It seems like Memorial Day Weekend has crept up on us. Maybe it’s the cooler than normal temperatures in the Northeast this Spring. Maybe it’s due to the fact that days are running together for me. Maybe it’s me. Who knows?
Anyway, ESPN and ESPN2 will air the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship live from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Saturday and Monday. The event has grown in leaps and bounds every year and whether the Championship is played in Baltimore or Foxboro, the Lacrosse Semis and Championship draw good crowds.
The semifinals will be aired on ESPN2 this Saturday and in the first game, Notre Dame will take on the top seed, Loyola (MD) at 2:30 p.m. ET with ACC rivals Maryland and Duke squaring off in the second game at 5 p.m.
On Monday, the Championship Game will be played at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Calling the games will be Eamon McAnaney and Quint Kessenich with Paul Carcaterra on the sidelines.
Here’s the ESPN announcement for you.
2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship Semifinals Set
National Championship Game to be Played Monday, May 28, at 1 p.m. on ESPN & ESPN3
The last four teams remain as the field is set for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship championship weekend – Saturday, May 26 and Monday, May 28, from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The semifinals commence Saturday on ESPN2 and ESPN3 with No. 4 Notre Dame facing top-seeded Loyola (Md.) at 2:30 p.m. ET and Maryland against No. 3 Duke at 5 p.m. The 2012 season will culminate with the National Championship Monday at 1 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3.
ESPN has covered 29 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships since 1980 and 2012 marks the 18th consecutive year of televising the National Semifinals and Championship Game.
Commentators
- Eamon McAnaney will be calling his first-ever championship weekend games as the play-by-play announcer
- Quint Kessenich will join McAnaney in the booth and sideline analyst Paul Carcaterra is a newcomer on the field for the biggest weekend of the season
Studio
- Host Anish Shroff and analyst Mark Dixon will cover the National Semifinals from ESPNU’s Charlotte, N.C. headquarters
- The duo will be on site in Foxborough for the National Championship on Memorial Day with pregame and halftime reports
- In addition, Shroff and Dixon will anchor the NCAA Lacrosse Championship Post Game Show on ESPNU and ESPN3, immediately following the title game, which will include game reaction, postgame celebration, trophy presentation and net cutting
- Bill Tierney, head coach at Denver and six-time NCAA Championship coach at Princeton, will join Shroff and Dixon in studio for the coverage of the semifinals
Game Features
- A series of bumps and full-length teases that combine Native American narrative with current day life from the Onondaga Nation in upstate New York
- Microphones will be worn by all three game officials during the semifinals and championship, providing on-field dialogue throughout the telecast with periodic switches to each official
- The telecast will use nine cameras, plus the SkyCam and Super Slo Motion camera, which will allow viewers to experience a visually enhanced presentation
ESPN Digital
- All three games from Gillette Stadium simulcast on ESPN3
- Full coverage of the postgame celebration, trophy presentation and the net cutting on Monday on ESPN3
- Fans who receive ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription via Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV or Comcast Xfinity will also have access to WatchESPN for live coverage online at WatchESPN.com and through the WatchESPN app on smartphones and tablets, in addition to ESPN3’s multi-screen offering
ESPN.com
- ESPNBoston.com will cover all the weekend’s action from Gillette Stadium
Sports Science Lab
Former Johns Hopkins All-American and current Boston Cannon star Paul Rabil put his skills to the test at the ESPN Sport Science lab, demonstrating why some call him the world’s greatest lacrosse player. Using state of the art technology, John Brenkus and his team analyze Rabil’s immensely powerful shot, which can exceed 100 miles per hour, plus record his speed, power and accuracy. The team also breaks down the art of the lacrosse shot with one of the game’s finest players ever.
ESPN International
- The semifinal games will be shown live on ESPN PacRim, ESPN2 Australia and ESPN2 Caribbean, and next day delay on ESPN America
- The title game will air live on ESPN America, ESPN PacRim and ESPN2 Caribbean
- Same day/next day airs for the championship game will be available on ESPN Africa, ESPN2 Australia, ESPN Israel, ESPN Middle East, ESPN Brazil HD and ESPN Latin America
ESPN’s Coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship
(Subject to change)
Date Time (ET) Game/Commentators Network(s) Sat, May 26 2:30 p.m. Semifinal #1: No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Loyola (Md.)
(Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.)Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra
ESPN2/ESPN3 5 p.m. Semifinal #2: Maryland vs. No. 3 Duke
(Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.)Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra
ESPN2/ESPN3 Mon, May 28 1 p.m. National Championship: Semifinal winners
(Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.)Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra
ESPN/ESPN3 3:30 p.m. NCAA Lacrosse Championship Post Game Show Anish Shroff & Mark Dixon
ESPNU
That will do us.
