ESPN Networks Present All Games of the 2014 NCAA Women’s Tournament

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The networks of ESPN will air all 63 games of the NCAA Women’s Tournament starting this Saturday. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, WatchESPN and ESPN Full Court will all be utilized during the three week tourney that culminates with the Women’s Final Four in Nashville, TN on Sunday, April 6 and the National Championship Game on Tuesday, April 7.

In home markets, during the first two rounds of the tournament, ESPN or ESPN2 will air games of local interest. In each of the various windows, there will be multiple games and ESPN will conduct whiparound coverage except in local markets where ESPN will not break away.

ESPN2 will air most of the first and second round games. ESPN will then pick up most of the action from the Sweet 16 through the National Championship.

Here’s the ESPN breakdown of coverage.

ESPN Networks to Present Entire NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship

Undefeated Connecticut and Notre Dame First-Round Games to Air in Full National Windows on ESPN

The entire NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship will air across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, WatchESPN and ESPN FULL COURT beginning with first-round action on Saturday, March 22. Play culminates with the NCAA Women’s National Championship game on Tuesday, April 8, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN in Nashville, Tenn.

Undefeated and top-seeded Notre Dame’s and Connecticut’s “Pursuit of Perfection” will be on display with their first-round games airing in full national windows on ESPN and WatchESPN. No. 1 seed Notre Dame will play No. 16 seed Robert Morris from Toledo, Ohio, on Saturday, March 22, at 1:30 p.m., while UConn will play at home against No. 16 Prairie View A&M on Sunday, March 23, at 8 p.m.

Most of the first- and second-round tournament games will be televised on ESPN2 – with the exception of the Sunday 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. windows – within 12 telecast windows in a regionalized format with home market protection. ESPN3 and ESPN FULL COURT, the pay-per-view package, will offer complete games as a supplement to the regionalized coverage. The final 15 games, beginning with the Regional Semifinals, will have national telecast windows on ESPN or ESPN2, as well as WatchESPN.

WatchESPN is available on computers, smartphones, tablets, Xbox, Apple TV and Roku via WatchESPN to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

Additional NCAA Championship content will be available across multiple platforms, including espnW.com, SportsCenter, ESPNEWS and ESPN International.

First and Second Rounds – Regionalized & Home Market Protection

• In the home markets of the competing teams, ESPN or ESPN2 will televise the game of local interest. While constant updates from the other games will be provided in the home market, the networks will not switch to another game during live action, thereby establishing home market protection.
• For the first and second rounds, multiple games (as many as four) will begin within one telecast window. During those windows, the coverage will showcase the best action for viewers in the majority of the nation (except in the home markets of the competing teams).
• ESPN3 and WatchESPN will also provide coverage of the first- and second-round games.

Coverage Highlights

• Connecticut and Notre Dame’s “Pursuit of Perfection” explored through vignettes, as well as elements and graphics on the historical significance of having the perfect season. Both UConn’s Geno Auriemma and ND’s Muffet McGraw speak about the rivalry and pursuing perfection.
• Continuation of ESPN’s “Need to Know” series – elevating five stars in the women’s game, who have made a significant impact this season: Kayla McBride (Notre Dame), Chiney Ogwumike (Stanford), Odyssey Sims (Baylor), Breanna Stewart (UConn) and Alyssa Thomas (Maryland).
• As ESPN prepares for the Final Four in Nashville, a hint of the Music City in tease and bump elements with posters created for specific teams and players in the traditional Nashville style.
• Connie Britton of ABC’s hit drama series “Nashville” voiced “The Only Way I Know” — originally recorded by Jason Aldean featuring Luke Bryant and Eric Church — to be used throughout ESPN’s Selection Show and tournament telecasts. “Nashville” airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
• espnW Tourney Snapshots (photos from game sites) featured throughout the telecasts.
• Interact on twitter via @espnW and #NCAAW for the first, second and regional rounds and @espnW and #NCAAWFF for the final weekend.

Commentator Highlights

• Lobo will be part of ESPN’s studio coverage for the entire NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship coverage for the first time, joining anchor Kevin Negandhi and analyst Kara Lawson.
• First- and second-round play-by-play announcers Joe Davis, Dave Flemming, Tom Hart, Mark Jones, Clay Matvick, Dave Pasch and Bob Wischusen, as well as analysts Jimmy Dykes, Fran Fraschilla and Sean Farnham will also be working ESPN’s coverage of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) first round.
• Veteran analyst Doris Burke will work all rounds of the NCAA Championship, as well as continue her duties on the Wednesday editions of NBA Countdown – ESPN’s NBA pre-game show from Los Angeles.
• Reporters at each of the Regional sites will include LaChina Robinson, Holly Rowe, Maria Taylor and Brooke Weisbrod.
• Dave O’Brien will return at play-by-play for the Final Four, along with Burke and Rowe.

espnW.com
News, analysis and commentary will be provided throughout the women’s tournament, from Selection Monday through the Women’s Final Four in Nashville, Tenn. Highlights:

• Columnists will provide live coverage of each round of games from coast-to-coast, with video highlights of the matchups.
• ESPN analyst Lobo will contribute.
• Coverage of five top players in ESPN’s Need to Know initiative will continue.
• Stats, analysis and stories on additional players to watch.
• Tourney Snapshots, which includes team- and fan-submitted social media photos and video with behind-the-scenes access to teams, players and coaches, will return for the second consecutive season.
• Student-athlete bloggers will include Stefanie Dolson (UConn), Maggie Lucas (Penn St), Ogwumike (Stanford), Becca Greenwell (Duke), Mikayla Lyles (Cal) and Chloe Pavlech (Maryland).
• Women’s Tournament Challenge is where fans and experts alike can pick their brackets and earn points throughout the tournament.
• espnW.com staff and a handful of WNBA players will face off in an Women’s Tournament Challenge group.

2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship First and Second Round Schedule
(subject to change)

Date	Time (ET)	Game / Commentators	Networks
Sat, Mar 22	11 a.m.	First Round	ESPN2/ESPN3
		No. 15 Winthrop at No. 2 Duke (Durham, N.C.) Mark Jones & LaChina Robinson
		No. 14 Wright State at No. 3 Kentucky (Lexington, Ky.) Marc Kestecher & Brooke Weisbrod
		No. 9 Arizona State vs. No. 8 Vanderbilt (Toledo, Ohio.) Beth Mowins & Stephanie White
		No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State (West Lafayette, Ind.) Melissa Lee & Jimmy Dykes
	Approx. 30 minutes after end of 11 a.m.	First Round	ESPN2/ESPN3
		No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 DePaul (Durham, N.C.)
		No. 11 Chattanooga vs. No. 6 Syracuse (Lexington, Ky.)
		No. 13 Akron at No. 4 Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.)
		No. 16 Robert Morris vs. No. 1 Notre Dame (Toledo, Ohio.)	ESPN/WatchESPN
	4 p.m.	First Round	ESPN2/ESPN3
		No. 10 Florida State at No. 7 Iowa (Ames, Iowa) Clay Matvick & Fran Fraschilla
		No. 16 Northwestern State at No. 1 Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.) Joe Davis & Maria Taylor
		No. 13 Fresno State vs. No. 4 Nebraska (Los Angeles, Calif.) Dave Pasch & Doris Burke
		No. 10 Fordham vs. No. 7 California (Waco, Texas) Pam Ward & Carolyn Peck
	Approx. 30 minutes after end of 4 p.m.	First Round	ESPN2/ESPN3
		No. 15 South Dakota vs. No. 2 Stanford (Ames, Iowa)
		No. 9 Southern Cal vs. No. 8 St. John’s (Knoxville, Tenn.)
		No. 12 BYU vs. No. 5 NC State (Los Angeles, Calif.)
		No. 15 Western Kentucky at No. 2 Baylor (Waco, Texas)
Sun, Mar 23	Noon	First Round	ESPN2/ESPN3
		No. 10 Georgia Tech at No. 7 LSU (Baton Rouge, La.) Cara Capuano & Nell Fortner
		No. 12 Hampton vs. No. 5 Michigan State (Chapel Hill, N.C.) Tom Hart & Mary Murphy
		No. 13 Army at No. 4 Maryland (College Park, Md.) Bob Wischusen & Christy Winters-Scott
		No. 14 Wichita State at No. 3 Penn State (University, Park, Pa.) Bob Picozzi & Krista Blunk
	3 p.m.	First Round	ESPN/ESPN3
		No. 15 Albany vs. No. 2 West Virginia (Baton Rouge, La.)
		No. 13 Tennessee-Martin at No. 4 North Carolina (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
		No. 12 Penn vs. No. 5 Texas (College Park, Md.)
		No. 11 Florida vs. No. 6 Dayton (University Park, Pa.)
	5:30 p.m.	First Round	ESPN/ESPN3
		No. 11 James Madison vs. No. 6 Gonzaga(College Station, Texas) Carter Blackburn & Rosalyn Gold-Onwude
		No. 14 Idaho vs. No. 3 Louisville (Iowa City, Iowa) Holly Rowe & Brenda VanLengen
		No. 16 Cal State Northridge at No. 1 South Carolina (Seattle, Wash.) Dave Flemming & Sean Farnham
		No.  9 St. Joseph’s vs. No. 8 Georgia (Storrs, Conn.) Dave O’Brien & Debbie Antonelli
	8 p.m.	First Round	ESPN2/ESPN3
		No. 14 North Dakota at No. 3 Texas A&M (College Station, Texas)
		No. 11 Marist at No. 6 Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa)
		No. 9 Oregon State vs. No. 8 Middle Tennessee State (Seattle, Wash.)
		No. 16 Prairie View A&M at No. 1 Connecticut (Storrs, Conn.)	ESPN/WatchESPN
Mon, Mar 24	6:30 p.m.	Second Round (Durham, N.C., Lexington, Ky., Toledo, Ohio, West Lafayette, Ind.)	ESPN2/ESPN3
	9 p.m.	Second Round (Ames, Iowa, Knoxville, Tenn., Los Angeles, Calif., Waco, Texas)	ESPN2/ESPN3
Tue, Mar 25	7 p.m.	Second Round (Chapel Hill, N.C., College Park, Md., Storrs, Conn., University Park, Pa.)	ESPN2/ESPN3
	9:30 p.m.	Second Round (Baton Rouge, La., College Station, Texas, Iowa City, Iowa, Seattle, Wash.)	ESPN2/ESPN3

2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Regional Schedule (subject to change)

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Networks
Sat, Mar 29	Noon	Regional Semifinal (South Bend, Ind.) Beth Mowins, Stephanie White & Maria Taylor	ESPN/WatchESPN
	2:30 p.m.	Regional Semifinal (South Bend, Ind.)	ESPN/WatchESPN
	4:30 p.m.	Regional Semifinal (Lincoln, Neb.) Pam Ward, Carolyn Peck & LaChina Robinson	ESPN/WatchESPN
	7 p.m.	Regional Semifinal (Lincoln, Neb.)	ESPN/WatchESPN
Sun, Mar 30	Noon	Regional Semifinal (Louisville, Ky.) Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Holly Rowe	ESPN/WatchESPN
	2:30 p.m.	Regional Semifinal (Louisville, Ky.)	ESPN2/WatchESPN
	4:30 p.m.	Regional Semifinal (Stanford, Calif.) Dave Pasch, Debbie Antonelli & Brooke Weisbrod	ESPN2/WatchESPN
	7 p.m.	Regional Semifinal (Stanford, Calif.)	ESPN2/WatchESPN
Mon, Mar 31	7:30 p.m.	Regional Final (South Bend, Ind.)	ESPN/WatchESPN
	9:30 p.m.	Regional Final (Lincoln, Neb.)	ESPN/WatchESPN
Tue, Apr 1	7 p.m.	Regional Final (Louisville, Ky.)	ESPN/WatchESPN
	9 p.m.	Regional Final (Stanford, Calif.)	ESPN/WatchESPN

2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Final Four Schedule
(subject to change)

Sun, Apr 6	6 p.m.	NCAA Women’s Final Four Special Kevin Negandhi, Kara Lawson & Rebecca Lobo	ESPN/WatchESPN
	6:30 p.m.	National Semifinal Game 1 (Nashville, Tenn.) Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Holly Rowe	ESPN/WatchESPN
	9 p.m.	National Semifinal Game 2 (Nashville, Tenn.)	ESPN/WatchESPN
Tue, Apr 8	5 p.m.	The Experts: NCAA Women’s Championship	ESPNU/WatchESPN
	6 p.m.	College Basketball Live: NCAA Women’s Championship Special	ESPNU/WatchESPN
	7:30 p.m.	NCAA Women’s Championship Special Kevin Negandhi, Kara Lawson & Rebecca Lobo	ESPN/WatchESPN
	8:30 p.m.	National Final (Nashville, Tenn.) Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Holly Rowe	ESPN/WatchESPN

That’s all.

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