- College GameDay will be Live from Maverick Plaza by the Riverwalk
- ESPN International Networks to Air Semifinals and National Championship Game in 180 Countries
- Exclusive Announcement of Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2018
- Weekend-long SportsCenter includes Live Look at Loyola-Chicago Practice on Friday
ESPN is set to provide extensive, multiplatform coverage live from San Antonio as the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Final Four action begins. College GameDay Covered by State Farm will air live from ESPN’s set, located at Maverick Plaza of La Villita Historical Arts Village, for special edition shows prior to the semifinals on Saturday, March 31 (2 p.m. ET), and the national championship game on Monday, April 2 (7 p.m.).
In addition to an on-site studio presence, ESPN International networks will air the semifinals and national championship game of the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament, available to 180 countries around the world.
Hall of Fame Class Announcement
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class Announcement will air Saturday, March 31 (noon, ESPN2), as ESPN exclusively reveals the 2018 Hall of Fame class.
- The hour telecast will be hosted by Rece Davis and Jay Bilas
- Select members of the Class of 2018 and special guests will join the show
College GameDay Covered by State Farm
- Saturday, March 31 (2– 6 p.m., ESPN): Host Davis is joined by Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams for a four-hour show leading into the semifinals; the GameDay crew will be joined by college basketball analysts Dan Dakich, Dick Vitale and Bill Walton, and reporters Jeff Goodman and Allison Williams
- Monday, April 2 (7– 9 p.m., ESPN2): Davis, Bilas, Greenberg and Williams breakdown the matchup between the final two teams fighting to be crowned the 2018 national champions and take a look back at the 2017-18 season; Dakich, Goodman and Williams will also contribute to the two-hour show
- This weekend’s features include:
- Buzzer Beaters – A look at the history and madness of buzzer beaters in the tournament (Tom Rinaldi)
- Austin Hatch – The miraculous story of survival of Michigan’s Austin Hatch (Chris Connelly)
- Plays of the Year
SportsCenter will provide live coverage from the Men’s Final Four in San Antonio with reporting from Goodman and Williams, as well as contributions from the GameDay commentators. Additional live SportsCenter content includes:
- A look at Loyola-Chicago’s practice on Friday, March 30, at noon, at the Alamodome.
- Full postgame coverage on Saturday and Monday with Davis, Bilas, Greenberg, Williams and Vitale
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio will provide news, commentary and analysis of the Men’s Final Four throughout its shows and platforms including coaches and players as guests on Golic and Wingo, The Stephen A. Smith Show, The Will Cain Show and more.
ESPN.com
A host of reporters will be in San Antonio, covering the days leading up to the national semifinals and title game, offering reaction and news before, during and after the Final Four.
From Sea to Shining Sea – College Hoops Around the World
ESPN International will televise the semifinals and championship game to fans in 180 countries and territories across 26 networks outside the United States:
- Sean McDonough is on play-by-play, alongside Jay Bilas on the second semifinal (Kansas vs. Villanova) and Dick Vitale for the first semifinal (Loyola vs. Michigan) and the championship game.
- Coverage in Latin America (Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America), Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and via TSN in Canada.
- Additionally, worldwide, ESPN Syndication has completed deals to distribute the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship to local television clients reaching tens of millions of homes in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
- ESPN broadband services around the world – under the ESPN Player, WatchESPN and ESPN Play brands – are also providing live and on-demand coverage of some, or all, of the tournament in more than 148 countries in the Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Australia.
- Distributed via Econet/Kwese in sub-Saharan Africa, Sony ESPN in India, Tencent in China and TV5 in the Philippines
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