Let’s Talk Hoops: ESPN’s Coverage of College Basketball Complemented by Notable Voices

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2017-18 ESPN Men’s College Basketball Schedule
ESPN Women’s College Basketball Schedule

 

• Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Maria Taylor Return to call Saturday Primetime Presented by AT&T
• Adam Amin to Serve as a New Voice on Women’s College Basketball; Will Continue to Call Men’s Games
• Rebecca Lobo Adds Game Analyst Duties to her Role
• Laura Rutledge Named Reporter for SEC Men’s Basketball Games on ESPN

ESPN’s college basketball coverage will be complemented by an array of voices during the 2017-18 season. Fans will hear from commentators across more than 1,000 men’s and women’s college basketball matchups on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network and Longhorn Network.

The men’s season tips off on ESPN from Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday, Nov. 10, with the Armed Forces Classic (6 p.m. ET, ESPN). Karl Ravech and college basketball analysts Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg will call the matchup between West Virginia and Texas A&M. The team of Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Maria Taylor return to work Saturday Primetime Presented by AT&T games, and will make their season debut for Duke-Michigan State, as part of the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 14 (7 p.m., ESPN). Dick Vitale, longtime ESPN basketball analyst, will serve as the analyst with Shulman and Taylor for the second matchup of the Classic, as Kentucky faces Kansas (9:30 p.m., ESPN).

ESPN’s coverage of NCAA women’s basketball begins Sunday, Nov. 12, with the Countdown to Columbus doubleheader, featuring Stanford facing UConn (1:30 p.m., ESPN) and Louisville taking on Ohio State (4 p.m., ESPNU). Play-by-play commentator Adam Amin will make his debut as a new voice for women’s college basketball, working alongside analyst Kara Lawson, who recently signed a new multi-year deal with ESPN, and recent Hall of Fame inductee Rebecca Lobo. Big Monday (ESPN2) and Showcase Thursday (ESPN) games are slated to be called by the trio, with reporter Holly Rowe joining them for the Women’s Final Four.

College GameDay covered by State Farm, in its 14^th season, will originate from the site of ESPN’s Saturday Primetime Presented by AT&T game each week, beginning January 20 through March 3. Host Rece Davis is joined by Bilas, Williams and Greenberg for the morning edition of GameDay, as well as a pre-game lead-in for the game of the week. GameDay will also have a presence at State Farm Champions Classic (Nov. 14), featuring No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 Kentucky, and the Jimmy V Men’s Classic.

Commentator Highlights

Men’s Basketball Coverage

• Big Monday presented by Jos. A. Bank : The team of Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas or Dick Vitale and Allison Williams will work ACC games, while Bob Wischusen, Fran Fraschilla and Holly Rowe cover the Big 12
• Super Tuesday voices include Dave Flemming, Dan Dakich and Molly McGrath for Big Ten matchups, and Joe Tessitore or Shulman, Sean Farnham and Laura Rutledge calling SEC men’s basketball games on ESPN
• Wednesday ACC matchups on ESPN2 will be called by Karl Ravech and LaPhonso Ellis
• The duo of Dave Pasch and Bill Walton return to call Pac-12 games
• Wischusen and Vitale will partner to work on multiple conference matchups on Saturdays throughout the season
• New voices include Tom Crean, John Thompson III, Caron Butler and Robbie Hummel
• ESPNU’s coverage to include play-by-by commentators Jason Benetti, Jordan Bernfield, Roxy Bernstein, Kevin Brown, Ted Emrich, Rich Hollenberg, Mitch Holthus, Matt Schick, Clay Matvick, Roy Philpott, Doug Sherman, Taylor Zarzour, Anish Shroff, Analysts include Mark Adams, Cory Alexander, Deb Antonelli, Adrian Branch, Dino Gaudio, Reid Gettys, Sean Harrington, Malcolm Huckaby, Julianne Viani, Brooke Weisbrod, Tim Welsh, Corey Williams and Mark Wise
• SEC Network will present more than 100 SEC games exclusively, and will include analysts Pat Bradley, Dane Bradshaw, Daymeon Fishback, Sean Harrington, Jon Sundvold and Brooke Weisbrod, as well as play-by-play commentators Richard Cross, Kevin Fitzgerald, Tom Hart, Mike Morgan, Dave Neal and Roy Philpott
  • Studio coverage will be provided by Bradley, Jimmy Dykes, Fishback and Antoine Walker

• Longhorn Network will surround the network’s eight exclusive Texas men’s basketball games with studio programming that includes Game Plan with head coach Shaka Smart and Lowell Galindo. Texas GameDay will air from games against Michigan (Dec. 12), Texas Tech (Jan. 17), Kansas State (Feb. 7) and Oklahoma State (Feb. 24). Lowell Galindo will call play-by-play for the network alongside analysts Lance Blanks, Reid Gettys and others.
• Emrich and Paul Biancardi will call high school matchups

Women’s Basketball Coverage

• Big Mondayand Showcase Thursday games will see the commentator team of Amin, Lawson/Lobo
• Beth Mowins and Deb Antonelli to partner to call a Big Monday doubleheader matchup and Sunday games throughout the season
• Antonelli will work with Paul Sunderlandon Thursday SEC Network games, and will also call games on ESPN2
• Pam Ward will serve as a play by play commentator for several games throughout the season, working with Gail Goestenkors on ESPN2 and SEC Network
• SEC Network boasts more than 70 games on ESPN’s network dedicated to the Southeastern Conference
  • Nell Fortnerwill appear in studio on Thursdays with Andy Landers and Taylor
  • Monday games will be called by Brenda VanLengenand Carol Ross
  • Tamika Catchings returns for her second season with the network, with the addition of two former players in Amanda Butler (Florida) and Andraya Carter (Tennessee)
  • SEC game coverage to include analysts Antonelli, Catchings, Fortner, Landers, Ross and Steffi Sorensen, and play-by-play commentators Courtney Lyle, Sunderland, VanLengen and Ward
• Additional contributors include Brooke Weisbrod, LaChina Robinson, Sorensen and newcomer Christy Thomaskutty
• Dawn Davenport, Tiffany Greene and Philpott will serve as a play-by-play commentators for several games during the regular season
• In addition to 12 exclusive Texas women’s basketball games, Longhorn Network studio programming includes Game Plan with Karen Aston, as well as Texas GameDay that will air from Oklahoma State (Jan. 3), UConn (Jan. 15), TCU (Feb. 3), Texas Tech (Feb. 14) and Baylor (Feb. 19). Alex Loeb and Fran Harris return as play-by-play commentators, along with Fortner.

Live From the Studio

Studio coverage during men’s matchups will include Jay Williams, Seth Greenberg, Tom Crean and Dalen Cuff, who also signed a new multi-year deal. Cuff will have a prominent studio presence throughout the season.

Maria Taylor, Rebecca Lobo and Andy Landers return for their second season together providing studio coverage for Big Monday. Nell Fortner will work with Taylor and Landers for Showcase Thursday matchups.

ESPN’s college basketball schedule will provide fans with more than 1,000 men’s and women’s matchups across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network and Longhorn Network this season. Additional games on ESPN3, SEC Network + and ACC Network Extra provide fans with access to a record-setting 3,500 matchups, all available on the ESPN app.

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