- Team of Adam Amin, Kara Lawson, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe make their Women’s Final Four Debut
- Live On-Site Studio Coverage with Host Maria Taylor and Analysts Nell Fortner, Andy Landers and Lobo
- 23rd Consecutive Year of ESPN’s Exclusive Presentation
Game Coverage (Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio)
Friday, March 30
Semifinal #1: Louisville vs. Mississippi State (7 p.m., ESPN2)
Semifinal #2: Notre Dame vs. UConn (9:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Sunday, April 1
National Championship Game (6 p.m., ESPN)
Production
- Features, vignettes and segments on each Final Four team, including the story of Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer and his son, Logan, who nearly lost his life in an accident in 2010, the state of the UConn-Notre Dame rivalry, the common bond between Louisville head coach Jeff Walz and star player Asia Durr, who have both overcome speech impediments, Notre Dame’s triumphs despite a number of injuries this season, as well as one-on-one interviews with coaches and players conducted by Holly Rowe
- Pregame locker room access, in-game head coach and halftime player interviews, as well as on-set studio interviews with special guests
- Potential guests on set include Final Four coaches on game day
- Data Center: an ESPN3 offering, available on the ESPN App, will give fans access to statistics, analytics and social media commentary that complements game coverage
- Interact on Twitter via @espnW, @ESPN_WomenHoop and #WFinalFour for the final weekend
- What About Us? ESPN’s marketing campaign continues, with testimonials from players of each of the Final Four teams, that will be shared socially and in-arena
- Show open will debut before the semifinals on Friday, taking a humorous look at the rules and history of women’s basketball
Technology
- The use of 27 cameras to cover the games, with the ability to have 15 different positions, plus four cameras focused on the in-arena studio set
- Technologies used during the Final Four telecasts
- Spidercam aerial camera system
- Above the Rim camera systems on each backboard for two additional looks, as well as 10 Marshall POV cameras to capture courtside and backstage elements
- The ART system (telestrator device) will be incorporated within the telecasts for the seventh consecutive year
- Two Avid Symphony systems onsite to support pre-production pieces for the games and studio
- Two Sony 4300 Super Slow-Motion Cameras that will allow for enhanced game action and replay coverage of the game action
- RF Steadi Cam
Commentators
- Adam Amin (play-by-play) makes his Women’s Final Four debut alongside analysts Kara Lawson and Rebecca Lobo, and reporter Holly Rowe;
- Maria Taylor, Nell Fortner, Andy Landers and Lobo will be on set live from Nationwide Arena throughout the weekend
espnW
espnW.com’s comprehensive coverage of the NCAA tournament will continue in Columbus:
- In-depth and on-site coverage, including features, game previews and postgame analysis from Mechelle Voepel, Graham Hays, Charlie Creme, D’Arcy Maine and Pat Borzi
- From pre-game to tip-off and beyond the confetti, espnW social channels will capture the sights and sounds of the Women’s Final Four and championship game with behind-the-scenes Instagram photos, tweets and Facebook posts
Additionally, espnW will host two presentations of its acclaimed podcast, “Around the Rim,” live from Tourney Town at the Greater Columbus Convention Center on Thursday, March 29 (3:30 -5 p.m) and Saturday, March 30 (12:30 -2 p.m.).
ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson, producer Terrika Foster-Brasby and A-list guests from women’s basketball will break down the 2017-18 season and the Final Four. Hoops greats Breanna Stewart and Katie Smith are scheduled to appear.
The event is open and free to the public.
Women’s Final Four Specials
NCAA Women’s Final Four Special Presented by Capital One: The 30-minute preview show (6:30 p.m.) hosted by Taylor with analysts Fortner, Landers and Lobo from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, will precede the semifinals on Friday, March 30, on ESPN2.
NCAA Women’s Championship Special Presented by Capital One: An hour-long preview special will tip off the national championship game coverage, hosted by Taylor with Fortner, Landers and Lobo, from inside the arena on Sunday, at 5 p.m.
SEC Network
SEC Network will have full coverage of the Women’s Final Four featuring live reporting from both Columbus and Starkville. Host Peter Burns will anchor the network’s coverage originating in Charlotte with Dari Nowkhah and Nell Fortner on site in Columbus. In addition, several of the sport’s brightest stars, including South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson and former Mississippi State center Chinwe Okorie, will join the network’s programming in the coming days to provide perspective on what it takes to perform on women’s college basketball’s biggest stage. More information on the network’s coverage can be found here.
ESPN International
ESPN International television and streaming networks will offer live coverage in Australia, Brazil, the Caribbean, Mexico, Spanish-speaking Central and South America, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, as well as ESPN on BT Sport in the UK and Ireland, Kwesé Sport channels in Africa, and TSN in Canada.
NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Schedule (subject to change)
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup/Commentators | Network |
| Fri, Mar 30 | 6:30 p.m. | NCAA Women’s Final Four Special Presented by Capital One
Maria Taylor, Nell Fortner, Andy Landers, Rebecca Lobo |
ESPN2/ESPN App |
| 7 p.m. | Semifinal #1 (Columbus, Ohio)
Adam Amin, Kara Lawson/Rebecca Lobo, Holly Rowe |
ESPN2/ESPN App | |
| 9 p.m. | Semifinal #2 (Columbus, Ohio)
Adam Amin, Kara Lawson/Rebecca Lobo, Holly Rowe |
ESPN2/ESPN App | |
| Sun, Apr 1 | 5 p.m. | NCAA Women’s Championship Special Presented by Capital One
Maria Taylor, Nell Fortner, Rebecca Lobo, Andy Landers |
ESPN/ESPN App |
| 6 p.m. | National Championship Game (Columbus, Ohio)
Adam Amin, Kara Lawson/Rebecca Lobo, Holly Rowe |
ESPN/ESPN App |
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