ESPNU Campus Connection Week Features College Students Contributing to ESPN Telecasts

Tweet this release: http://bit.ly/5eJLAm
For the second consecutive year, ESPN will provide college students with an opportunity to participate in the production of men’s and women’s college basketball telecasts as part of ESPNU Campus Connection Week from Monday, Jan. 25, to Sunday, Jan. 31. Throughout the week, telecasts will provide viewers with an all-access pass to campus life through student-generated content from across the country. Editorial roles include producer, sideline reporter, play-by-play announcer, stage manager, camera operator, statistician, audio assistant and more.
ESPNU Campus Connection Week will feature student involvement in 49 men’s and women’s games across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, highlighted by two featuring more than 10 students contributing to the overall telecast in key roles. ESPNU will televise those two games, both featuring men’s conference showdowns: Alabama State at Southern on Monday, Jan. 25, at 9 p.m. ET and No. 24 Mississippi at Auburn on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 9 p.m. (a complete schedule is below).
ESPNU Campus Connection Week Highlights on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU:
- ESPNU Campus Connection Week will encompass coverage of 81 schools representing 16 conferences.
- Every game will feature at least one ESPNU Campus Connection element and one profile on a student-athlete.
- The “ESPNU Extra Credit” segment – student(s) conveying something unique about his/her college – will return for 30 of the 49 games. For example, Notre Dame students will provide insight into why the football program’s slogan “Play Like A Champion” is for more than just the team.
- Telecasts involving Texas, Maryland, Boston College and DePaul will have a student sideline reporter from those respective schools. Highlights include Dan Duquette Jr., son of the former Boston Red Sox general manager, working a Boston College game and DePaul softball player Sheana Warren working a Blue Demons game.
- Some of the participating students will be “embedded reporters” among the fans during telecasts featuring some of the most vocal student sections in the BIG EAST, including Marquette, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova and West Virginia.
- Former Campus Connection student reporter and current ESPN analyst Abby Waner will be a reporter on two ESPNU women’s telecasts: Louisiana Tech at Nevada on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 11 p.m. and Georgia at Auburn Sunday, Jan, 31, at 6 p.m. In addition to Waner, two former Campus Connection students now work at ESPN, both in behind-the-scenes production roles.
- ESPNU will offer several “For Love of the Game” interstitials featuring testimonials from student-athletes on why they love what they do, including from Quincy Pondexter (Washington), Malik Perry (Ball State) and Katrina Thompson (Duke).
- Indiana and Illinois students will debate which of the school’s Assembly Hall basketball facilities is better.
- Select telecasts will feature the integration of student radio calls.
- Student-produced vignettes will be used during several telecasts.
- Kansas State students will provide an inside look at a College GameDay Driven by State Farm telecast when the show originates from No. 3 Kansas at No. 9 Kansas State Saturday, Jan. 30, at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- Fans will have the opportunity to post comments and photos relevant to their respective institutions and alma maters on the college basketball and ESPNU.com sections of ESPN.com.
ESPNU Campus Connection Week is an expansion of the larger ESPNU Campus Connection brand that was launched in January 2008, a student-generated content initiative that involves more than 150 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Students regularly provide content for game telecasts and studio shows through short-form pieces on student athletes and campus life, as reporters, on-air announcers, producers and camera operators, among other roles. The emphasis is on providing an authentic look at campus life through the eyes and voices of the students. Other examples have included writing articles for ESPN.com, programming the ESPNU network for a day and working on special academic projects.
In addition to opportunities during ESPNU Campus Connection Week, ESPNU will televise three additional basketball games with extensive college student participation in February:
Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Network |
Thu, Feb 4 | 7 p.m. | Florida at Alabama | ESPNU |
9 p.m. | Alabama at Mississippi State (women) | ESPNU | |
Sun, Feb 14 | 6 p.m. | No. 25 Kentucky at No. 20 Vanderbilt (women) | ESPNU |
The week will feature action involving the top 12 men’s teams from the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 coaches’ poll and 18 ranked teams overall, including three telecasts pitting ranked teams against each other: No. 14 Georgetown at No. 5 Syracuse on Monday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. on ESPN; No. 19 Wisconsin at No. 15 Purdue on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2; and No. 3 Kansas at No. 9 Kansas State on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Highlights of women’s telecasts include No. 12 Baylor at No. 23 Texas (ESPN2) and No. 8 Georgia at Auburn (ESPNU) Sunday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively; and No. 4 Ohio State at Purdue on Monday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Network |
Mon, Jan 25 | 4:30 p.m. | Delaware State at Coppin State (women)Charlie Neal & Renee Montgomery | ESPNU |
7 p.m. | No. 14 Georgetown at No. 5 SyracuseSean McDonough, Jay Bilas & Bill Raftery | ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
7 p.m. | Delaware State at Coppin StateCharlie Neal & Mark Adams | ESPNU | |
7 p.m. | No. 4 Ohio State at Purdue (women)Bob Wischusen, Carolyn Peck & Rebecca Lobo | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
9 p.m. | Missouri at No. 3 KansasBrent Musburger, Bob Knight & Holly Rowe | ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
9 p.m. | Alabama State at SouthernQuint Kessenich & Stephen Howard | ESPNU | |
11 p.m. | Boise State at IdahoTrey Bender & Bob Donewald | ESPNU | |
Tue, Jan 26 | 7 p.m. | No. 7 Michigan State at MichiganDave O’Brien, Steve Lavin & Erin Andrews | ESPN / ESPN360.com |
7 p.m. | No. 16 Clemson at Boston CollegeMike Patrick & Len Elmore | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
7 p.m. | Miami at MarylandRob Stone, Drew Barry & Jon Barry | ESPNU | |
9 p.m. | No. 2 Kentucky at South CarolinaBrad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes & Jeannine Edwards | ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
9 p.m. | Rutgers at MarquetteMike Gleason & Mike Kelley | ESPNU | |
11 p.m. | Louisiana Tech at Nevada (women)Angie Kiel & Abby Waner | ESPNU | |
Wed, Jan 27 | 7 p.m. | Notre Dame at No. 4 VillanovaSean McDonough, Jay Bilas & Allen Hopkins | ESPN / ESPN360.com |
7 p.m. | Vanderbilt at No. 8 TennesseeCarter Blackburn & Mark Gottfried | ESPNU | |
7:30 p.m. | Texas A&M at Oklahoma StateRon Franklin & Hubert Davis | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
9 p.m. | Florida State at No. 6 DukeDan Shulman, Dick Vitale & Heather Cox | ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
9 p.m. | Texas Tech at No. 1 TexasDan McLaughlin & Tim Welsh | ESPNU | |
11 p.m. | Boise State at Fresno State (women)Trey Bender & Krista Blunk | ESPNU | |
Thu, Jan 28 | 7 p.m. | No. 19 Wisconsin at No. 15 PurdueBrent Musburger & Steve Lavin | ESPN / ESPN360.com |
7 p.m. | Seton Hall at South FloridaJohn Saunders & Bob Valvano | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
7 p.m. | St. John’s at No. 11 PittsburghQuint Kessenich & Bob Wenzel | ESPNU | |
9 p.m. | Mississippi State at ArkansasBrad Nessler & Jimmy Dykes | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
9 p.m. | No. 24 Mississippi at AuburnRob Stone & Jay Williams | ESPNU | |
11 p.m. | No. 10 Gonzaga at Santa ClaraTerry Gannon & Stephen Bardo | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
11 p.m. | Portland at San FranciscoDave Flemming & Krista Blunk | ESPNU | |
Fri, Jan 29 | 4:30 p.m. | Marist at Canisius (women)Dean Darling & Mica Ryan | ESPNU |
7 p.m. | Niagara at CanisiusDoug Sherman & Rob Kennedy | ESPNU | |
9 p.m. | No. 20 Butler at Wisconsin-Green BayLou Cannellis & Mark Adams | ESPNU | |
Sat, Jan 30 | Noon | Louisville at No. 12 West VirginiaMike Patrick & Doris Burke | ESPN / ESPN360.com |
Noon | LaSalle at TempleBob Wischusen & Tim Welsh | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
Noon | Eastern Michigan at Miami (Ohio)Jim Barbar & Tim McCormick | ESPNU | |
2 p.m. | Oklahoma State at MissouriRon Franklin & Fran Fraschilla | ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
2 p.m. | Indiana at IllinoisDave O’Brien & Steve Lavin | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
2 p.m. | Murray State at Tennessee-MartinDave Weekley & TBD | ESPNU | |
4 p.m. | Vanderbilt at No. 2 KentuckyBrad Nessler & Jimmy Dykes | ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
4 p.m. | Youngstown State at Cleveland StateTBD & Jim Chones | ESPNU | |
6 p.m. | Notre Dame at RutgersDave Pasch & Len Elmore | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
6 p.m. | Charlotte at MassachusettsClay Matvick & Stephen Howard | ESPNU | |
7 p.m. | No. 3 Kansas at No. 9 Kansas StateDan Shulman, Dick Vitale & Erin Andrews | ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
8 p.m. | Pacific at UC RiversideTerry Gannon & Stephen Bardo | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
8 p.m. | Providence at CincinnatiJustin Kutcher & Dickey Simpkins | ESPNU | |
10 p.m. | Hawaii at NevadaTrey Bender & Bob Donewald | ESPNU | |
Sun, Jan 31 | 2 p.m. | Manhattan at Saint Peter’sDoug Sherman & Rob Kennedy | ESPNU |
3 p.m. | Purdue at Iowa (women)Beth Mowins & TBD | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
4 p.m. | Marquette at DePaul (women)Jim Barbar & Brooke Weisbrod | ESPNU | |
5 p.m. | No. 12 Baylor at No. 23 Texas (women)Pam Ward & Kara Lawson | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
6 p.m. | No. 8 Georgia at Auburn (women)Dave Baker & Abby Waner | ESPNU | |
8 p.m. | Wichita State at Southern IllinoisDan McLaughlin & Mac McCausland | ESPNU |
– 30 –