ESPN to Deliver Extensive Coverage of NCAA Women’s Basketball for the 2017-18 Season

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ESPN to Deliver Extensive Coverage of NCAA Women’s Basketball for the 2017-18 Season

  • Coverage includes More Than 1,200 Games Across TV and Digital Platforms
  • Key Matchups to Also Air on Thursdays This Season
  • ESPN is the Exclusive Home of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship

ESPN’s women’s college basketball slate for the 2017-2018 regular season includes 140 matchups across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Longhorn Network and SEC Network. Additional coverage on ESPN3, SEC Network + and ACC Network Extra provides more than 1,200 live games throughout the season, streaming live on the ESPN App.

Two of last year’s Women’s Final Four teams – Stanford and UConn – tip off ESPN’s season coverage on Sunday, Nov. 12 (1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), followed by another potential top-10 matchup between Louisville and Ohio State (4 p.m., ESPNU). The Sunday doubleheader will be played in Columbus, Ohio, the site of the 2018 women’s national championship. Nearly every team on Charlie Creme’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 will be featured on ESPN networks this season.

Highlights

  • ESPN – coverage on ESPN will showcase nine teams in seven matchups, beginning with the tip off to the regular season when Stanford faces UConn (1:30 p.m.). The Jimmy V Women’s Classic will also be televised on ESPN (Dec. 4) featuring Notre Dame vs. UConn
  • ESPN2 – serves as the home for Big Monday matchups; will air a total of 35 games during the regular season
  • ESPNU – the college network will air a total of 23 matchups
  • SEC Network – more than 60 matchups featuring key in-conference games, the Big 12/SEC Challenge and early rounds of the SEC Tournament
  • Longhorn Network – the 24-hour network devoted to The University of Texas will televise one exhibition game (vs. Oklahoma City University) and 11 home games, including eight Big 12 conference matchups

Franchise Programming

  • Holiday Hoops presented by Zales including Ohio State at Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 17 (4 p.m., ESPN2)
  • Big Monday presented by Jos. A. Bank – the six-week series, in its 12th season, with feature a top matchup nearly every week on ESPN2 beginning Jan. 15, with UConn traveling to face Texas. The Big Monday slate will include a rematch of the 2017 national championship game – South Carolina visiting Mississippi State (Feb. 5), and a tripleheader on Feb. 19, as part of Play4Kay, with Florida State at Duke (6 p.m.), Baylor at Texas (8 p.m.) and UCLA at Oregon (10 p.m.)
  • Thursday Primetime on ESPN– this season’s schedule will also include a number of primetime games on ESPN, including Notre Dame at Louisville (Jan. 11), Tennessee at Notre Dame (Jan. 18), Texas at Baylor (Jan. 25) and UConn at South Carolina (Feb. 1)

Events

  • Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona and hosted by the Basketball Hall of Fame – the annual event, in its 16th year, will feature Notre Dame vs. UConn at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. The matchup will be a faceoff between two Hall of Fame coaches – Geno Auriemma and Muffet McGraw – in a storied rivalry of two top women’s basketball programs. In last season’s matchup between the two teams, the Huskies defeated the Fighting Irish 72-61
  • We Back Pat – ESPN will once again support the SEC’s “We Back Pat” initiative honoring the late Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt will include several matchups across ESPN2 and SEC Network on Sunday, Jan. 21. The day-long programming tips off with reigning national champion South Carolina taking on Kentucky (noon, ESPNU), and continues with UConn at Temple (1 p.m., ESPN2), Tulsa at Tulane (2 p.m., ESPNU), Mississippi State at Tennessee (3 p.m., ESPN2) and Florida State at Louisville (5 p.m., ESPN2)
  • Play4Kay ESPN’s 12th annual Play 4Kay – highlighting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, in partnership with the V Foundation and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) – will air a number of games across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU on Sunday, Feb. 18 and Monday, Feb. 19
  • Big 12/SEC Challenge – this year’s Challenge will feature four games on SEC Network (Nov. 30, Dec. 2, Dec. 3) and one matchup on ESPNU (Dec. 3). Matchups include Kansas State at Missouri, Iowa State at Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State at Mississippi State, Texas at Georgia and West Virginia at Texas A&M

Top 16 Seeds Reveal
ESPN will once again reveal the NCAA Top 16 Seeds, determined by the NCAA Division I women’s basketball championship sport committee, during marquee games on Mondays and Thursdays. The first of three reveals will take place on Thursday, Jan. 18, during halftime of Tennessee at Notre Dame (7 p.m., ESPN). The second reveal will occur on Thursday, Feb. 1, with the final taking place during Big Monday/Play4Kay on Monday, Feb. 19. The entire 64-team field for the 2018 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship will be announced during the Selection Special on Monday, March 12.

ESPN: Home of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Capital One
ESPN’s commitment to women’s basketball continues for the 31st year with coverage of the entire NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship from start to finish. Beginning Friday, March 16, every round of the championship will be carried on ESPN or ESPN2. The Women’s Final Four will be live from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, March 30 and Sunday, April 1. Details and a complete schedule will be available at a later date.

espnW

  • A comprehensive season preview November 6-10 will include preseason rankings of the top 25 teams and players in the country, as well as preseason All-Americans and the espnW preseason player of the year
  • Mechelle Voepel, Graham Hays and Charlie Creme will write in-depth profiles of the nation’s top teams and players, and offer live coverage and analysis, throughout the season
  • Beginning with a preseason Bracketology, Creme will update his 64-team projection throughout the season
  • For the sixth consecutive season, espnW will name a national player of the week every Monday

ESPN the Magazine
A host of college basketball preview topics in the QB Crossroads issue — available on newsstands beginning Friday, Nov. 3 — including:

  • Men’s and Women’s Top 25 Power Rankings
  • UConn is untethered from its 111-game win streak, and power duo Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier look to lead the Huskies into a new era.

The regular-season will culminate with ESPN’s Champ Week presented by Principal Financial Group, providing conference tournament coverage Feb. 28 – March 11.

All games aired on an ESPN network will also be available through the ESPN App, computers, smartphones, tablets and streaming devices to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.

2017-2018 Women’s College Basketball Regular Season Schedule (subject to change)
Note: All ESPN3, SEC Network + and ACC Network Extra games will be announced weekly once the season begins

Date Time (ET) Matchup Network
Sun, Nov. 5 2 p.m. Oklahoma City University at Texas (exhibition) Longhorn Network
Sun, Nov. 12 1:30 p.m. Stanford vs. UConn ESPN
  2 p.m. Stetson at Texas Longhorn Network
  4 p.m. Louisville vs. Ohio State ESPNU
Mon, Nov. 13 7 p.m. South Carolina at Maryland ESPN2
Wed, Nov. 15 Noon McNeese State at Texas Longhorn Network
Fri, Nov. 17 8 p.m. UTSA at Texas Longhorn Network
Sun, Nov. 19 1:30 p.m. Maryland at UConn ESPN
Tue, Nov. 21 10:30 p.m. UConn at UCLA ESPNU
Wed, Nov. 29 8 p.m. Middle Tennessee at Ole Miss SEC Network
Thu, Nov. 30 7 p.m. Ohio State at Duke ESPN2
  8 p.m. Louisiana Tech at Texas Longhorn Network
  9 p.m. Big 12/SEC Challenge
Kansas State at Missouri
SEC Network
Sat, Dec. 2 4 p.m. Big 12/SEC Challenge
Iowa State at Vanderbilt
SEC Network
Sun, Dec. 3 Noon Duke at South Carolina SEC Network
  2 p.m. Big 12/SEC Challenge
Oklahoma State at Mississippi State
SEC Network
  4 p.m. Jimmy V Women’s Classic presented by Corona and hosted by the Basketball Hall of Fame
Notre Dame vs. UConn
ESPN
  Big 12/SEC Challenge
Texas at Georgia
SEC Network
  8 p.m. Big 12/SEC Challenge
West Virginia at Texas A&M
ESPNU
Wed, Dec. 6 Noon TCU at Texas A&M SEC Network
Sun, Dec. 10 1 p.m. Marshall at Florida SEC Network
  3 p.m. Texas at Tennessee ESPN2
Wed, Dec. 13 7 p.m. Oregon at Mississippi State SEC Network
  8 p.m. Northwestern State at Texas Longhorn Network
Sun, Dec. 17 1 p.m. Georgia Tech at Georgia SEC Network
  3 p.m. Louisville at Kentucky SEC Network
  4 p.m. Holiday Hoops presented by Zales
Ohio State at Cincinnati
ESPN2
Thu, Dec. 21 12 p.m. California at Kentucky SEC Network
Sun, Dec. 31 Noon Tulane at USF ESPNU
  Tennessee at Kentucky SEC Network
  2 p.m. Indiana at Ohio State ESPN2
  Texas Tech at Baylor ESPNU
  Texas A&M at South Carolina SEC Network
  4 p.m. Florida at Auburn ESPN2
  Vanderbilt at LSU SEC Network
  6 p.m. Mississippi State at Georgia SEC Network
Wed, Jan 3 8 p.m. Oklahoma State at Texas Longhorn Network
Thu, Jan 4 7 p.m. Kentucky at Texas A&M SEC Network
  9 p.m. Arkansas at Mississippi State SEC Network
Sun, Jan 7 Noon Ohio State at Michigan ESPN2
  SMU at Temple ESPNU
  Vanderbilt at Tennessee SEC Network
  2 p.m. South Carolina at Missouri ESPN2
  Texas at Kansas State ESPNU
  Mississippi State at LSU SEC Network
  4 p.m. Stanford at Arizona State ESPN2
  Alabama at Arkansas SEC Network
Thu, Jan 11 10 a.m. Marist at Quinnipiac ESPNU
  7 p.m. Thursday Primetime
Notre Dame at Louisville
ESPN
  Tennessee at Texas A&M SEC Network
  9 p.m. Ole Miss at Mississippi State SEC Network
Sat, Jan 13 2 p.m. Kansas at Texas Longhorn Network
Sun, Jan 14 Noon UCF at USF ESPNU
  1 p.m. Tennessee at South Carolina ESPN2
  LSU at Florida SEC Network
  2 p.m. Saint Louis at Dayton ESPNU
  3 p.m. Virginia at Duke ESPN2
  Georgia at Texas A&M SEC Network
  4 p.m. Alabama at Mississippi State ESPNU
  5 p.m. Arkansas at Auburn SEC Network
Mon, Jan 15 7 p.m. Big Monday presented by Jos. A. Bank
UConn at Texas
ESPN2
  Kentucky at Vanderbilt SEC Network
Thu, Jan 18 7 p.m. Thursday Primetime
Tennessee at Notre Dame
ESPN
  Florida at Arkansas SEC Network
  9 p.m. Missouri at Ole Miss SEC Network
Sun, Jan 21 Noon We Back Pat
South Carolina at Kentucky
ESPNU
  1 p.m. We Back Pat
UConn at Temple
ESPN2
  We Back Pat
Ole Miss at Florida
SEC Network
  2 p.m. We Back Pat
Tulsa at Tulane
ESPNU
  3 p.m. We Back Pat
Mississippi State at Tennessee
ESPN2
  We Back Pat
Auburn at Georgia
SEC Network
  5 p.m. We Back Pat
Florida State at Louisville
ESPN2
  We Back Pat
Arkansas at Missouri
SEC Network
Mon, Jan 22 7 p.m. Big Monday presented by Jos. A. Bank
Ohio State at Maryland
ESPN2
  LSU at Texas A&M SEC Network
Thu, Jan 25 6:30 p.m. Arkansas at South Carolina SEC Network
  7 p.m. Thursday Primetime
Texas at Baylor
ESPN
  8:30 p.m. Florida at Mississippi State SEC Network
Sat, Jan 27 Noon Michigan State at Ohio State ESPNU
  8 p.m. Iowa State at Texas Longhorn Network
Sun, Jan 28 Noon Temple at  USF ESPNU
  1 p.m. Tennessee at LSU SEC Network
  2 p.m. Mississippi State at Ole Miss ESPNU
  3 p.m. Texas A&M at Vanderbilt SEC Network
  4 p.m. Notre Dame at Florida State ESPN2
  5 p.m. Alabama at Auburn SEC Network
  6 p.m. Missouri at South Carolina ESPN2
Mon, Jan 29 7 p.m. Kentucky at Arkansas SEC Network
Thu, Feb 1 6:30 p.m. Texas A&M at Tennessee SEC Network
  7 p.m. Thursday Primetime
UConn at South Carolina
ESPN
  8:30 p.m. Mississippi State at Missouri SEC Network
Sat, Feb 3 Noon TCU at Texas Longhorn Network
Sun, Feb 4 Noon LSU at Kentucky SEC Network
  1 p.m. Notre Dame at Duke ESPN2
  2 p.m. Tennessee at Vanderbilt ESPNU
  Arkansas at Alabama SEC Network
  3 p.m. Stanford at Oregon ESPN2
  4 p.m. Auburn at Texas A&M SEC Network
Mon, Feb 5 7 p.m. Big Monday presented by Jos. A. Bank
South Carolina at Mississippi State
ESPN2
  Florida at Missouri SEC Network
Thu, Feb 8 7 p.m. South Carolina at Alabama SEC Network
  9 p.m. Kentucky at Missouri SEC Network
Sat, Feb 10 8 p.m. Kansas State at Texas Longhorn Network
Sun, Feb 11 Noon Michigan at Michigan State ESPN2
  Dayton at George Washington ESPNU
  1 p.m. Florida at South Carolina SEC Network
  2 p.m. Ohio State at USF ESPN2
  Kentucky at Mississippi State ESPNU
  3 p.m. Georgia at Tennessee SEC Network
  4 p.m. Florida State at Miami ESPN2
  5 p.m. Missouri at Arkansas SEC Network
Mon, Feb 12 7 p.m. Big Monday presented by Jos. A. Bank
Louisville at UConn
ESPN2
  Vanderbilt at Auburn SEC Network
Wed, Feb 14 8 p.m. Texas Tech at Texas Longhorn Network
Thu, Feb 15 5 p.m. SIUE at UT Martin ESPNU
  6:30 p.m. Alabama at Tennessee SEC Network
  8:30 p.m. Mississippi State at Vanderbilt SEC Network
Play4Kay on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU (Feb. 18-19)
Sun, Feb 18 Noon Wake Forest at NC State ESPNU
  1 p.m. Purdue at Ohio State ESPN2
  Vanderbilt at Florida SEC Network
  2 p.m. Texas A&M at Mississippi State or Tennessee at Missouri ESPNU
  3 p.m. Tulane at Memphis ESPN2
  Kentucky at South Carolina SEC Network
  5 p.m. Tennessee at Missouri or Texas A&M at Mississippi State ESPN2
  Auburn at Alabama SEC Network
Mon, Feb 19 6 p.m. Big Monday presented by Jos. A. Bank
Florida State at Duke
ESPN2
  7 p.m. Georgia at Ole Miss SEC Network
  8 p.m. Big Monday presented by Jos. A. Bank
Baylor at Texas
ESPN2
  10 p.m. Big Monday presented by Jos. A. Bank
UCLA at Oregon
ESPN2
Thu, Feb 22 6:30 p.m. LSU at South Carolina SEC Network
  8:30 p.m. Kentucky at Ole Miss SEC Network
Sun, Feb 25 Noon Ohio State at Penn State ESPN2
  Mississippi State at Kentucky or South Carolina at Tennessee ESPNU
  Florida at Georgia SEC Network
  2 p.m. NC State at Notre Dame ESPN2
  Ole Miss at Auburn SEC Network
  4 p.m. South Carolina at Tennessee or Mississippi State at Kentucky ESPN2
  Missouri at Texas A&M SEC Network
Mon, Feb 26 7 p.m. Big Monday presented by Jos. A. Bank
USF at UConn
ESPN2

 

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Anna Negron

It was always a dream of mine to work at ESPN, and here I am! I joined the College Sports PR team in March 2016. Hailing from the great Garden State, I graduated from Seton Hall University (Go Pirates!) with a degree in sport management, where I not only sang the National Anthem at games, but was also a member of the Seton Hall Sapphires Dance Team and a student reporter for Pirate Sports Network. Before joining ESPN, I served as a Public Relations Associate for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
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