ESPN's Coverage Plans For The Final Four

We have your coverage plans from ESPN for the Final Four. Of course, the coverage spans across networks and platforms.

Extensive 2010 Men’s Final Four Coverage across ESPN Entities Includes Live Reports from Indianapolis

 
ESPN will offer extensive multimedia coverage of the NCAA Men’s Final Four, including in-depth analysis, news, interviews and highlights across many ESPN platforms. Highlights include:
 
  • ESPN: Daily SportsCenter reports Friday, April 2, to Monday, April 5, and two episodes of College GameDay, including a 90-minute pre-Championship show at 7:30 p.m. ET. Select SportsCenter, College GameDay and ESPNEWS segments will originate from inside Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, site of the Final Four.
  • ESPNU: Extensive analysis and on-site reports during SportsCenterU and replays of memorable regular-season games involving teams in the Final Four and Championship game.
  • ESPNEWS: Daily segments from on-site reporters and coverage of news conferences.
  • ESPN.com: Commentary and analysis including those from on-site reporters, live chats and ESPN.com’s SportsNation polls, plus content via ESPN Mobile Properties.
  • ESPN Radio: Extensive daylong analysis, previews and interviews Saturday and Monday.
  • ESPN Classic: Two days of memorable NCAA Tournament games Saturday and Monday.
 
SportsCenter
ESPN’s season-long men’s college basketball studio host Rece Davis and analysts Digger Phelps and Hubert Davis will provide primary studio analysis from ESPN’s headquarters. ESPN analyst and Hall of Famer Dick Vitale, along with fellow analyst Jay Bilas, who works with Rece Davis, Phelps and Hubert Davis on College GameDay, will provide on-site analysis from Indianapolis. ESPN analyst and Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight will provide analysis for College GameDay and SportsCenter via satellite. ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz and reporter Bob Holtzman will cover breaking news and updates from Indianapolis. 
 
Bilas and Vitale will provide segments from the ESPN location inside Lucas Oil Stadium overlooking the court, including reports during team practice sessions Friday, April 2, postgame analysis Saturday, April 3, and pre- and postgame analysis Monday, April 5. Katz and Holtzman will provide reports from Indianapolis.
 
In addition, ESPN will provide analysis between semifinal games Saturday, April 3, and at halftime of the Championship game Monday, April 5.
 
Two 90-minute College GameDay Programs
ESPN will televise two 90-minute editions of College GameDay: Saturday, April 3 at noon previewing the National Semifinal matchups and a Championship preview Monday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. which will be simulcast on ESPNU. Rece Davis will host both programs with analysis from Vitale, Knight, Bilas, Phelps and Hubert Davis.
 
ESPNU
ESPNU will provide extensive analysis and on-site reports on SportsCenterU, and two Cram Sessions.
 
  • SportsCenterU will feature interviews, updates, pre- and postgame analysis and live reports, including those from Indianapolis on Saturday, April 3, (7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. to midnight) and Monday, April 5, (6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.).
  • ESPNU’s two Cram Sessions will feature encore presentations of regular-season games involving the Final Four teams (Butler, Duke, Michigan State and West Virginia) Saturday, April 3, from midnight to noon, and the Championship game Monday, April 5, from midnight-7:30 p.m.
 
ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS will offer in-depth analysis and previews of the teams and matchups beginning Thursday, April 1, including the latest news, reports and analysis from Katz and Holtzman in Indianapolis and Doug Gottlieb and Jay Williams in studio. In addition, ESPNEWS will present live Final Four team news conferences and practice sessions, and postgame news conferences Saturday and Monday.
 
ESPN.com and ESPN Mobile Properties
ESPN.com will offer on-site reports, features and video analysis from writers Katz, Pat Forde, Dana O’Neil, Mark Schlabach and Eamonn Brennan. Other highlights:
 
  • Vitale and Bilas providing analysis of all Final Four matchups;
  • ESPN.com video clips featuring highlights, commentary and more;
  • Expert picks on the National Semifinal and Championship games;
  • ESPN’s Greg Garber taking an extensive look back at the 20th Anniversary of UNLV’s championship team;
  • Team breakdowns;
  • SportsNation polls and live chats with ESPN experts and sports personalities.
  • ESPN Mobile Properties will cover the Final Four with special editorial sections on the industry-leading mobile Web sports site, on-demand video highlights and analysis via ESPN MVP and AT&T CV, ESPN Alerts to deliver up-to-the-minute Final Four scores and news including Close Game / Upset Alerts, live GameCast and more.
 
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio will present in-depth previews and postgame analysis throughout Saturday, April 3, on SportsCenter (10 a.m.-8 p.m.) and GameNight (8 p.m.-1 a.m.), and on Monday, April 5, on the Brian Kenny Show (8-10 p.m.) and SportsCenter Tonight (10 p.m.-midn
ight). Other regularly scheduled ESPN Radio programming and SportsCenter updates every 20 minutes will present interviews with newsmakers and ESPN college basketball analysts, as well as any breaking news from Indianapolis.
 
ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic will provide two encore presentations of memorable NCAA Tournament games Saturday, April 3, and four classic games Monday, April 5.

Date Time (ET) Game
Sat, Apr 3 10 a.m. 1995 National Championship: UCLA vs. Arkansas
  Noon 1992 NCAA East Regional Final: Duke vs. Kentucky
Mon, Apr 5 10 a.m. 1987 National Championship: Syracuse vs. Indiana
  Noon 1999 National Championship: Connecticut vs. Duke
  2 p.m. 1982 National Championship: Georgetown vs. North Carolina
  4 p.m. 2008 National Championship: Kansas vs. Memphis

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About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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