ESPNU Campus Connection Week Features College Students Contributing to ESPN Telecasts

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ESPNU Campus Connection Week Features College Students Contributing to ESPN Telecasts

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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

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