The other NCAA basketball tournament, the Division I Women’s Championship resumes this weekend with the Sweet 16. ESPN and ESPN2 will have coverage from four regional sites, Raleigh, NC; Kingston, RI; Des Moines, IA; and Fresno, CA.
And the main crew of Dave O’Brien and Doris Burke are in Kingston at the Ryan Center on the University of Rhode Island campus, the most beautiful campus in the world, to call that regional final. Yes, I’m a URI alum so I’m partial to the school. Holly Rowe will also be on hand to roam the sidelines to grab players and push other people out of the way to get her interviews. I may go to the Tuesday regional final to see if I can get Holly in a mosh pit afterwards.
ESPN will carry three of four games today and ESPN2 gets three out of four Regional Semifinals on Sunday.
We have the games, tip times and announcing assignments for the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Tournament.
Teams, Sites and Times Set for NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Regional Weekend
The Sweet Sixteen is set for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship and the action will begin Saturday, March 24, from the Des Moines, Iowa and Fresno, Calif., Regionals and Sunday from Raleigh, N.C., and Kingston, R.I. The final 15 games of the championship, beginning with the Regional Semifinals, will have national telecast windows on ESPN or ESPN2, along with simulcasts on ESPN3. Highlights:
- Two No. 11 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 in the same year for the first time — Kansas vs. No. 2 Tennessee (Saturday at noon ET, ESPN) and Gonzaga vs. No. 2 Kentucky (Sunday at 6:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- All four No. 1 seeds are still in action – No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 4 Georgia Tech (Saturday at 2 p.m., ESPN); No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 5 South Carolina (Saturday at 11:30 p.m., ESPN2); No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 St. Bonaventure (Sunday at 2:30 p.m., ESPN2) and No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 4 Penn State (Sunday at 4:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- Anticipated No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchups pitting defending national champion No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Maryland (Sunday at noon, ESPN / ESPN3) and No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 St. John’s (Saturday at 9 p.m., ESPN / ESPN3)
Date Time (ET) Games/Commentators Networks Sat, Mar 24 Noon No. 11 Kansas vs. No. 2 Tennessee
(Des Moines, Iowa)
Beth Mowins, Stephanie White & Samantha SteeleESPN HD/ESPN3 2:30 p.m. No. 4 Georgia Tech vs. No. 1 Baylor
(Des Moines, Iowa)
Beth Mowins, Stephanie White & Samantha SteeleESPN HD/ESPN3 9 p.m. No. 3 St. John’s vs. No. 2 Duke
(Fresno, Calif.)
Dave Pasch, Debbie Antonelli & Heather CoxESPN HD/ESPN3 11:30 p.m. No. 5 South Carolina vs. No. 1 Stanford
(Fresno, Calif.)
Dave Pasch, Debbie Antonelli & Heather Cox
ESPN2 HD/ESPN3 Sun, Mar 25 Noon No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Maryland
(Raleigh, N.C.)
Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo & Allison WilliamsESPN HD/ESPN3 2:30 p.m. No. 5 St. Bonaventure vs. No. 1 Notre Dame
(Raleigh, N.C.)
Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo & Allison Williams
ESPN2 HD/ESPN3 4:30 p.m. No. 4 Penn State vs. No. 1 Connecticut
(Kingston, R.I.)
Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Holly RoweESPN2 HD/ESPN3 7 p.m. No. 11 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 Kentucky
(Kingston, R.I.)
Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Holly Rowe
ESPN2 HD/ESPN3 Mon, Mar 26 7 p.m. (Des Moines, Iowa)
Beth Mowins, Stephanie White & Samantha Steele
ESPN HD/ESPN3 9 p.m. (Fresno, Calif.)
Dave Pasch, Debbie Antonelli & Heather Cox
ESPN HD/ESPN3 Tue, Mar 27 7 p.m. (Kingston, R.I.)
Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Holly Rowe
ESPN HD/ESPN3 9 p.m. (Raleigh, N.C.)
Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo & Allison Williams
ESPN HD/ESPN3
Saturday’s links will be coming up. That’s right, a rare Saturday linkfest.
