ESPN MidWeek — January 13, 2010

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

• College GameDay and Saturday Primetime to Tip Off at Site of of Women's Basketball Matchup -- No. 3 Notre Dame at No. 1 Connecticut on January 16
• Men's College Basketball: No. 1 Texas Leads 12 Top 25 Teams in Action, including Four Against One Another   

NFL, NBA, HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL & MORE...

• NFL Divisional Playoff Coverage: Pre- and Postgame Reports from All Four Stadiums; Sunday NFL Countdown Special Guest Is Jon Gruden 
• Top NFL Draft Prospect Ndamukong Suh, NFL Standouts to Visit ESPN Campus
• NBA: Playoff Caliber Teams Meet on ESPN 
• High School Basketball: Spalding Hoophall Classic on ESPN and ESPNU
• Comcast Launches ESPN On Demand
• ESPN Ranks First in Key Categories in the 2009 Beta Ad Executive Study
• Undefeated Prospect Burgos in Main Event on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights
• ESPNU Celebrates MLK Day with Early Morning Programming, including Morehouse College Basketball and Football
• International Table Tennis Champion Biba Golic to Compete at ESPN Headquarters Friday
• Lumber Liquidators PBA Earl Anthony Memorial Sunday
• `The Bracket' Debuts on ESPNU Jan. 15

The sixth consecutive season of ESPN’s College GameDay Driven by State Farm® and Saturday Primetime Presented by DirecTV Game of the Week series will begin Jan. 16 from Storrs, Conn., for the women’s BIG EAST showdown between No. 3 Notre Dame and defending National Champion No. 1 Connecticut. It will mark the first time the show has originated from a women’s game. Two one-hour segments of the show will air at 10 a.m. ET and at 8 p.m. The game will air on ESPN at 9 p.m. 

The College GameDay crew will include host Rece Davis with analysts Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Hubert Davis, who will be joined by analyst Doris Burke. The Saturday Primetime commentator team will feature Dan Shulman, Burke and Dick Vitale, who, in his 31^st season with ESPN, will be calling his first women’s basketball telecast.

The College GameDay basketball franchise debuted Jan. 22, 2005, from Storrs, Conn., with the Huskies hosting Pittsburgh. 

The men’s college basketball schedule for Jan. 18-20 will feature telecasts involving 12 teams in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll, highlighted by four games between ranked opponents including No. 1 Texas at No. 12 Kansas State (Monday, Jan. 18, at 9 p.m. on ESPN). Highlights:

• ESPN’s Big Monday Presented by Bud Light Jan. 18 will tip off at 7 p.m. with No. 5 Syracuse at Notre Dame.
• ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to present four ranked teams in action Tuesday, Jan. 19, highlighted by No. 19 Clemson at No. 18 Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Super Tuesday Presented by KFC on ESPN will include No. 10 Tennessee at Alabama at 7 p.m., followed by No. 6 Purdue at Illinois at 9 p.m.
• On Wednesday, Jan. 20, ESPNU and ESPN2 will each televise a game between ranked teams, beginning with No. 11 Georgetown at No. 20 Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. on ESPNU. ESPN2 will offer No. 24 Baylor at No. 3 Kansas at 9 p.m. Also on Wednesday, ESPN will televise Wake Forest at No. 13 North Carolina, which will be called by ESPN’s NBA crew of Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Stan Van Gundy.

ESPN’s NFL Divisional playoff coverage will include pre- and postgame reports from all four stadiums: Saturday, Rachel Nichols (Cardinals-Saints) and Suzy Kolber (Ravens-Colts), and Sunday: Ed Werder (Cowboys-Vikings) and Sal Paolantonio (Jets-Chargers). Additionally, both Sunday NFL Countdown shows at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16, and Sunday, Jan. 17, will offer pregame analysis and features.

On Saturday:

• ESPN The Magazine’s Rick Reilly will narrate an ode to Saints quarterback Drew Brees, reflecting on the past and looking toward the future as Brees attempts to lead the Saints to their first Super Bowl.

On Sunday:

• Chris Berman’s one-on-one interview with Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson;
• Greg Garber feature on Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, as 40-something quarterbacks of the past Warren Moon and Lenny Dawson help put Favre’s season into context;
• Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden offers analysis of the weekend’s games. 

In addition to the two Sunday NFL Countdown shows, ESPN’s NFL Matchup will air both Saturday and Sunday. The 30-minute X’s and O’s analysis program at 7:30 a.m., hosted by Paolantonio with analysts Merril Hoge and Ron Jaworski, will preview games on both days.

Special editions of NFL Primetime are also planned for Saturday at 12:30 a.m., (Trey Wingo, Merril Hoge and Trent Dilfer) and Sunday at 8:30 p.m. (Berman and Tom Jackson) with highlights and analysis of the playoff games.

Top-ranked NFL Draft prospect Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska and a handful of NFL standouts are scheduled this week to visit ESPN’s campus in Bristol, Conn., where all will appear on multiple television and radio programs and other ESPN platforms. Planned visits:

• Thursday, Jan. 14: Herschel Walker, the former NFL All-Pro running back and 1982 Heisman Trophy winner. Scheduled to appear on First Take (ESPN2), ESPNEWS, The Scott Van Pelt Show (ESPN Radio/ESPN2) and SportsCenter at 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Jan. 16: Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska defensive tackle and the projected No. 1 NFL Draft prospect by ESPN NFL Draft experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay. Scheduled to appear on SportsCenter at 11:40 a.m. and ESPNEWS at 12:10 p.m.
• Monday, Jan. 18: Ryan Clark, Pittsburgh Steelers safety and Super Bowl champion. Scheduled to appear on ESPN2’s 1^st and Ten to debate with Skip Bayless, The Scott Van Pelt Show, The Doug Gottlieb Show (ESPN Radio) and Football Tonight (ESPN Radio).
• Tuesday, Jan. 19: Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland Raiders Pro Bowl cornerback. Scheduled to appear on: Mike & Mike in the Morning at 9:20 a.m. (ESPN Radio/ESPN2), 1^st and Ten to debate with Skip Bayless, ESPNEWS at 2:10 p.m., The Scott Van Pelt Show and The Doug Gottlieb Show.

ESPN’s Friday night doubleheader Jan. 15 will showcase two compelling matchups -- the Phoenix Suns and Steve Nash visiting the Atlanta Hawks and Joe Johnson at 8 p.m., followed by the Portland Trail Blazers and Brandon Roy hosting the Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard at 10:30 p.m. Dan Shulman will call the Phoenix/Atlanta game with analyst Hubie Brown, while Mike Breen will provide play-by-play for Orlando/Portland with analyst Mark Jackson and reporter Heather Cox. Both games will also be available via ESPN HD, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV. Kia NBA Shootaround will precede the games at 7:30 p.m. 

Additionally, ESPN’s Sunday night game Jan. 17 will feature the division-leading Denver Nuggets and Carmelo Anthony hosting the Utah Jazz and Deron Williams at 9 p.m. Dave Pasch will call the game with analyst Jon Barry. 

On Saturday, Jan. 16, and Monday, Jan. 18, ESPN and ESPNU will combine to televise five games from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Spalding Hoophall Classic, including the top four teams in the country and nine teams ranked in the ESPN RISE Fab 50. The schedule will begin with No. 2 Northland (Ohio) vs. No. 9 Oak Hill (Va.) on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 4 p.m. on ESPN.

In the fall 2009 Beta Research Advertising Executive study findings released today, Jan. 13, ESPN was ranked No. 1 among the cable networks evaluated on plans to increase ad spending and in providing creative marketing and promotional opportunities. The sales team for ESPN ranked first in providing creative/innovative multiplatform opportunities and strategies to retain audience during commercial breaks. The study evaluated 47 basic cable networks, plus the four major broadcast networks. 

Juan “Carlos” Burgos, an undefeated 22-year-old, will be in the Jan. 15 main event of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights from Laredo, Texas. Burgos, a rising prospect, will fight Juan Carlos Martinez (15-10-1, 5 KOs), who will look to upset Burgos’ pristine 23-0 record, in a 12-round featherweight bout. Coverage will begin at 9 p.m. on ESPN2 and includes select bouts on the undercard. 

Joe Tessitore will call the action ringside with boxing legend Teddy Atlas. During breaks in the action, Brian Kenny will host from the studio with BJ Flores, an undefeated boxer who is part of the rotating quartet of analysts FNF will feature throughout the season. 

On Monday, Jan. 18, ESPNU will pay tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with a special block of games showcasing his alma mater, Morehouse College. The schedule includes two men’s basketball games and one football game starting at midnight. ESPNU’s first live national football telecast featured Benedict College at Morehouse on Aug. 25, 2005. 

MLK Day Schedule

Internationally renowned Table Tennis champion Biba Golic will visit ESPN’s campus Friday, Jan. 15. Golic will compete in the final round of ESPN’s weeklong table tennis tournament for employees. She will also make an appearance on ESPNEWS.