ESPN College Sports Update

January 10, 2012

College Basketball GameDay Corner

ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm officially kicks off its eight-week Saturday morning and evening college basketball program originating from the site of ESPN’s Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV telecast on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 10 a.m. from the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla.

For the eighth year, Rece Davis will serve as point guard for the College GameDay desk, and will be joined by analysts Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Hubert Davis to preview all the day’s action and discuss the biggest storylines in college basketball.

This week’s two-hour College GameDay show will air special segments including a feature on Florida State forward Bernard James and the GameDay version of the Newlywed Game - when two teammates answer questions about each other ultimately determining how well they really know one another.

No. 3 North Carolina will face the Seminoles in an ACC battle (2 p.m., ESPN & ESPN3) in the Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV telecast with Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale with the call.

Full GameDay schedule and release

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Men’s basketball action on ESPN networks kicks into high gear after a shakeup in the top 10 of the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll, with its regular daily lineup beginning Wednesday, Jan. 11, including Wednesday Night Hoops Presented by Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Thursday Night Showcase Presented by T. Rowe Price and the return of Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV. Highlights:

• The three remaining undefeated teams in the nation are in action on ESPN networks – No. 1 Syracuse (17-0) at Villanova (7 p.m., ESPN2 & ESPN3) as part of the Wednesday Night Hoops Presented by Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups; No. 4 Baylor (15-0) hosts Oklahoma State (3 p.m., ESPN2 & ESPN3) as part of Saturday Showcase Presented by 5-hour Energy and No. 14 Murray State (16-0) plays Tennessee Tech (Saturday at 6 p.m., ESPNU)
• No. 2 Kentucky at SEC rival Tennessee (noon, ESPN & ESPN3) in a Saturday Showcase Presented by 5-hour Energy
• Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV returns for the eight week series as part of College GameDay Covered State Farm by visiting the Florida State campus for a matchup between FSU and No. 3 North Carolina (2 p.m., ESPN & ESPN3)

• Syracuse at No. 17 Georgetown in a BIG EAST showdown (noon, ESPNU)
• Atlantic 10 opponents Temple and Dayton (2 p.m., ESPN2 & ESPN3)
• No. 11 Miami at Florida State in an ACC matchup (3:30 p.m., ESPNU)
• Big Ten clash between No. 13 Ohio State at Michigan State (4 p.m., ESPN2 & ESPN3)

Big Monday Presented by Bud Light tips off its seven-week women’s hoops series Monday, Jan. 16, with No. 21 North Carolina visiting No. 3 Connecticut (7 p.m., ESPN2 HD & ESPN3)

• Pam Ward and Rebecca Lobo will have the call of the game

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College Football... What Now?

The college football season ended last night with the Allstate BCS National Championship. So what does that mean for ESPN’s college football commentators? For most, a few more home-cooked meals, a dramatic drop in airline mileage and for one analyst,a seat next to Kelly Ripa.

Live! With Kelly has featured a week of sports-themed co-hosts and ESPN’s Jesse Palmer will join the roster Thursday at 9 a.m. (check local listings for network). Other guests this week included the NFL’s Reggie Bush and NASCAR’s Carl Edwards.

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Spotlight: 40 Minutes in Hell

ESPNU will debut 40 Minutes of Hell on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 9 p.m. The latest installment in the SEC “Storied” documentary series. The film explores the rise, fall and re-birth of a legendary coach and a time when the state of Arkansas was at the epicenter of American culture. 40 Minutes of Hell features Nolan Richardson, the man behind the Razorback’s rise to prominence in the early 1990s, former President Bill Clinton and a laundry list of players and sports media documenting what was then and now for Razorbacks basketball.

Film details and trailer

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Dishing on the Allstate BCS Championship Ratings

ESPN’s telecast of the Allstate Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship – Alabama’s 21-0 shutout of LSU -- posted a 16.2 fast national household coverage rating, according to Nielsen. Ratings highlights:

• Represented an average of 16,072,000 households, the second highest of any program in the history in cable television (records go back to 1987)
• The average of 24,214,000 viewers (P2+) was also second best in cable
• Also marked ESPN’s second-highest rating of all time

The only telecast in cable television history with a larger audience was last year’s BCS Championship on ESPN:

• 17,718,000 homes and 27,316,000 people, based on a 17.8 rating) - a 22-19 Auburn victory over Oregon decided by a field goal as time expired

The game was the most-viewed telecast of the night in all of television, broadcast or cable, and powered ESPN to win the night among all networks.

The programming leading into and following the game performed well:

• BCS Showcase (8:15-30 p.m. ET) earned a 7.7 metered market rating
• BCS Post-Game (11:30 p.m. – midnight) drew a 7.9

The game earned notable local ratings in a variety of markets (records date back to 2000):

• Birmingham averaged a 61.2 rating, best of all metered markets, the second highest-rated bowl game on the ESPN networks in this market, behind only the 2011 National Championship (67.0; Auburn/Oregon)
• New Orleans averaged a 53.3 overnight rating, second best in the nation and the highest-rated bowl game ever on the ESPN networks in this market
• In addition, Austin (20.5), Greensboro (17.3), Greenville (24.5), Houston (16.2), Jacksonville (23.0), Memphis (25.8), Orlando (16.6), and Providence (9.6) delivered their highest rating for a bowl game on the ESPN networks in the 2012 BCS National Championship

Full Allstate BCS Championship ratings release