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ESPN2 and ESPNU will air five women’s college basketball games on Sunday, Feb. 22 as part of the annual Play 4Kay initiative – highlighting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, in partnership with The V Foundation and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). In addition, two top-10 matchups also a part of the Play 4Kay initiative – SEC rivals No. 6 Tennessee at No. 1 South Carolina and ACC foes No. 9 Louisville at No. 4 Notre Dame – will air Monday, Feb. 23, as part of ESPN2’s Big Monday Presented by Verizon series. In its ninth year, Play 4Kay is in memory of former NC State head coach Kay Yow, who lost her long, courageous battle with breast cancer.
Eight teams listed in the Associated Press weekly poll will participate in this year’s Play 4Kay games: No. 1 South Carolina; No. 4 Notre Dame; No. 6 Tennessee; No. 9 Louisville; No. 11 Duke; No. 18 Rutgers, No. 19 Stanford and No. 25 USF.
All Play 4Kay telecasts will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
Production Highlights:
- ESPN women’s basketball analysts Kara Lawson and Rebecca Lobo will join host Kevin Negandhi as part of the network’s studio coverage for the Play 4Kay
- A feature highlighting Yow’s legacy.
- “I Play4” moments from players and coaches involved in Play 4Kay
- Sound bites from coaches speaking about Yow.
Game Highlights:
- Opening Play 4Kay on Sunday is No. 11 Duke at NC State at noon, followed by No. 18 Rutgers traveling to Michigan State at 2 p.m. – both on ESPN2.
- American opponents Temple and No. 25 USF meet Sunday at noon on ESPNU.
- SEC opponents LSU and Arkansas tangle on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPNU.
- Pac-12 in-state rivals, California at No. 19 Stanford play Sunday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.
- The ESPN2 Big Monday series showcases No. 9 Louisville vs. No. 4 Notre Dame at 7 p.m., followed by No. 6 Tennessee at No. 1 South Carolina at 9 p.m.
- Eight Wooden Award Women’s Midseason Top 20 nominees will be playing on Sunday and Monday: Brittany Boyd (California); Reshanda Gray (California); Isabelle Harrison (Tennessee); Jewell Lloyd (Notre Dame); Tiffany Mitchell (South Carolina); Amber Orrange (Stanford); Elizabeth Williams (Duke) and A’ja Wilson (South Carolina).
- Leading into Play 4Kay, in-depth features on cancer survivor, Washington redshirt sophomore Katie Collier, and Kent State coach Danielle O’Banion, who is currently battling the disease.
- Quick Dish provides a comprehensive report on the day’s biggest performances and examines how the results affect Charlie Creme’s Bracketology.
- Sixth-annual Frenzies continues to honor the teams and players that shined brightest during Play 4Kay.
- Social Tiles, showcasing some of Coach Yow’s best sayings known today as Yow-isms, will be created in an effort to encourage social media engagement and conversation surrounding Play4Kay.
- Online video segments associated with the Play 4Kay.
2015 Play 4Kay Schedule (Subject to change)
| Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
| Sun, Feb 22 | Noon | No. 11 Duke at NC State Brenda VanLengen, Debbie Antonelli |
ESPN2 |
| Temple at No. 25 USF Melissa Lee, Sue Bird |
ESPNU | ||
| 2 p.m. | No. 18 Rutgers at Michigan State Pam Ward, Stephanie White |
ESPN2 | |
| LSU at Arkansas Roy Philpott, Brooke Weisbrod |
ESPNU | ||
| 4 p.m. | No. 11 California at No. 19 Stanford Roxy Bernstein, Mary Murphy |
ESPN2 | |
| Mon, Feb 23 | 7 p.m. | Big Monday: No. 9 Louisville at No. 4 Notre Dame Beth Mowins, Stephanie White |
ESPN2 |
| 9 p.m. | Big Monday: No. 6 Tennessee at No. 1 South Carolina Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke |
ESPN2 |
Kay Yow Legacy
Yow’s coaching career spanned more than 38 years, including 34 with NC State. She had a record of 737-344, which encompassed 20 NCAA championship bids, a Women’s Final Four appearance in 1998 and four ACC Tournament championships. She also coached the U.S. Olympic women’s team to a gold medal in 1988 and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and the inaugural NC State Hall of Fame in October, 2012. Yow won the inaugural Jimmy V ESPY for Perseverance Award in 2007.
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund was officially founded on December 3, 2007 from the vision of the organization’s namesake Kay Yow, former NC State University head women’s basketball coach. Coach Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 before succumbing to the disease on January 24, 2009. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against women’s cancers through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved, and unifying people for a common cause. To date, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has supported $3.93 million in women’s cancer research and related programs focused on women’s cancers. For more information on the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, please visit www.KayYow.com.
The V Foundation for Cancer Research
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has funded more than $130 million in cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations to cancer research and related programs. Due to generous donors, the Foundation has an endowment that covers administrative expenses. The Foundation awards peer-reviewed grants through a competitive awards process vetted by a Scientific Advisory Committee. For more information on The V Foundation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.
The WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association promotes women’s basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is the WBCA’s charity of choice. For more information on the WBCA, please visit www.wbca.org.
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