5 Notre Dame in that game in a rematch of last season’s Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

ESPN2 will carry thirty-six of those 131 games. ESPN will carry every Big Monday matchup as well as most Sunday games throughout the season. It all starts with an opening day doubleheader November 17^th featuring four ranked teams. Those teams are: two-time defending champion Connecticut,  Number 20 Stanford, Number 13 Baylor, and Number 6 Kentucky.

ESPNU will carry nineteen of the season’s games, most of which will be Sunday double headers during the conference season. It will also carry the annual Play 4 Kay tournament alongside ESPN2. The tournament brings attention to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. It is held in partnership with The V Foundation and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). That tournament is scheduled to begin February 22^nd, 2015.

The SEC Network will dedicate its time to carrying more than sixty games. That schedule includes a double head every Thursday and a game of the week every Monday.

The Longhorn Network will have thirteen games. Of those thirteen games, seven will feature the Longhorns taking on a Big 12 opponent.

The information noted above is just part of the ESPN networks’ coverage of the 2014 – 2015 Women’s College Basketball season. The current full schedule of games and networks is included below.

2014-15 ESPN Network’s Women’s Basketball Schedule (subject to change)

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	Network
Sat, Nov 15	TBD	UT San Antonio at Texas	Longhorn Network
Sun, Nov 16	8 p.m.	Duke at Alabama	SEC Network
Mon, Nov 17	7 p.m.	Tip-Off Marathon Presented by Dish: Baylor at Kentucky	ESPN2
	9 p.m.	Tip-Off Marathon Presented by Dish: Connecticut at Stanford	ESPN2
Thu, Nov 20	7 p.m.	Clemson at South Carolina	SEC Network
Wed, Nov 26	8 p.m.	Texas Pan American at Texas	Longhorn Network
Sun, Nov 30	1 p.m.	Duke at Texas A&M	SEC Network
Mon, Dec 1	9 p.m.	Virginia Tech at Florida	SEC Network
Wed, Dec 3	7 p.m.	Louisiana Tech at LSU	SEC Network
	8 p.m.	New Mexico at Texas	Longhorn Network
Thu, Dec 4	8 p.m.	Charlotte at South Carolina	SEC Network
Sat, Dec 6	3:15 p.m.	Jimmy V Women’s Classic Presented by Corona: Connecticut at Notre Dame	ESPN
Sun, Dec 7	1 p.m.	South Carolina at Duke	ESPN2
	4 p.m.	Michigan State at Georgia	SEC Network
Mon, Dec 8	Noon	Southern at Texas	Longhorn Network
Wed, Dec 10	7 p.m.	Wisconsin at Florida	SEC Network
Fri, Dec 12	9 p.m.	Middle Tennessee State at Kentucky	SEC Network
Sun, Dec 14	1 p.m.	Mercer at Alabama	SEC Network
	3 p.m.	Holiday Hoops presented by Kay Jewelers: Tennessee at Rutgers	ESPN2
		Northwestern State at Texas	Longhorn Network
	6 p.m.	Belmont at Kentucky	SEC Network
Tue, Dec 16	7 p.m.	Wichita State at Tennessee	SEC Network
Wed, Dec 17	8 p.m.	McNeese State at Texas	Longhorn Network
Sat, Dec 20	1 p.m.	Stanford at Tennessee	SEC Network
Sun, Dec 21	1:30 p.m.	SEC/Big 12 Challenge: Texas vs. Texas A&M (Little Rock, Ark.)	SEC Network
	3 p.m.	Holiday Hoops presented by Kay Jewelers: Kentucky at Duke	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	SEC/Big 12 Challenge: Oklahoma vs. Arkansas (Little Rock, Ark.)	SEC Network
	5 p.m.	Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Holiday Showcase as part of Holiday Hoops presented by Kay Jewelers: UCLA vs. Connecticut (Uncasville, Conn.)	ESPN2
Sun, Dec 28	Noon	East Carolina at USF	ESPNU
	1 p.m.	Oregon State at Tennessee	SEC Network
	8:30 p.m.	Temple at Memphis	ESPNU
Mon, Dec 29	9 p.m.	Duke at Connecticut	ESPN2
Tue, Dec 30	8 p.m.	Rice at Texas	Longhorn Network
Fri, Jan 2	7 p.m.	Auburn at South Carolina	SEC Network
	9 p.m.	Missouri at Tennessee	SEC Network
Sat, Jan 3	8 p.m.	Kansas at Texas	Longhorn Network
Sun, Jan 4	1 p.m.	Maggie Dixon Classic: Connecticut vs. St. John’s (New York, N.Y.)	ESPN2
	1:30 p.m.	Texas A&M at Arkansas	ESPNU
	2 p.m.	Ole Miss at Kentucky	SEC Network
	3 p.m.	South Carolina at LSU	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	George Washington at Dayton	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	Florida at Auburn

 

 

More information on this season’s coverage is available online at:

Website: http://espn.go.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/espn

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